Unpacking the basics: the A-Z of digital transformation.
We have reached the end of our “unpacking” series. We’ve covered strategy, people, cloud, agile, AI and ethics.
But we know that the tech world loves an acronym. Walking into a meeting with a digital consultant can sometimes feel like stepping into a distant country where everyone speaks a language made entirely of three-letter words.
Unpacking the basics: The A-Z of Digital Transformation
So, to wrap things up, we’ve put together a glossary. Here is the Grand West A-Z of digital transformation — defined in one sentence, plain English.
A is for Agile
A project management method that breaks work into small, bite-sized chunks (sprints) so you can deliver value quickly and change direction if needed.
B is for Business Intelligence (BI)
Using software to turn your raw data into visual charts and graphs that help you make actual decisions.
C is for Change Management
The critical process of preparing, equipping and supporting your team to adopt a new way of working (because people are harder to upgrade than software).
D is for Digital Transformation
The cultural and strategic rethink of how an organisation creates value, using technology as the enabler.
E is for Ecosystem
The network of different software tools, partners and platforms that need to talk to each other to make your business run.
F is for Frontend
The part of an app or website that the user actually sees and clicks on (as opposed to the ‘backend’ code that runs behind the scenes).
G is for Governance
The framework of rules and processes that ensures your technology is being used safely, legally and effectively.
H is for Hybrid Cloud
An IT setup where you keep some sensitive data on your own private servers (on-premise) and put the rest on the public cloud (like AWS or Azure).
I is for Internet of Things (IoT)
Physical objects (like sensors, fridges or vehicles) that are connected to the internet to collect and share data.
J is for Journey Mapping
Visualising the exact steps a customer takes when interacting with your business, used to spot friction points.
K is for Kanban
A visual workflow method (usually a board with columns like “To Do” “Doing” and “Done”) used to track tasks.
L is for Legacy Systems
Old, outdated software or hardware that is still essential to the business but difficult to replace or integrate with modern tools.
M is for MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
The smallest, simplest version of a product you can build to test an idea without wasting money on features nobody wants.
N is for No-Code
Platforms that allow non-technical people to build apps or websites using drag-and-drop tools instead of writing code.
O is for Omnichannel
Providing a consistent customer experience regardless of whether the customer is shopping online, on a mobile app or in a physical store.
P is for Proof of Concept (POC)
A small experiment designed to verify that a certain theory or tech solution actually works before you commit the full budget.
Q is for QA (Quality Assurance)
The process of testing software to find bugs and glitches before the customer finds them for you.
R is for Roadmap
A strategic plan that visualises what digital projects you are going to deliver over a given period of time and how they align with business goals.
S is for Silos
When different departments or software systems don’t talk to each other, trapping data and hindering collaboration.
T is for Tech Stack
The combination of programming languages, frameworks and tools used to build and run a specific application.
U is for User Experience (UX)
How a person feels when interacting with a system — is it intuitive and helpful, or confusing and frustrating?
V is for Value Proposition
The clear statement that explains what benefit your digital product provides and why it is better than the alternative.
W is for Waterfall
The traditional (and risky) way of building software — where you plan everything upfront and don’t test it until the very end.
X is for XaaS (Anything as a Service)
A catch-all term for services delivered over the internet (like SaaS, IaaS, PaaS) rather than installed on-site.
Z is for Zero Trust
A security model that assumes no user or device — even those inside the network — can be trusted by default and requires verification for everything.
In summary.
Bookmark this page the next time you have to sit through a steering committee meeting. And if there is a letter or a term we missed that you are struggling with, let us know.
Is your business trying to translate these terms into real-world results? We can help. Get in touch.
