ARTICLES
Skills for Software Smokejumpers
Do you know about smokejumpers? They’re brave, self-sufficient firefighters who parachute into remote areas wearing eighty pounds of gear and ready to fight a forest fire. If the jump goes well, they land safely. After extinguishing the fire, they may have a ten-mile hike out. It’s not a job for the faint of heart, slow of mind, or weak of back.
Have you considered that you may be a smokejumper?
Communication Disconnects
“Why doesn’t my manager listen when I explain the details?”
“Why doesn’t the developer just give me what I ask for?”
If you’ve ever heard these complaints—or made them–you’re not alone. Questions like these are a symptom of a communication disconnect.
A Multi-use Model
Models are like kitchen utensils. You need a variety of them, and you should know when and how to use them. They should be useful for more than a single task. I recently started exploring the first explicit model I learned years ago.
Problem Solving – 2 Year Old Fashion
I recently had the opportunity to observe problem solving at its more pure state. We took our grand-daughters, Jessica (4), and Nikki (2) to the park. For a period of time, they played on a “jungle gym” that looks like
Multi-use Models
Models are like kitchen utensils. You need a variety of them, and you should know when and how to use them. They should be useful for more than a single task.
The Problem Definition "Golden Rule"
“Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.” Murphy’s Golden Rule