Glossary & Abbreviations¶

This document defines key terms and abbreviations used throughout the COOWN Information Management System (IMS).

The IMS is established in the docs/ folder of the Tech-Pub repository. All policies, procedures, work instructions, and reference documentation reside here.

Documentation Hierarchy¶

The IMS uses a layered documentation structure. Terms at the same level are synonyms (interchangeable).

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  LEVEL 1: POLICY                                            │
│  "What we must do" — Strategic direction, requirements      │
│  Examples: Data Retention Policy, Partner Policy            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  LEVEL 2: PROCEDURE / BUSINESS PROCESS / WORKFLOW / SOP     │
│  "What we do" — End-to-end processes with PDCA phases       │
│  Synonyms: Standard Operating Procedure, Business Process,  │
│            Workflow, Process Description                    │
│  Examples: Shareholder Change Process, Monthly Close        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  LEVEL 3: WORK INSTRUCTION                                  │
│  "How we do it" — Step-by-step for specific tasks           │
│  Examples: WI-001 File Management, WI-002 Archival Process  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  LEVEL 4: OPERATIONAL RULES / GUIDELINES                    │
│  "Rules we follow" — Embedded in SOUL.md, agent behavior    │
│  Not standalone documents; part of agent configuration      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Synonyms & Preferences¶

Preferred Term	Synonyms (Acceptable)	Notes
Business Process	Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Workflow, Process	Use "Business Process" in formal IMS docs. Use "SOP" when speaking with external auditors. Use "Workflow" for visual/kanban representation.
Work Instruction	WI, Procedure (colloquial)	Use "Work Instruction" formally. Never use "WI" alone in external docs.
Operational Rule	—	Not a standalone document. Rules embedded in SOUL.md or PROCESS-REGISTER.
Knowledge Base	—	Never abbreviate to "KB". Always two words, lowercase.

Key Distinctions¶

Term	Definition	Example
Business Process	End-to-end sequence of activities delivering a specific outcome. Has trigger, deliverable, RACI per phase, PDCA cycle.	"Shareholder Change, Investment, Exit" — from request to archived record
Workflow	Visual or logical flow of a business process. Often represented as kanban (Backlog→Plan→Do→Check→Act→Done)	The kanban board showing GOV-01.1 in "Plan" phase
Work Instruction	Step-by-step instructions for a specific task within a process. No PDCA, just "how to execute"	WI-001: How to create copies and archive originals
Operational Rule	Behavioral constraint or guideline. Lives in SOUL.md, not a separate document	"Never send external communications without Simon's approval"

Abbreviations¶

Abbreviation	Full Term
AML	Anti-Money Laundering
API	Application Programming Interface
CFT	Combating the Financing of Terrorism
CLI	Command-Line Interface
CDD	Customer Due Diligence
DORA	Digital Operational Resilience Act
FINMA	Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority
GDPR	General Data Protection Regulation
GPU	Graphics Processing Unit
IMS	Information Management System
KYB	Know Your Business
KYC	Know Your Customer
LLM	Large Language Model
MiCA	Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation
PDCA	Plan–Do–Check–Act (quality cycle)
PII	Personally Identifiable Information
PLN	Plan (document prefix)
POL	Policy (document prefix)
SOP	Standard Operating Procedure
SRO	Self-Regulatory Organization
TTS	Text-to-Speech
WI	Work Instruction

Glossary¶

Term	Definition
Agent	An AI-powered assistant with a defined role, personality (SOUL.md), memory, and access controls, operating within the COOWN AI swarm under human oversight. Also referred to simply as "AI".
AI Swarm	The multi-agent AI framework supporting COOWN operations — a team of specialized agents orchestrated by Maya. Also referred to as "the agents" or simply "AI". See AI Swarm Infrastructure.
Business Process	An end-to-end sequence of activities that delivers a specific outcome, following the PDCA cycle with defined triggers, deliverables, and RACI assignments per phase. Also called Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) or Workflow.
Cloud Model	An AI model accessed via API from an external provider (e.g., Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT). Data leaves the local machine.
Dirty Server	A firewall-isolated workstation designated for AI workloads, with no write access to critical production data and no read access to confidential customer data.
Information Management System (IMS)	The structured collection of policies, procedures, work instructions, and reference documentation that governs COOWN operations. Established in `Tech-Pub/docs/`.
Knowledge Base	The indexed, searchable subset of the IMS that agents can query. Scope: Tech-Pub `docs/` content, excluding `archive/` and logs. Never abbreviated to "KB".
Local Model	An AI model running entirely on-premise via Ollama (e.g., Llama 3.2, Qwen3). No data leaves the machine. Required for confidential data processing.
Main Session	A direct chat session between an agent and its primary human operator.
Ollama	Open-source framework for running LLMs locally. Used by the COOWN swarm for cost-free inference and confidential data processing.
OpenClaw	The AI agent orchestration platform used to manage the COOWN swarm — handling sessions, memory, tool access, model routing, and multi-agent coordination.
Operational Rule	A behavioral constraint or guideline embedded in agent configuration (SOUL.md), not a standalone document. Defines what an agent must/must not do.
SOUL.md	The personality and behavior configuration file for each agent. Defines tone, expertise, boundaries, operational rules, and workflow rules.
Sub-agent	A temporary, isolated agent session spawned for a specific task. Results are reported back to the parent session.
Work Instruction	Step-by-step instructions for executing a specific task within a business process. Lives in Tech-Pub, referenced by WI-XXX identifiers.
Workflow	The visual or logical representation of a business process, often shown as a kanban board with phases (Backlog→Plan→Do→Check→Act→Done).
Ambassador	A representative who promotes and endorses COOWN's mission and values in various regions or sectors. Ambassadors help expand the platform's reach and engage with the community. See Definition of Roles.
Advisor	Professionals who provide strategic guidance to COOWN. Advisors can be rewarded with tokens, particularly if they publicly endorse or represent COOWN. See Definition of Roles.
Basel Index	A country risk ranking tool assessing the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing, used for conducting risk analyses.
CASP	Crypto Asset Service Provider — entities that offer services related to cryptocurrencies, including storage, transfer, exchange, or management.
Consortium	A group of independent organizations or partners working together under formal agreements toward a common goal, such as managing and operating the COOWN platform. See Partner Policy.
DAO	Decentralized Autonomous Organization — an organization represented by rules encoded as a computer program, transparent and controlled by organization members.
Foundation	The central governing body of the COOWN Consortium, elected annually by $COOWN Coin Holders, responsible for setting policies, mandating activities, and coordinating Affiliates. See Definition of Roles.
Group Admin	An individual within a user group who is granted administrative privileges by the Group Owner. Can manage group membership, set permissions, and regulate transactions.
Group Owner	The primary individual responsible for creating and managing a user group within COOWN. Can mandate Group Admins, manage group details, and set permissions and spending limits.
ICP	Internet Computer Protocol — a decentralized protocol that allows the creation of websites, enterprise IT systems, and internet services without centralized servers.
NFT	Non-Fungible Token — a unique digital asset that represents ownership of a specific item or content.
Regional Operator	Entities within the COOWN Consortium that manage local marketplaces and provide wallet solutions to end-users within their regions. Responsible for securing licenses and ensuring regulatory compliance. See Definition of Roles.
$COOWN	The native cryptocurrency token of the COOWN platform, launched on ICP using ICRC-2 protocol. Used for utility and governance. Symbol: Ꮬ (U+13DC). See Tokenomics.
Treasury	The entity responsible for managing COOWN's finances, including funding, financial reporting, fee management, and ensuring financial compliance. See Definition of Roles.

Document ID Prefixes¶

Prefix	Type	Example
GOV	Governance document	GOV-AGP-001 (Agent Governance Policy)
PLN	Plan	PLN-BKR-001 (Backup & Recovery Plan)
POL	Policy	POL-DRP-001 (Data Retention Policy)
WI	Work Instruction	WI-001 (File Management)

Abbreviation	Full Term
CASP	Crypto Asset Service Provider
DAO	Decentralized Autonomous Organization
ICP	Internet Computer Protocol
ICO	Initial Coin Offering
NFT	Non-Fungible Token
SDR	Special Drawing Rights (IMF)
SNS	Service Nervous System (ICP governance)

Last Updated: 2026-02-17 Maintainer: Maya (🐝)