Feb 11, 2006 A couple of colleagues and I talked about how unpleasant surprises could be avoided
if you use the time needed to research the task before actually starting to work on
it. It turned out, we all did it in our own distinct way, but the end results were
the same. I, for instance, use scenarios as my primary tool for scoping a task. Some
uses a more theoretic approach and some googles for the answer first and asks the
questions later. These are all valid approaches in my opinion.
The tricky part of all this is, that it is very hard to measure the effectiveness
of each approach. After all, it is the finished task that is the goal and not the
process it self. Some would disagree, but that is another argument. I think my approach
is the best, of course, because it asks the questions before looking for answers.
The questions help define the details surrounding the task, details that are both
critical and non-critical to success. The answers can then be found in books or the
web if you do not know them yourself.
By finding-the-answers-first approach, you would typically search the web for similar
tasks and read about how other people have solved them. This is also very efficient, but it does not let you define the details of your own task before you get the answer.
You could end up half way through the task, realizing you had taken a wrong turn because
you didn’t see a small but important detail somewhere down the road. If however, you
are convinced that the answer suit your needs, one could argue it would be a waste
of time asking all the questions, and thereby making this your favorite approach.
It is of course not so black and white. Different approaches suits different tasks
and it would be wisely to choose the right approach before starting the task. However, some tend to lean more on one specific approach more often than others do. In fact, this was exactly what we found when discussing this at work. We all had our favorite.
* $4.95/month BlogEngine.net Hosting – Click Here!