Heuristics
Prioritize Shared Context Before Exploring Solutions
Where should a team focus its initial energy when tackling a new design problem?
Resist the urge to immediately jump into solutioning, as this often leads to solving the wrong problem. Dedicate significant time upfront to collectively establishing the context: where the team is starting from and the true nature of the problem. A shared and deep understanding of the context is the most critical foundation for effective design.
Examples
Before brainstorming architectural options, the team spends a session focused only on defining the problem and current constraints. They explicitly avoid discussing solutions until everyone agrees on the context.
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