Software development jargon is the set of terms developers use for what gets built, how it connects and how it is checked. This glossary from Applicable defines the terms an Auckland business owner is most likely to hear during a website or web app build, in one to three sentences each, so you can follow a scoping conversation without a translator.
Every industry has its own shorthand and software has more than most. The terms below are the ones that come up on a typical Applicable project, grouped by when you will hear them. Nothing here requires a technical background.
What gets built
Cloud application
Software where at least part of the processing happens on remote computers "in the cloud", which in practice means servers in a data centre rather than a machine in your office. Most cloud applications are used through a web browser. If you log into your accounting package online, that is a cloud application.
Web application (web app)
A software application stored on a remote server and delivered over the internet through a web browser. There is nothing to install and it works anywhere with a connection. A quoting tool, a booking system or a staff dashboard you log into are all web apps.
Portal
A web app where customers or staff log in to see and act on their own information: quotes, jobs, documents, compliance records. A public website informs; a portal lets people do things. Applicable builds customer and staff portals for NZ businesses.
Custom software development
The process of designing software that meets the specific needs of one organisation, as opposed to commercial off-the-shelf software built for everyone. The result fits your process rather than making your process fit the product.
CMS
Content management system. The part of a website that lets non-technical staff edit pages, images and posts without calling a developer. When a client says updating the site is "so quick and easy", it is the CMS they are describing.
How it gets built
High-code
Traditional software development. Software is written by hand, by developers, in programming languages, to the specifications provided. The user-facing front-end of most custom applications is high-code.
Low-code
Platforms that let you create cloud and mobile applications with little or no hand-written code. Faster to deploy, but solutions can carry limitations, licence fees or reduced ownership. Applicable's own Hypercode is a low-code tool for back-ends that avoids the licence and ownership problems.
Integration
Connecting two separate software systems so that data flows between them, by mapping the data structures in one to those in the other. When your website form creates a contact in your CRM without anyone retyping it, that is an integration.
API
Application programming interface. A built-in data gateway that most modern systems expose so other software can read from and write to them. Integrations are usually built on APIs.
Cookies
A small package of data a website stores on your computer. Cookies keep you logged in and support security, and they also track activity for marketing. That second use is why websites ask for consent.
How the project runs
Scoping
The phase before the build where the developer works out exactly what will be built, identifies the risks and produces the fixed scope and price. At Applicable it includes workshops, key requirements and wireframes, and it is where a ballpark budget becomes a firm quote.
Fixed scope
Defined deliverables priced up front. Any change is quoted separately, in writing, before it is built. Fixed scope is what lets a client budget for a project and judge progress against it.
Uat
User acceptance testing. The stage where the client's own users try the software on real tasks before it goes live. It catches what automated tests cannot: whether the thing works the way the business actually works.
Virtual Product Owner (VPO)
A senior Applicable person who owns the product vision on the client's behalf, liaises with developers and vendors and manages budget, roadmap, documentation and UAT. It is for clients who have nobody technical in-house to run a software project.
If a term is missing
Ask. Part of Applicable's job is to explain the work in plain English, and a scoping call is the right place to ask what a word means before it turns up on a quote.
Key takeaways
- A web app is software delivered through a browser with nothing to install; a portal is a web app where customers or staff log in to their own data.
- An integration moves data between two systems without retyping; it is usually built on the systems' APIs.
- Low-code speeds up building but can bring licence fees and reduced ownership; high-code is hand-written and fully owned.
- Scoping produces the fixed scope and price; UAT is where your own users test the result before launch.
- A Virtual Product Owner is a senior Applicable person who runs a software project on behalf of a client with no technical lead.
Faq
What is the difference between a website and a web app?
A website presents information to anyone who visits. A web app is software you use through the browser, usually behind a login, to get something done: quoting, booking, managing jobs. Applicable builds both.
What is a portal?
A web app where a defined group of people, usually customers or staff, log in to see and act on their own records. A customer portal might show quotes, invoices and job status; a staff portal might handle timesheets and compliance forms.
What does API stand for?
Application programming interface. It is the doorway a piece of software exposes so other software can exchange data with it. Integrations between systems are built on APIs.
What is UAT in software development?
User acceptance testing. Before launch, the client's own users work through real tasks in the new software and confirm it does what the business needs. It is the last check before go-live.
What does fixed scope mean?
The deliverables are defined and priced before the build starts. Changes are quoted in writing before they are built, so the client always knows what the project will cost.
What is a Virtual Product Owner?
A senior Applicable person who owns the product vision on the client's behalf, liaises with developers and vendors and manages budget, roadmap and testing. It is for clients with nobody technical in-house.
