This is the short version: one plain-language definition for the terms you will see most often in Clearahead.
Workspace
A Workspace is the main place a team works in Clearahead: the model, AJ Conversation, details, and history all live there. One account can have several Workspaces, each with its own model and conversations.
Goal
The single direction the company is committing to. It is written as a full sentence people can repeat, not just a metric or project name. See Setting your first Goal.
Constraint
A condition that is genuinely limiting progress towards the Goal, written as a diagnosis rather than a task. A Constraint can sit directly under the Goal or under another Constraint. See Working with Constraints.
Focus Constraints
The deepest unresolved Constraints on the active chain: the places that most deserve attention now. There can be more than one in focus at once, but the list should stay short. See Working with Constraints.
Sub-constraint
A deeper Constraint that contributes to another Constraint instead of constraining the Goal directly. It is still a Constraint in its own right, just one level further down. See Working with Constraints.
Move
Something you believe could change a specific Constraint, written as a belief rather than a generic task. Every Move addresses one Constraint. See Working with Moves.
Model item
Any of the three things Clearahead tracks: a Goal, a Constraint, or a Move. See The model.
Path line
The line in the Side menu that shows how a Constraint connects back up the chain to the Goal. It helps you see the logic of the model, not just the list. See The model.
Priority order
The numbered circles beside Constraints in the Side menu. They make it easier to scan the current order of attention at a glance. See The model.
Details panel
The item view where you can inspect one Goal, Constraint, or Move in more detail. It is also where you can open a session focused on that specific item.
Side menu
The left-hand navigation showing the model as a tree: the Goal at the top, Constraints below it, and Moves beneath their Constraints. It is the quickest way to move around the model.
Conversation tabs
The tabs above the AJ Conversation that let you keep several sessions open at once. Each tab is a separate thread, such as defining the Goal, exploring Constraints, or focusing on one item. See New sessions with AJ.
AJ Conversation / session
The AJ Conversation is the coaching chat area, and each separate thread inside it is a session. A session keeps its own questions, Proposals, and decisions together. See New sessions with AJ.
Proposal
AJ’s suggested change to the model: a plain-language summary, followed by exactly what would change and why. Nothing changes until a person explicitly accepts it. See Updating the model.
Version
A read-only snapshot of the whole model created when a Proposal is accepted. Versions let you see exactly what the model looked like at that moment. See Updating the model.
Update
A piece of evidence attached to a Model item, such as an observation, customer feedback, a document, research, or a result. Updates record what has been learned, not just what was planned. See Updates and evidence.
Measurement
The one tracked number attached to a Model item, with a target and fresh readings over time. It shows whether the number is moving; Updates explain why. See Updates and evidence.
Status
The current state of a Model item, using a small fixed vocabulary. Goals use draft, active, achieved, abandoned; Constraints use hypothesis, validated; Moves use proposed, active, blocked, done, stopped. See The model.
Progress
The movement of a Constraint, separate from its status: no_change, easing, getting_worse, or removed. Status says whether the diagnosis is still an idea or confirmed; progress says whether the Constraint is loosening or tightening. See The model.
Owner
The named person accountable for carrying a Move or Constraint forward. Owners can also manage billing, invitations, and team roles across the account.
Contributor
A teammate who can work in the Workspace and apply model changes, but does not manage billing or team access.
Read-ask-only
A teammate who can view the Workspace and use AJ, but cannot apply model changes. This is useful when someone should be able to follow the thinking without editing the model.
Read next: FAQ
Related: The model: Goal, Constraints and Moves · New sessions with AJ