A Stolen Car : Playing The Odds And Question Everything

This episode is a tale that shows us that we should question everything.  Yes, even our assumptions.  Actually, our assumptions first.  We have so many sources of information available and yet we still tend to rely on only a few.  Whether that is our point-of-view or intelligence gained from "reliable sources", we give them too much credit.  Everyone makes mistakes and resting too much on an error can be a recipe for disaster.

When we talked about anti-patterns, we saw that a lack of facts could lead us down the wrong path.  This situation often came from a lack of reliable communication.  We could also see it when the requirements were not properly or fully defined.  This obstacle does not stick to software design.  It can appear in nearly every decision and problem-solving situation.  That is at the core of the idea of the fog of war and how it impacts decisions.  We have that "fog" throughout our lives and often do not realize it.

When we put aside assumptions we open up new paths for a solution.  The story I share is a good example of assumptions blocking us from a good solution.  When we shut our options down, we may end up forcing a complicated or wrong solution.  Instead, we need to know when we are ready to question everything and find alternate paths to our destination.

If you like this season, you will probably like Scott Adams' book, "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life."