Rough to ready is the process of milling a rough stock of wood from a rough state in which it comes from the mill to a ready, square piece to work with and begin your joinery process. 
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Steps of "rough to ready":
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Mitersaw: rough cut your stock a minimum of 12" or if longer than 12", 1" larger than your final measurement.
Jointer: joint one face and one edge of your stock to create a square edge to it's face.
Planer: plane the rough face opposite to the newly flattened face on the planer. Plane the stock down to your final desired thickness.
Tablesaw: Rip your stock to your desired width while cutting off your rough edge.
Mitersaw:  Make you final crosscuts to your final desired length while making sure to cut both ends in order to square up the end grain.