Commit
kuh-MIT
vs intend · in-TENDPromise a result people can plan around, not just state what you hope to do.
“We commit to shipping the API change by the 15th; the docs we only intend to finish that week.”
intend“I intend to look at the flaky tests this sprint, but I can't promise it yet.”
Risk
RISK
vs issue · ISH-ooSomething that might go wrong later; an issue has already gone wrong.
“The vendor's SDK upgrade is a risk: if it slips, our launch slips with it.”
issue“The login outage this morning is an issue, and we're working it now.”
Estimate
ES-tih-mut
vs deadline · DED-lyneA best guess at how long work takes, which can change; a deadline is a fixed date.
“Our estimate is three weeks, but it assumes the design is final.”
deadline“The deadline is fixed: the compliance report is due to auditors on March 1.”
Dependency
dih-PEN-dun-see
vs requirement · rih-KWYR-mintSomething you need from another team or system before you can finish, not something the product must do.
“Our main dependency is the payments team's new endpoint, due next Friday.”
requirement“A hard requirement is that exports finish in under ten seconds.”
Progress
PRAH-gres
vs activity · ak-TIV-ih-teeMovement toward the goal that you can show; activity is just effort spent.
“Real progress this week: two of the four migration steps are done and verified.”
activity“There's been a lot of activity on the ticket, but nothing has been decided.”
Give a status update on one real project out loud. Say what you commit to, one risk, and one piece of progress (not activity). Keep each to one sentence and don't use 'just' or 'basically'.