If you talk to nearly any web development or design firm you will inevitably hear a lot of talk about process. Typically this is a mysterious (if not mystical) unknown which magically turns business requirements into a work of amazing engineering and artistry. In practice nearly all of these processes are the same, and most of them find their roots in the software development processes designed by IBM in the seventies (which are only then inherited by IBM's previous contributions to the field of project management).

The Ignia Network uses a very similar process. The process finds its roots in standard software development processes and likewise reflects the expertise of Microsoft Consulting Services as documented in the Microsoft Foundation (MSF). More importantly, however, these processes represent experience, commitment and cooperation: these are real world guidelines intended to improve quality and efficiency through discipline and collaboration. Each and every team members subscribes to and understands the fundamental necessity of these processes; they are not arbitrarly enforced rules which accomplish little beyond a layer of overhead.

The Ignia Network Project Management Process maintains the following basic structure:

• Definition: Project Definition and Requirements Gathering. "What will be built?".
• Design: Defines the aethetic, logical and architectural design of the project. "How will it be built?".
• Implementation: Follows the design specification through to completion.
  • Development
  • Production/Implementation
  • Testing
  • Quality Assurance
• Deployment: Once the project is complete ensures that it is deployed to the server or audience successfully.
• Post-Mortem: Review the project success against predefined metrics and discuss plans for future editions based on out-of-scope requests.