Fast Software Solutions vs Understand the Problem First

published on 03 September 2022

It's dangerous when intelligent persons already have a solution before they understand the problem to be resolved.

This can lead to a completely wrong approach and makes it hard to have any control over if the solution really solves the problem and results in a false impression that the problem is solved.

We must not get into a mode of not having more time to understand a problem correctly.

Understanding this point as the main problem in our life, work, and company is, from my experience, the key to long-term success. And this is, obviously, not just a problem to be understood when we talk about software-based solutions for a problem.

There are different methodologies to properly identify a problem and then from that find the solution, for example, the First Principle way of doing things, which persons like Elon Musk, Reed Hastings, and Jeff Besos are using.

As explained by Tesla/Paypal/SpaceX founder:

First principles is kind of a physics way of looking at the world. You boil things down to the most fundamental truths and say, ‘What are we sure is true?’… and then reason up from there"

Elon Musk

I use First Principles when it is about understanding my customer's problem. It can happen that effort to understand a problem for both sides is higher than to define a solution for it. In any case, it is worth a lot as the chance to do the right thing and invest your money in the correct solution is much higher than the "fast solution" way of doing it.

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