Workflow Glossary

Browse 23 workflow terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

23 Workflow Terms

Branch Strategy
The team-wide approach to organizing source-control branches, including how long branches live, when they are merged, and how releases are cut. Branch strategy...
Code Dance
A fiddly sequence of coding or deployment steps that has to be performed in a particular order. In developer slang, code dance usually means the process works,...
Commit Squashing
Combining multiple commits into one, often to simplify history before merging a pull request.
Feature Branch
A short-lived Git branch created from the main branch to develop a single feature or fix in isolation. Merged back via pull request after code review and CI...
Git Flow Debate
Arguments over branching models such as Git Flow, trunk-based development, and simpler release strategies.
GitHub Flow
A lightweight Git workflow centered on short-lived branches, pull requests, and frequent deployment from a main branch. In engineering culture, GitHub Flow is...
GitLab Flow
A Git workflow associated with GitLab that blends ideas from feature branching, environment-based branching, and release management. In engineering culture,...
Git Rebase
A Git operation that moves or replays commits from one branch onto another base, creating a linear history without merge commits. Interactive rebase (git...
Git Stash
A Git command that temporarily shelves uncommitted changes (both staged and unstaged) so you can switch branches or pull updates with a clean working...
Kanban Board
A visual workflow board that tracks work items as they move through stages such as To Do, In Progress, Review, and Done. In software teams it is used to limit...
Kanban Board Culture
A team habit of organizing and discussing work through visible flow boards, often emphasizing limits on work in progress and throughput over sprint...
Kanban Board Slang
Informal language and shorthand used around kanban boards, ticket flow, and workflow states. In engineering slang, this includes all the little phrases teams...
Local Development
The practice of running, building, and testing an application on a developer's own machine rather than in a remote or cloud environment. Typically involves...
Micro PR
A deliberately tiny pull request meant to be reviewed and merged quickly with minimal cognitive load. Teams use micro PRs to reduce review fatigue and...
Phabricator
A software development collaboration suite created at Facebook, known for code review, task tracking, and repository tools. Even after its decline, the name...
PR Label
A label attached to a pull request to indicate type, status, priority, area, or review needs. In practical tooling culture, PR labels make busy repositories...
PR Workflow
The end-to-end process around creating, reviewing, updating, approving, and merging pull requests. In engineering culture, PR workflow quality strongly affects...
Rebase
A Git operation (git rebase) that replays the commits from one branch onto a new base commit, rewriting commit hashes to produce a linear history. Interactive...
Release Draft
An unpublished or provisional release entry prepared before final publication, often with notes and attached artifacts still under review. In repository...
Reopen
To mark a previously closed issue or ticket as active again because the problem persists or has returned. In engineering slang, reopening something is often a...
Swim Lane
A visual or organizational lane used to separate responsibilities, categories, or process stages in a board or diagram. In team conversations it often means...
Trunk-Based Development
A branching strategy where developers commit directly to the main branch (trunk) or use very short-lived feature branches (< 1 day). Relies on feature flags,...
Version Control Standard
A shared standard for how version control should be used, including branching, commit style, tags, and merge practices. In team environments, version control...

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