an obscure term meaning to establish the boundaries of an analysis, evoking the image of rolling out a map on a large surface and then fixing its corners in place, demarcating the area within which deeper work is to take place; this narrowing or limiting of potential scope is helpful to avoid boiling the ocean, as in “Before we start the country deep dives we should talk to the executive team to pin the edges”; see also timebox, which refers to a similar concept focused on duration rather than quantity of work performed

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the most essential or complex step required to accomplish a specific objective, and upon which the entire form depends, as in “I know these other IT systems are important but getting the core ERP right is the long pole in the tent”; the sense of this term would have been more readily apparent in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, during which traveling carnivals, various entertainments, revival meetings, etc., drew large crowds and required the setting up of large temporary tents whose roof would be held up by a single central pole, the failure of which would render the whole structure unusable; as with much jargon this term has a heritage in U.S. military and political lingo

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to extract the utmost information or productivity from a particular analysis or person, as in “We haven’t found any deep insights in this click data report, let’s squeeze the lemon and see if we can find out what’s driving the recent traffic changes”; similar to obtaining the last amount of liquid from the referenced citrus fruit once the easily accessible pulp has been juiced, this phrase recognizes that effort required to generate a desired result can increase progressively, but considers this continued work desirable; compare with low-hanging fruit, which is easy to obtain, and boil the ocean or mouse milking, used to indicate when additional efforts would be unfocused or unhelpful

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used to gently indicate that the opportunity for change has passed and the circumstances as currently constituted will now persist, or that the effort required to alter them would not be worthwhile; evokes the pouring of cement on a construction site that, once hardened, requires jackhammers or heavy machinery to tear up, as in “Tanya I know you still had outstanding changes on the marketing proposal but the cement is dry on that, we’ll just have to see how it’s received”

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a paltry amount of resources that is sufficient to accomplish an objective in minimal fashion, if at all, as in “We have all these new branding ideas but can’t really execute with our lemonade budget”; comes from a shortening of the phrase “champagne taste (or lifestyle), lemonade budget”, in which one’s luxurious desires far outstrip the ability to pay for them; can be shortened further to the standalone adjective “lemonade”, describing something intangible that is meager, inadequate, incapable, etc.

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an oblique way of announcing an absolute deadline, often by a person wishing to protect their own time from further encroachment by an unfettered task or inconsiderate colleague, as in “We have to finish this presentation by this afternoon since I have a hard stop at 4 pm”; the cause for the hard stop may be expressed but can also be left unspoken, creating an air of intrigue as to what obligation is so pressing; indicates that after the time mentioned the listeners are on their own, because the person stating he has a hard stop sure isn’t going to be around to help after that

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(noun) the pertinent information on a topic or that which has resulted from a particular interaction or situation, generally used in the context of providing someone with it, as in “Let me give you the download from the meeting”; by using this term one can pretend that both speaker and listener are items of networked computer equipment; in lieu of this word this one can just as easily ask what was discussed or how the event went, although this has a sterner cast to it; similar to brain dump, but implies greater finesse in the delivery

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to use up all of the available time or resources required to complete a certain task; from aviation, in which an accelerating or decelerating airplane does not have sufficient runway length remaining to complete a normal takeoff or landing, with potentially disastrous consequences; in an organizational context this phrase indicates that regardless of readiness, available information, completeness of preparation, etc., an action will need to be taken; if you hear this expression, it generally indicates a failure of planning or that something unpredictable has occurred

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in a professional context this phrase means to generate, at once, an oppressively large quantity of work that will result in extreme discomfort and/or prolonged, excessive toil for those so thrown, as in “the partner just made them redo the entire presentation the night before the meeting, he really threw the team under the bus”; often done in ignorance or with callous disregard for the effects of one’s actions; can also be used in a more general sense, in which to throw a particular individual under the bus indicates an unjustified act of disloyalty or scapegoating; implies that all parties involved are contentedly riding on the same vehicle together, until one person is unceremoniously ejected into the path of travel

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to establish relationships and networks, schedule meetings, obtain data sources, etc., that will be necessary to successfully execute an upcoming initiative or project; from analogy to the delivery of electricity or data, in which buildings are constructed with the necessary outlets, raceways, and wiring hidden behind walls or ceilings, providing the infrastructure needed to support expected demands; use of this term can indicate that future requirements will be greater than present ones, requiring a level of foresight and planning before embarking on the core work; for critical meetings, failure to prewire by briefing colleagues beforehand can lead to negative outcomes

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