Gerund in IT: Fighting Meaningless Processes | Analysis

Gerunds in IT: How Endless Processes Kill Real Work

In modern IT companies, turning specific actions into endless gerund processes ("marketing", "consulting", "scrumming") leads to a productivity crisis. This article breaks down the mechanism behind "corporate gerunds" and their destructive consequences for technical specialists.

From Verbs to Gerunds: How Meaning Gets Lost

In English, the gerund (the -ing ending) turns a verb into a noun denoting a process. For example, "to market" (to sell) becomes "marketing". In Russian, this mechanism has been adapted through borrowings: marketing, consulting, coaching. But in the corporate world, the gerund goes beyond a linguistic quirk—it becomes a tool for creating endless processes without a clear goal or outcome.

Originally, each of these concepts denoted a specific action with a beginning and an end:

• Consult—solve a problem and wrap up the job.
• Stamp—identify a product, and the action is done.
• Seal a partnership—close the deal.

But in corporate practice, these actions morph into gerund processes without a finish line. "Consulting" turns into endless production of presentations, "branding" into nonstop myth-building, and "networking" into mechanical contact-hoarding. In IT, this shows up especially sharply.

Gerunds in IT: Five Real-World Examples

In tech companies, gerund processes permeate daily work. Here are typical cases:

• Agile-ing and Scrumming. The essence of Agile and Scrum is flexible project management through short iterations. But in practice, it often boils down to endless standups, retrospectives, and planning sessions without real progress. The team is "doing Scrum," but the product doesn't move forward.

• Digital Transformation-ing. Digital transformation was meant to be a concrete project to shift to new technologies. Now it's become a lifelong initiative without clear KPIs. Departments are "doing digital transformation," burning budgets on consultants, but real systems stay outdated.

• DevOps-ing. DevOps is supposed to break down barriers between development and operations. But in some companies, it's turned into endless meetings about "DevOps culture" without implementing automation. Engineers spend time discussing processes instead of writing code.

• Innovation-ing. Innovation is the result of research and implementation. But in corporate settings, "innovating" means regular hackathons and brainstorming sessions that rarely lead to commercial products. Budgets go to events, not R&D.

• Growth Hacking-ing. Growth hacking originally focused on quick experiments for growth. Now it often reduces to endless A/B testing of minor UI tweaks without a strategic plan. The team is "doing growth hacking," but growth metrics stagnate.

These processes share a common trait: they artificially stretch activity over time, eliminating accountability for end results. As a result, budgets get spent, but real tasks remain unsolved.

The Cost of Endless Processes: Burnout and Hollow KPIs

Gerund processes create an illusion of productivity, but their real cost to IT specialists is catastrophic. Let's look at the consequences:

• Emotional burnout. Technical specialists, used to clear tasks and measurable outcomes (like closing a ticket or launching a service), face abstract "initiatives." Years of participating in endless processes without visible results lead to apathy and loss of motivation.

• Skill degradation. Instead of diving deep into technical details, engineers spend time writing reports on processes, attending process meetings, and aligning on processes. This erodes professional skills.

• Distorted KPIs. Performance evaluation systems focus on activity (number of retrospectives held, volume of presentations) rather than outcomes (system stability, delivery speed). This rewards the appearance of work.

A stark example: a team pulling an all-nighter on an emergency Zoom call over a minor incident (say, a volcano in Hawaii) just to "show care" on social media. In IT, this might be reacting to a Twitter trend: the marketing team demands an urgent post about how the product helps during natural disasters, even if the connection is tenuous. Engineers drop their tasks, wasting time aligning text with the branding manager who's on vacation in Japan.

These scenarios aren't outliers—they're the norm. They happen because gerund processes become the end goal. The budget's already spent on the "strategy," departments are created, and now they must maintain the facade of activity to justify KPIs.

What Matters: How to Break Free from the Trap

Gerund processes are rooted in corporate culture, but their impact can be reduced. Here are key recommendations for technical specialists and managers:

• Focus on end results. Every process needs a clear goal and completion criterion. For example, instead of "we're doing DevOps," set the task: "automate deployment by quarter's end."

• Measure real productivity. Replace activity metrics (number of meetings) with outcome metrics (downtime reduction, delivery speed growth).

• Protect development time. Block meetings without a clear agenda and purpose. Follow the rule: "if the goal isn't clear, there is no meeting."

• Speak up about the problem. Discuss gerund signs with the team: endless processes without results. Collective awareness is the first step to change.

What matters:

• Gerund processes (marketing, consulting, scrumming) replace real work with simulated activity.
• In IT, this shows up as endless meetings, empty initiatives, and distorted KPIs.
• Consequences: burnout, skill degradation, loss of product focus.
• Way out: focus on results, measure real productivity, protect development time.

— Editorial Team