A performance engineer may be tasked with making computer numerically controlled industrial machinery easier to reprogram to optimize your production.
Performance engineering is a process in which systems are built and maintained to meet criteria defined by their users. Unlike many system-based processes, the non-technical aspect of the business creates the benchmarks against which the system is tested. The role of the technology team is to work to meet these goals in a timely manner. The overall goal of performance engineering is to create an agile and responsive computing system that empowers employees and increases productivity.
Almost all businesses have one overarching goal: to make money. Performance engineering fits this goal well, simplifying systems and increasing productivity. This is done in a number of ways, primarily by reducing wait times for information and by creating easy-to-use, reliable systems that reduce training, maintenance, and downtime. While many of the changes created by these processes are small, together they can represent a major improvement.
In most cases, the first step in a performance engineering plan is carried out by the business side of the company. During this initial phase, problems are identified from the user’s point of view. These problems often have non-technical definitions, such as “speeding up” a process or “getting the new version” of a program. Opening these specs allows for some wiggle room to be used later.
This list of requests and ideas goes to the technical team responsible for the other side of the performance engineering process. The team will analyze the requests and figure out how to translate them into specific tasks. For example, if a common process is deemed “too slow” in the initial planning, the technology team will examine the process to see how it is currently performing. It may be possible to shorten the physical transmission distance, increase the priority of the feature, or even set up a new secondary system to handle that specific request.
This is where the non-technical part of performance engineering can work well for everyone. The non-technical team wants an effect, but doesn’t care how it happens. This allows the technical side to work within current guidelines and budgets as they see fit. As long as the final goal is reached, everyone will be happy.
The next common step in performance engineering is testing. The technical team determines the best possible methods to improve the system, maintenance schedules, and upgrade procedures. When multiple options are available, engineers test the feasibility of each change in a closed environment. Because business systems are often exceptionally complex, small changes in one area can have unexpected results in another. After testing is complete, the changes are moved to active systems and work schedules and the process begins again.