Terms related to machine learning · 3.3.8
parameter
an internal variable of a model that changes how it computes its outputs
What this term settles
The definition fixes what parameter means inside this vocabulary and, just as usefully, where the boundary sits. A reader who means something wider or narrower is using a different term and should say so.
Who it binds
The entry has no shall in it, and the force of parameter comes from use: once it appears in a procedure or a supplier term, this is the meaning the reader may rely on.
What to do in your practice
Map the places parameter appears in policy, procurement and system records. Where the word is used without the entry behind it, add the citation or replace the sentence.
Evidence an auditor or regulator asks for
- A controlled vocabulary entry for parameter with the citation 3.3.8, an owner and a review date.An auditor can check that parameter is controlled rather than assumed.
- A model record that names the algorithm, the training run and the parameters that changed. The row names parameter.Shows parameter in use in the artefact the firm relies on, not only in a glossary.
- A training log with the data version, the criteria and the result. The record carries the parameter entry and its date.The model record names the vendor product but not the algorithm or the training run, so the term cannot be traced to an artefact. The gap is tested against parameter.
Common gaps this page catches
- parameter is used in the model and training record without a written definition, so two teams can mean different things.
- A supplier uses parameter with a different boundary and nobody has recorded the difference.
What to prepare before the amendment lands
Put parameter on the agenda of the next AI governance meeting with two questions: where is it used, and what would show it is used correctly? Record the answers as actions.
How to test it here
Take one live artefact rather than a template, find the sentence or field where parameter is used, and put this page beside it. Record the answer, the artefact and the date, because that record is the evidence and a glossary entry on its own is only an intention.
What this page does not claim
The page does not reproduce the standard, certify the firm or predict the wording the amendment will use; it states parameter at the claim level "definition" and stops where the public record stops.
Common questions
- What does parameter mean in ISO 22989?
- an internal variable of a model that changes how it computes its outputs
- What evidence should we keep for 3.3.8?
- A controlled vocabulary entry for parameter with the citation 3.3.8, an owner and a review date. A model record that names the algorithm, the training run and the parameters that changed. The row names parameter.
- Is parameter a requirement?
- No: parameter is a definition or clause of a terminology standard, and it becomes binding only when a firm writes it into a policy, a contract or a procedure, or when another standard incorporates it.
Related units
Source. ISO/IEC 22989:2022, Clause 3.3.8, Terms and definitions. Open the ISO public entry. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso-iec:22989:ed-1:v1:en
ISO catalogue record 88145, the amendment status, stage and dates. Catalogue record 74296, the base standard.
Claim level: definition. The definition is in the public preview. This page states it in our own words and does not reproduce the text.
Last updated: 2026-10-21 · Markdown version · Check your vocabulary