60+ essential terms every business professional should know in 2026. From APIs to workflows, we explain the jargon in plain English.
📚 Expert-Reviewed: All definitions are written by automation specialists with real-world implementation experience.
Application Programming Interface — a way for software applications to communicate with each other and share data automatically.
Using software to perform repetitive tasks without human intervention, saving time and reducing errors.
Customer Relationship Management — software used to manage interactions with current and potential customers.
A way for one app to send real-time data to another app whenever a specific event occurs, without polling.
A connection between two or more software tools that allows them to share data and trigger actions in each other.
A software development approach that allows non-technical users to build applications using visual drag-and-drop interfaces.
A development method that requires minimal hand-coding, using visual tools with some scripting for customisation.
Software as a Service — cloud-based software delivered via subscription, accessible from any browser without installation.
A defined sequence of tasks and processes that move work from one stage to another to achieve a goal.
An event that starts an automated workflow, such as a new form submission, email received, or record created.
The automated task performed after a trigger fires, such as sending an email, creating a record, or posting a message.
In Make.com, a visual automation that connects apps with triggers and actions to automate a workflow.
In Zapier, a single automated workflow consisting of a trigger and one or more actions.
A visual project management method using boards, columns, and cards to track work progress through stages.
An agile framework for managing software development using short sprints, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
A fixed time period (usually 1-2 weeks) in which a development team completes a set of planned work.
Objectives and Key Results — a goal-setting framework that defines objectives and measurable outcomes.
Key Performance Indicator — a measurable value that shows how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.
A potential customer who has shown interest in a product or service by sharing contact information.
A marketing model describing the customer journey from awareness through consideration to purchase.
A series of automated emails sent on a schedule or triggered by user actions to nurture leads.
Dividing an audience into groups based on shared characteristics for targeted marketing.
Comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or ad to see which performs better with real users.
The percentage of customers who stop using a product or cancel their subscription in a given period.
Monthly Recurring Revenue — the predictable revenue a subscription business earns each month.
Annual Recurring Revenue — the value of recurring subscription revenue for a full year.
Lifetime Value — the total revenue a business expects from a customer over the entire relationship.
Customer Acquisition Cost — the total cost of sales and marketing to acquire one new customer.
Net Promoter Score — a customer loyalty metric based on one question: how likely are you to recommend us?
A visual representation of where prospects or deals are in the sales or project management process.
A step in the sales pipeline that represents how far a prospect is in the buying process.
Extract, Transform, Load — a data integration process that moves data from one system to another.
A type of API that uses HTTP requests to GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE data between systems.
An open standard for access delegation, allowing apps to access resources on behalf of a user without sharing passwords.
JavaScript Object Notation — a lightweight data format used to exchange data between APIs and applications.
Comma-Separated Values — a simple file format for tabular data, easily imported into spreadsheets and databases.
A visual display of key metrics and data points, giving a real-time overview of performance.
A scheduled task that runs automatically at specified time intervals on a server.
A restriction on how many API requests can be made in a given time period.
Breaking large sets of data into smaller pages to improve performance and usability.
A URL-friendly version of a title or name, using lowercase letters and hyphens instead of spaces.
Content Delivery Network — a distributed network of servers that delivers web content quickly based on user location.
The percentage of time a website or service is operational and accessible to users.
Security protocols that encrypt data transmitted between a browser and a server, shown as HTTPS.
A security process requiring two forms of verification to access an account.
A testing environment that isolates untested code changes and experimentation from the production environment.
The process of moving code changes from a development environment to a live production server.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment — automated processes that test and release software changes frequently.
A distributed version control system that tracks changes in source code during software development.
An iterative software development methodology focused on collaboration, flexibility, and customer feedback.
A startup that has found product-market fit and is focused on rapid growth and scaling operations.
A product or service produced by one company that other companies rebrand and sell as their own.
A business model offering basic features for free while charging for premium features or higher usage.
Software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and distribute freely.
Adding supplementary information to existing records, such as adding company size to a contact.
The process of identifying and removing duplicate records from a database.
Matching data fields from one application to corresponding fields in another during an integration.
To analyse and convert data from one format to a structured format that can be processed by a program.
Software that connects different applications and enables them to communicate and exchange data.
An architecture where actions are triggered by specific events rather than running on a fixed schedule.