Publications by Skyward

Skyward service teams start implementing Python for process automation

Managed Services
This summer, Skyward launched a course on Python programming for the employees of the Managed Services department. The initiative was aimed to promote the usage of a popular programming language inside the service teams for automation of routine processes. This will help MS engineers work more efficiently and achieve greater results for the benefit of the clients.

The training consisted of online lectures followed by practical tasks that were performed individually and analyzed in class. The course program covered such technical aspects of working with the language as virtual environments, version control, and main code components. In addition, the best Python IDEs and information sources were discussed.

To complete the course, the participants were to write a software solution on Python for their ongoing projects. As a result, the engineers designed a Slack bot to receive notifications about new messages sent by customers via Skype and wrote several process automation scripts. Once implemented, these improvements allowed to free up the time of all project members and focus more on the work process itself.

Python is one of the most commonly used languages for developing process automation tools due to the simplicity of its syntax and a large number of ready-made libraries. Although programming is not an essential skill for the MS teams, it is yet another useful tool that allows our engineers to increase the overall quality of the provided services. Focusing on basics, the course enabled the service teams to obtain the necessary skill set to utilize Python at work.
– Aleksei Zakusov, CBDO of Skyward

The training will continue as long as the opportunities for Python’s application exist within the MS department.