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The natural follow-on questions are: What are the decision-making habits that make someone significantly more productive on a software engineering team? What

• bjourne 10y ago
  It's hard to explain without having concrete examples to work with. I would say it is all about recognizing when the trade-offs will pay off. Like, knowing when a quick fix will do and when a whole system rewrite is necessary. Good fundamentals are also good, like being attentive to details and never letting crasher bugs remain unfixed. I don't think you can imbue good habits on people who don't want to be imbued. So that's what you need to ensure first.
• Nomentatus 10y ago
  Good questions. You should post an AskHN for this. Someday we'll have "problem-solving" classes in elementary schools to help teach those basics; and better unambiguous communication, etc. One habit that's been well-documented for a long while is that the best problem-solvers take more time being sure they've understood the problem correctly and settling on an optimal approach before charging in doing the work. The best habits that often spring from good character - I agree with Bourne on that - those with neurotic motivations or insecurities may choose "solutions" that show off their ability with some extra arabesques, rather than taking a more straightforward path that's best for the company, for example. Not to mention being willing to possibly embarrass yourself by asking what may or may not be "dumb questions." That's huge.