We explain what a process is and what is the purpose of this set of actions. In addition, the different meanings that this term has.
What is a process?
The word process Comes from latin processus, formed by pro (“Forward”) and cadere (“Walk”), in terms of the action of going forward, of advancing in a certain path and, by resemblance, advance in time. It is a term used in a huge variety of contexts, especially technical or industrial, but always preserving that original meaning.
In general terms, we speak of processes when there is an initial state and a final state of some body, system or environment, between which there is a transformation, displacement or change of some nature.
This is how they talk about processes geological to allude to the millenary changes of the earth’s surface; erosive processes for changes caused by wind and water wear; biological processes for those that involve changes in life forms; industrial processes for those that man can carry out on matter to obtain products of a different nature, and thus a gigantic etcetera.
Another important use of the term process has to do with the stages that make up the cycle of a given system, such as administrative, computer or social systems, among others. In these areas, a process is understood as something that is happening, that is, an active element that may well deserve control, direction, evaluation, etc.
Administrative process
In administration, processes are understood to be the flow of activities that occur between the various components of a company or institution. Thus, administrative processes are the different operations that the organization implements for the achievement of your objectives and the satisfaction of your needs.
Broadly speaking, one can speak of a single large administrative process, common to every organization and which can be understood in four phases, coinciding with the objectives of business administration:
- Planning. It is about the future projection of the needs, objectives and steps to be followed by the company.
- Organization. Combination of the resources available for the job with the personnel trained to do it, in the best way, in order to meet the objectives outlined above.
- Direction. Orientation and guidance of the work, as well as encouragement and cooperation, in order to meet the objectives set. It is equivalent to business “strategy“.
- Control. Here we talk about feedback, evaluation, checking that things are happening as they should, or reading how they were done to correct defects in the general process.
Process in biology
In the field of biology, it is defined evolutionary process to the transformations that species undergo continuously due to the different changes that may arise over the years and the different generations. In turn, this process indicates that evolution is a characteristic of living matter and that they all come from a common universal ancestor. All species that exist today are in this evolutionary process.
Process in computer science
With regard to computing, the process is called set of logical and arithmetic operations carried out by computers in order to be able to manage data and obtain the desired results.
An example of this type of process is the call multi-threading, which is that there are many different processes working together for a single objective. This occurs in the case of video games where a process for music, another for drawings and another for the intelligence of the game work at the same time.
Process in psychology
According to psychology, cognitive processes refer to those mechanisms by which information is captured, memorized or processed either through the senses or memory. They are those processes by which people know and require the proper functioning of the body.
In addition, it is called educational process to that in which the human being learns to live together and be, and for this you need to develop your knowledge as well as your values. It is socialization through education and teaching. This process begins with a person, who can be a teacher or a family member, who transmits their own knowledge and values to others. We could say then that there is a subject that teaches and another that learns. However, this process does not always occur in such a linear way, since many times the people who learn also leave teachings and values to those subjects who teach.
Process in economics
In economics, the production process refers to all the operations necessary to be able to carry out production as well as a good or a service. These actions must occur in a determined, orderly, planned and consecutive way in order to achieve the desired transformation and thus be able to get them to enter the market correctly in order to be marketed in a timely manner.
The production process also includes design, production and consumption of the same. To be able to carry it out satisfactorily, technological, economic and, clearly, human resources are needed. In turn, these products can be classified as intermediate products, such as raw materials that are completed with other subsequent actions, and final products, those that are marketed so that consumers can purchase them in the market and can enjoy them. .
Social process
Social processes are the different ways in which culture and society change or they are preserved during moments of historical crisis. Revolutions, major changes in modes of government, transformations of society, in short, are usually the end of one or a series of social processes, which start in different ways and can achieve their goals or fail.
Usually social processes lead to various types of interaction between citizens, be it conflict, harmonization, integration, etc. They can be revolutionary and innovative, or rather conservative and retrograde. They are the object of study of History, which sees in them the germ of future historical events or the explanation of the paths that different societies take throughout their particular history.
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