Use these terms consistently inside the plan so production, sales and budget holders understand the same instruction. The definitions describe a working planning method. Apply the actual platform terminology and your own customer-process rules where those provide the relevant product or business definition.
Planning horizon
Planning horizon means the period covered by the current programme. Choose it around the work and commercial review, and keep later outcomes open when the sales cycle extends beyond it. A thirteen-week worksheet does not make every opportunity settle in thirteen weeks.
Baseline
Baseline means the relevant starting record before a planned change. Retain its period, offer version and source conditions. A baseline helps explain what changed; it is not proof that the next observation would have stayed constant without the campaign.
Objective
Objective means the business decision or improvement the programme is intended to support. Make it concrete enough to guide the choice of question, evidence and next action. A posting quota can describe production activity without establishing the programme’s commercial purpose.
Key result
Key result means an observable result used to assess progress towards the objective. State the actual count or definition, period and limitation. Keep a completed production task separate from an assessed customer outcome, and choose targets from appropriate business evidence.
Assumption
Assumption means a planning condition that has not yet been established. Write what the plan depends on and how you will check it. An assumption about buyer interest, specialist availability or suitable response should remain visible until appropriate evidence resolves it.
Constraint
Constraint means a real limit on the work, such as an unavailable specialist, restricted service geography or fixed production capacity. Design the release around that condition or change it explicitly. Repeating the desired schedule does not remove the constraint.
Dependency
Dependency means a task or decision that must be completed before another can proceed. For example, a demonstration may need approved product requirements before editing. Put that dependency in the schedule so a delayed approval does not produce an inaccurate release.
Milestone
Milestone means an inspectable completed state, such as an approved demonstration or a checked enquiry route. A date alone does not establish completion. Retain the actual deliverable and identify any condition still preventing the next step.
Accepted outcome
Accepted outcome means a customer state that has passed the advertiser’s written business rule. Define it for the offer and keep it distinct from a submitted request or engagement metric. Later cancellations or changed status should remain visible in the relevant review.
Diagnostic metric
Diagnostic metric means a measure that helps locate a possible issue, such as platform response or destination behaviour. Use its actual definition and denominator. It can guide inspection without proving why a customer acted or whether the account is commercially suitable.
Learning budget
Learning budget means the explicitly approved allocation for answering a campaign question. State what costs it includes and what evidence will inform another allocation. It is a planning choice, not a platform minimum or a guarantee of enough suitable responses.
Stop condition
Stop condition means an observable reason to pause affected work, such as an inaccurate material claim, failed routing or unavailable response team. Write the required repair and resumption check. Keep the condition specific enough that a colleague can apply it.
Scenario
Scenario means an illustrative combination of conditions used to prepare a response. Mark it as hypothetical and keep its assumptions visible. A scenario helps identify dependencies; it should not be published as a customer case or a forecast of results.
Contingency
Contingency means the planned action if a defined risk occurs. Identify which release or campaign it affects and what evidence permits resumption. A useful contingency is operationally feasible with the team and systems actually available.
Decision gate
Decision gate means a point where essential evidence is checked before the next step. A release gate asks about accuracy and readiness; an allocation gate asks what the settled response supports. Do not substitute a calendar date for the required evidence.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation means the process of checking delivery and customer records against their definitions and periods. Preserve unmatched, duplicate, rejected and pending records appropriately. A discrepancy needs explanation rather than an automatic assumption that every record describes the same event.
Incrementality
Incrementality means the additional effect attributable to an activity beyond what would otherwise have happened. A source label or a before-and-after difference alone does not establish that effect. Use a suitable study when the business decision requires a causal claim.
Responsible person
Responsible person means the person expected to perform a defined task and maintain its useful result. Give the instruction enough context to act. If factual approval belongs elsewhere, make that dependency clear rather than treating coordination as technical authority.
RACI
RACI means a responsibility map distinguishing who performs a task, who is accountable for its decision, who is consulted and who is informed. Use it to resolve an actual ambiguity. A large chart is unnecessary when a short clear assignment serves the same purpose.
Plan refresh
Plan refresh means a deliberate update prompted by changed facts or useful learning. Identify the affected brief, assets, destination and response arrangement. Retain accurate material that still works and give the revised plan an explicit next question rather than rewriting everything by default.