Solve your big problems by solving your real problem
This seems kind of like a twist on the classic 5 Whys method of root cause analysis. I think 5 Whys would work just as well in most of the example scenarios.<p>Example from the post: Engineer is thinking about doing a thing without permission. Why? Engineer thinks nobody accepts his ideas. Why? 5 possible answers. We could ask &quot;Why?&quot; again and get another step down (the author doesn&#x27;t do this and instead proposes jumping into tests right away, which I think is still at least a level too high). One answer given: Engineer thinks his ideas are good, but they are bad. Why? Engineer probably isn&#x27;t validating their ideas against feasibility, business outcome, maintainability, etc. Why? Engineer might be arrogant or inexperienced with real business settings vs. university&#x2F;hobby projects. Now we have a root cause we can address and then move back up the chain.<p>When you can&#x27;t ask &quot;Why?&quot; anymore without it being silly, that&#x27;s when it&#x27;s time to run tests and propose solutions.