We spend a lot of time at Inventive talking about getting shit done. That sounds simple, but getting meaningful work done quickly requires really good people who understand technology deeply enough to cut through complexity, make good decisions, and turn those decisions into working software without spending six months talking about it first.
Simon Timms is one of those people, and Microsoft agrees. Simon has once again been recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), marking his 12th consecutive year receiving the award. We're proud of Simon, obviously. But his recognition also speaks to the caliber of people we put to work on our clients' hardest problems.
What Is a Microsoft MVP, Anyway?
A Microsoft MVP isn't a certification you earn by passing a test. The award recognizes people for technical expertise, real-world impact, and their contributions to the broader technology community. Simon's MVP is in Developer Technologies, the area most directly connected to the work we do every day: building software.
Simon earns that recognition through activities such as speaking at conferences, running a user group, writing about technology, and helping other developers understand and use Microsoft technologies. The award is reassessed each year, and Microsoft has decided, for 12 years running, that he knows what the hell he's talking about.
Being part of the MVP community also gives him opportunities to connect with Microsoft engineers and get closer to the technology they're building. That access has proven useful on real Inventive projects, which is where this becomes more than an impressive line in Simon's bio.
The Award Comes With More Than a Hunk of Glass
There is, in fact, a hunk of glass. There's also an invitation to Microsoft's annual MVP Summit. But the real value for Inventive is the connection to Microsoft teams and information that can help us solve difficult technical problems.
We've put that connection to use. In one case, our team was dealing with unusual HTTP performance that nobody could explain. Being able to get closer to the people who understood the technology helped us get the right support, figure out what was happening, and find a solution that ultimately helped other developers dealing with the same problem.
MVPs can also get early looks at technology Microsoft is developing and opportunities to provide feedback. For Inventive, that means earlier insight into what's coming and a more direct route for raising issues or suggesting functionality that could benefit our clients.
The MVP Is Simon and the Caliber Is Inventive
We're going to brag about Simon a little because he deserves it. But the bigger point isn't the letters after somebody's name. It's the caliber of people Inventive puts on the problem. Simon's Microsoft MVP recognition gives us some pretty compelling third-party evidence of what we already know about our team.
If you have a difficult software problem, an AI initiative that needs to become something real, a codebase that needs serious attention, or an idea that needs to get out of PowerPoint and into production, bring it to Inventive. We'll put the right people on it. We happen to know an MVP.