Haiku #093

Glossary for this haiku

optimize

Bureaucratic
/ˈɑp.tə.maɪz/v. (aspirational)

Etym.from L. optimus, 'best,' later anglicized as optimize into managerial parlance circa 2008 by a consultancy associate who needed a verb implying progress without accountability, see Halpern, Corporate Lexica 2011.

A verb used to reframe cuts, delays, or metric gymnastics as intentional improvement.

'We will optimize retention by Q4' - Q3 Board Deck, slide 12

bandwidth

Bureaucratic
/ˈbænd.wɪdθ/n. (metaphorical)

Etym.From electrical-engineering jargon for spectral capacity, repurposed by corporate communicators in the 1990s to quantify time and attention, see H. L. Carrington, Corporate Lexicon Review 1999.

A polite, numeric-sounding metaphor used to excuse declined requests by attributing failure to limited human time or attention.

'I don't have the bandwidth for that' - Q3 Board Deck, slide 12

scale

Colloquial
/skeɪl/v. (aspirational)

Etym.From L. scala, 'ladder', repurposed into corporate parlance circa 2010 by a consulting associate who needed a word that implied growth without immediate budgeting, see Henley, Corporate Metaphors, 2014.

To defer investment decisions and accountability by framing operational expansion as an inevitable future state rather than a present cost.

'We will scale next quarter' - Q3 Board Deck, slide 12

in conclusion

Bureaucratic
/ɪn kənˈkluː.ʒən/phrase (evasive)

Etym.from late Middle English prepositional clause used to signal an ending, repurposed in corporate rhetoric circa 2005 by slide-deck consultants seeking tidy closure; see Harrison, The Language of Closure, 2012.

Serves as a ritual verbal capstone that signals the end of discussion while deflecting responsibility for unresolved details.

'In conclusion, the roadmap will be iterated based on feedback' - Q3 Board Deck, slide 47