use variable to carry change-able component name

My company is expanding its offerings to include mutliple interfaces for many types of users. Each interface is a separate piece of software that will be installed on a user's computer. The generic name and some of the variations are not settled yet but I have to start writing in RH 7.

Can I use a variable in RH 7 the way I used it in FrameMaker 6 or custom field names in Word? I want to insert the variable(s) in text and then change their values when the objects have been permanently named.