What's in a Name?

This being my first blog in my role as “AppDev Manager”, I thought I'd take some time to explore the names with which we deal on a daily basis.  I've been asked by more than one person, “What exactly does that mean – 'AppDev'?”  While it might seem obvious to some, it's a shortened version of “Applications Development”.  The AppDev Team is comprised of the folks who have had a hand in developing, maintaining, and keeping some of the College's mission-critical software applications (like AMIS and PeopleSoft) operational.  We also develop and maintain various interfaces between AMIS and other third-party applications, such as Blackboard.

The Banner ERP project represents a fundamental shift in the role of the AppDev team.  Our roles as developers will gravitate more toward the maintenance and support side of the spectrum.  Home-grown systems like AMIS are becoming fewer and further between, as compared to 10 or even 20 years ago.  Organizations across all industries have recognized the need to focus on their core business, whether it's providing educational opportunities or selling tile or mining copper.  The core business of some of the organizations out there is to produce and sell information technology solutions, and so they devote vast resources toward that end.  Sungard is one such company.  As talented as we are as programmers here in the AppDev department, it's tough to compete against organizations that funnel millions upon millions of dollars into software development. 

But purchasing an ERP system doesn't preclude the College from needing talented and technically savvy people, including software developers.  Banner will still require interfaces to peripheral systems.  It will also inevitably require some level of customization and reporting for Yavapai College.  Much of this work we can provide ourselves in a comparatively timely and cost-effective manner, rather than depending on Sungard or some other contracted source to do the work for us.  Banner, like any ERP, requires on-site technical resources to keep it up and running, to provide software and database support, and to manage and implement upgrades, version releases, and database modifications.

All that having been said, the thought has crossed my mind that a more appropriate name for our team would be the Applications Support team, or simply the Applications team.  I'm not sure if I like the ring of “The AppSup Team”, although I could probably live with “The Apps Team”.

And in keeping with the “name” theme of this blog, Banner users will quickly become aware of, if not intimately familiar with, Banner's funky naming schemes for their screens and tables.  Names like “GOATPAD”, “SPRIDEN”, and “FAARCON” will become part of the common vernacular.  The method to this naming madness is beyond the scope of my humble little blog. 

Suffice it to say that our friend William Shakespeare had it right: “What's in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”