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The same effect can be observed if you've ever been a software developer where you're told what solution to build without any of the context of the problem you'
by munk-a 4mo ago
The same effect can be observed if you've ever been a software developer where you're told what solution to build without any of the context of the problem you're solving. "We need an FTP server, quick, ops, get on that." leading into "Oh, it turns out the customer didn't need that to receive our emails" leading to a bunch of very puzzled devops.
- win311fwg 4mo agoIn my experience as a software developer, reverse engineering a stated solution back into the actual problem is almost the whole job.
- helterskelter 4mo agoENGINEER: (n) Someone who does precision guesswork based on unreliable data provided by those with questionable knowledge. - an offscreen on my new calculator
- samrus 4mo agoWouldnt it be nice if leadership just communicated the problem all the way down
- dijksterhuis 4mo agoit'd be nice if leadership had awareness of the problem to begin with.
- genxy 4mo agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XY_problem How to Ask (and answer) Questions the Smart Way http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
- toobulkeh 4mo agoNeeds to be updated in the age of AI
- npunt 4mo agoFunny, I always try to lead with context when handing off product/design work, but I've often experienced devs saying 'please just tell me what to do'. No such issue with AI coding tho, it works great there.
- dijksterhuis 4mo agodon’t lead with context. lead with the problem, then the possible solution(s), then add context but only relevant context. when people start by talking about seemingly irrelevant context stuff, like what jane from accounting said about the Foobinator page last week and how that meant there was meeting yesterday about … …, it just annoys devs cos it seems to us that the person is talking about completely irrelevant information / random business crap. if you’re doing something like the above, it would make sense they’re cutting you off and trying to get to the point. or they’ve just stopped caring but want their paycheck… ymmv
- npunt 4mo agoYea the context I usually lead with is the problem and the intended or likely trajectory of the feature, not the noise like you say. I think different folks just like different things.
- ahartmetz 4mo agoFrom what I've heard and seen , "Please just tell me what to do" is the attitude that developers pick up in dysfunctional cultures, usually large companies with incredibly many software developers producing incredibly little and low quality software.