Processes

Every now and again, you’ll hear someone in IT say the word “process.” What does that really mean? Is it just a “black box” that data is shoved into and, magically, a file is created or a dashboard show you your data?

According to Dictionary.com, a process is simply “a systematic series of actions directed to some end.” But, that really doesn’t cover the “magic” involved – at least not in the eyes of an IT professional.

An IT professional sees the end results of this “process” and knows how much toil and sweat went into achieving this end result. They know the hours / days / weeks / months that were spent achieving the perfection you now see before you. They remember the multiple meetings where they went back and forth with someone on just how something should be achieved. They remember what it took for it to be just to their standards.

Then they remember the heartbreak 6 months later when someone wants “just one additional feature” that would make it so much better than the original. Sadly, this one “itsy-bitsy” feature meant that they had to rip out half the original “perfect” code and try again, at not quite the original’s grace and charm, but that’s the sacrifices you have to make to get this feature in.

Could it be a small process? Yes! Heck, some processes take less than a minute to run. Some take hours to finish.

Can it be a convoluted process that uses some of the newest bells and whistles to give the customer what they want? Absolutely. Can it also be a process that is relatively simple and uses commands that have been in SQL Server or Windows for 10+ years? Absolutely.

A process is literally just the way to get from point A to point B. If we were the lucky souls to create it, it means so much more to us than it could ever mean to anyone else.

To so many, it’s just a process. To us though, it is THE process. Or one of the many that have been lucky enough to be churned out by us.