Dead Reckoning
Noun · Slang & Abbreviations
Definitions
Working out the next move by inference and approximation rather than by reliable fresh signals or ground truth. In engineering slang, dead reckoning often shows up during incidents when observability is too weak to know exactly where you are.
In plain English: Proceeding by estimation and inference when direct reliable guidance is missing.
Example: "Without trustworthy metrics, the rollback plan became dead reckoning based on logs, instinct, and the timing of customer complaints."