A Guide to CRM Terminology

Apex:

An object-oriented programming language that enables developers to add business logic to most system events on the Force.com platform.

Backlog Grooming:

An agile process for keeping the list of user stories (requirements). User stories may be added, deleted, and prioritized.

CRM (Constituent Relationship Management):

The processes, people, and systems used to manage the full constituent lifecycle, with an emphasis on improving and retaining relationships.

Docusign:

Epic:

Essentially a large user story that can be broken down into a number of smaller stories.

Force.com:

Force.com is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) product designed to simplify the development and deployment of cloud-based applications and websites.

IP Warming Strategy:

The process of establishing a sending reputation for an IP address with an Internet Service Provider (ISP) by slowly sending email in small volumes, then gradually increasing the volume of mail to users so as to not be considered spam.

MIT (Data Migration and Integration Testing):

Separate Salesforce environment for data migration and integration testing.

Organization-Wide Default:

A part of Salesforce that specifies a baseline level of restriction to an organization's data.

Page Layouts:

A part of Salesforce that determines whether a field is required, visible, or read-only, as well as controls the organization of buttons, fields custom links, etc. on a record page.

Record Types:

A tool in Salesforce that allows an organization to offer different page layouts, picklist values and business processes to different users.

Sandbox:

An isolated environment in Salesforce.org used for development and testing.

Scope Checkpoint:

Review all the requirements and expectations of the system, and document any gaps.

SIT (Systems Integration and Testing):

Separate Salesforce environment for systems integration and testing.

SOQL:

Stands for “Salesforce Object Query Language,” a specialized form of SQL (Structured Query Language) designed for working with Salesforce.com underlying database.

Sprint:

An agile work period, usually 1-2 weeks, in which the team members commit to complete a defined amount of work.

Sprint Planning:

An agile team meeting to identify the work that will be completed during the sprint.

User Story:

A user story is an agile project management term for a software feature, including the type of user that needs it, what they want, and why. For example: “As a ... I want ... So that ...”