Glossary
Hardware engineering glossary
Plain definitions of the terms hardware teams actually argue about — from ECOs and BOMs to the reconciliation tax and the merge gate. Written for engineers, not marketers.
Reconciliation tax
The hidden engineering cost of keeping mechanical, electrical, firmware, and manufacturing data consistent by hand.
Read the definition →Merge gate
The rule that no hardware change ships until every affected discipline has been checked and a human has approved the diff.
Read the definition →ECO
Engineering change order: the formally approved document that describes and authorizes changes to a released product design.
Read the definition →ECN
Engineering change notice: the formal broadcast telling every affected team that an approved change is now in effect.
Read the definition →BOM
Bill of materials: the structured list of components, materials, and subassemblies that defines exactly what gets built.
Read the definition →EBOM vs MBOM
As designed vs as built: the engineering BOM defines the product as designed; the manufacturing BOM defines it as built.
Read the definition →Design review
A formal examination of a design by people who didn’t create it, held to catch defects before they get expensive.
Read the definition →Revision control
How engineering teams track, identify, and manage the changing states of parts, assemblies, and documents.
Read the definition →Stop bad hardware changes before they ship.
30-day pilot, fixed $8k, on your own BOM in week one.
Book a demo →