Crafting Great Business Definitions: Getting at the Essence of Things
In this first post of a four-part series about crafting great business definitions ? I explain what Here are a definition should and should not cover. The key is getting to the essence of the concept you want to define
How important can it be to define concepts well? Consider this real example from NATO: What’s the meaning of enemy? The definition could literally be a matter of life or death. And with autonomy increasing on the battlefield these days ? the meaning is increasingly important for machines too.
Crafting good definitions is an acquir skill ? not a natural talent. about definitions that every professional should know.
The Definition of Definition Here are
For human consumption ? I frankly don’t think there’s any phone number database improving on the Merriam-Webster Unabridg Dictionary (MWUD) definition of definition: “A word or phrase expressing the essential nature of a thing or class of things ? an answer to the question “What is x?” or “What is an x?”
Why even try? That brings us to the first critical examples of quality lead guideline for definitions.
Basic Guideline for Definitions: Don’t create your own definition if a good one is already available from a reputable source.
Digging Deeper: By reputable source ? I mean natural-language dictionaries or high-quality ? widely-us business glossaries. I don’t mean data dictionaries.
Note carefully that the MWUD definition asks ? It does not ask any of the following:
What does an x do
What is the function of an x?
When you answer any germany cell number of these questions ? you’re not focusing on what something is. It’s easy to go astray. Here is an example from some client work at an electrical utility: