Process Meaning
Process Definition & Usage
A series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end.
Examples
- "The hiring process can take up to six weeks."
- "She followed a strict process to create the perfect recipe."
- "The scientific process involves forming a hypothesis and testing it."
- "The approval process for this project is quite complicated."
- "You need to understand the process before attempting the experiment."
To perform a series of actions to transform something.
Examples
- "The factory processes raw materials into finished products."
- "He processed the data to identify trends."
- "The bank processes thousands of transactions every day."
- "We need to process these orders before the end of the day."
- "The team is processing the feedback from the customers."
A running instance of a program in a computer.
Examples
- "The computer can handle multiple processes at once."
- "I closed unnecessary processes to speed up the system."
- "Each program runs in its own process on the server."
- "The process failed to execute because of an error in the code."
- "Processes in the background can sometimes slow down performance."
A method or technique for producing goods or services.
Examples
- "The company adopted a new manufacturing process to increase efficiency."
- "The process of refining oil involves separating impurities."
- "We are exploring automated processes to improve output."
- "Innovation in process management has driven our success."
- "The assembly line process is a well-established method in modern industry."
Cultural Context
The word 'process' comes from the Latin word 'processus', which means a progression or advance. Over time, it has expanded in meaning to refer to a wide range of systematic procedures in various fields, from business to computing.
The Process of Innovation
Story
The Process of Innovation
In a small tech company, three colleagues—Sarah, Jake, and Mark—were working on a new app. Sarah, the team leader, believed that the process they followed for app development would determine its success. She meticulously outlined the steps: idea generation, prototyping, testing, and finally launch. As Sarah explained, 'We need a clear process to move from one stage to the next without getting lost.' Mark, the developer, was focused on the technical side. He was already processing the user data to integrate into the app, 'I’m processing the analytics to make sure our features align with what users want.' Jake, the designer, was working on the visual aspects of the app. He liked to think of the process as a series of creative milestones, but he understood that there were specific steps to follow. 'Each step in the process needs to be handled carefully to ensure the final product is flawless.' The team met regularly to review their progress. Every week, Sarah would check the status of the process, 'Let’s make sure we are all on track with our process. We’re at the testing phase now, and it’s crucial we don’t skip any steps.' Eventually, after months of hard work, the app was ready to launch. It was not just the result of their individual skills but the result of a process well followed from start to finish. The team realized that their success was directly linked to the systematic process they had adhered to.