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Those are all logical fallacies. I've been developing software for 40 years, yet there are still times when people who've only been developing software for 5 y

Those are all logical fallacies. I've been developing software for 40 years, yet there are still times when people who've only been developing software for 5 years or less have better ideas. One secret to surviving in this field for 40 years is leaving your ego at the door and being willing to learn from anyone, including those who are "under" you. Having said that, from a practical standpoint, there needs to be a person empowered to make the final decision. That person is usually a lead developer, manager, and so forth. If you are that person, then your job is to facilitate the technical discussion and get as many ideas as you can. Remember that every single idea comes with a set of pros and cons - there's no perfect solution. You'll do your team a great favor if you do the analysis and decision-making out in the open.

begoon 2y ago
Sure. In terms of making a decision, yes, in the healthy process, there should be a person with a formal power to decide (and take responsibility) eventually. I was more curious about the discussion when the parties were speaking on the same level of command.
- ano-ther 2y ago
  One way is to lead the discussion by asking questions and facilitating. You may learn something from others, they see you as thoughtful (and senior), and when necessary you can steer the conversation.
- taylodl 2y ago
  One way you can do that is to bring the business stakeholders into the discussion. This will help uncover implicit assumptions that may be being made about business needs. The business stakeholders can also help determine how the pros/cons of each solution impact the business and which they're more comfortable with. Business stakeholders won't be able to discuss technical merits, but they can discuss business impacts. This is also a great opportunity to build rapport with your business stakeholders because they learn you're not just a cog in the machine cranking out code. They learn the things to think about and see you more as a valued partner rather than a line item than can be cut to reduce expenses.

begoon 2y ago

Sure. In terms of making a decision, yes, in the healthy process, there should be a person with a formal power to decide (and take responsibility) eventually. I was more curious about the discussion when the parties were speaking on the same level of command.

ano-ther 2y ago
One way is to lead the discussion by asking questions and facilitating. You may learn something from others, they see you as thoughtful (and senior), and when necessary you can steer the conversation.
taylodl 2y ago
One way you can do that is to bring the business stakeholders into the discussion. This will help uncover implicit assumptions that may be being made about business needs. The business stakeholders can also help determine how the pros/cons of each solution impact the business and which they're more comfortable with. Business stakeholders won't be able to discuss technical merits, but they can discuss business impacts. This is also a great opportunity to build rapport with your business stakeholders because they learn you're not just a cog in the machine cranking out code. They learn the things to think about and see you more as a valued partner rather than a line item than can be cut to reduce expenses.