The ball and the bat problem
The ball and the bat problem
Why a bug is Never just a 5-minute fix
Let's solve a small math puzzle. Consider this problem: You have a bat and a ball, which together cost 1.1 euros. The bat costs 1 euro more than the ball.
How much does the ball cost?
The immediate answer might be 10 cents. If you jumped to that conclusion, well… you’re wrong.
If the ball were 10 cents, the bat would be 1.1 euros, making the total 1.2 euros, not 1.1 euros.
Let's dive into the math instead:
𝑥+(𝑥+1)=1.10
2𝑥+1=1.10
2𝑥=0.10
𝑥=0.05
So, the ball costs 5 cents, and the bat costs 1.05 euros.
This puzzle shows how easy it is to make wrong assumptions based on a superficial understanding. It mirrors the challenges we face as developers when underestimating the complexity of tasks. This isn't just a party trick. It's a powerful metaphor for understanding the pitfalls of estimations.
The 5-Minute Fix Myth
I bet you've experienced that moment when a new bug pops up. You quickly glance at the issue and happily say to yourself, “Oh, that’s easy. It’ll take 5 minutes.” You might even express this out loud, making a commitment to stakeholders.
Yet, what appears to be a simple fix often spirals into a complex ordeal, spanning multiple aspects of your domain.
Let's face it. It never is just a 5-minute fix.
Did you consider the time required to write tests for that bug to never happen again? Did you consider regressions? Could this fix potentially affect the performance of the application? Is it backwards compatible with previous versions of the application? Did you think about the pipeline's running time? The deployment time? What about documentation that needs updating?
Every developer has had the experience of diving into what seemed like a simple issue only to find themselves tangled in a web of dependencies and unforeseen problems. It's a rite of passage in the world of software development. We often underestimate the true scope of tasks because of overconfidence or a desire to demonstrate efficiency. But, as the bat and ball puzzle illustrates, our initial assumptions are often flawed.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I'm not advocating for discussing every minute task. Sometimes, a change is truly trivial.
I even have a counterexample puzzle to demonstrate my point.
Let's consider two trains that are 100 kilometers apart and move towards each other. One train travels at 40 km/h, and the other at 60 km/h. A bird starts flying from the first train at 90 km/h towards the second train, then turns around immediately upon reaching the second train and flies back to the first train, and so on, until the trains collide.
How far has the bird flown?
The first instinct is to sum up the infinite series of the bird's flights.
Instead, it's much simpler than that.
You just need to realize the trains take 1 hour to meet (100 kilometers / (40+60) km/h), and the bird flies for that hour at 90 km/h. So, the bird flies 90 kilometers.
This puzzle illustrates that sometimes, the problem isn't as complex as it seems. The key is knowing when to dig deeper and when to take things at face value.
Strategies to Mitigate Risks
So, how do we tackle this? It seems we’re stuck in between cognitive biases. Here are some strategies to mitigate the risks:
1. Challenge Your First Instinct
Conduct a brief risk assessment or a quick review with a teammate to uncover potential hidden complexities. Don’t underestimate the power of a second pair of eyes. This can help identify aspects that might not be immediately obvious and prevent underestimation of the task at hand.
2. Timeboxed Spikes
If the uncertainty is high, as it often is when starting new projects or integrating with new services, do a timeboxed spike. This means allocating a fixed amount of time to explore the problem space, gather information, and identify potential pitfalls. This helps in making more informed decisions and estimates.
3. Break Down the Task
Break down the task into smaller components. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. This way, you're more likely to reveal complexities that weren't apparent initially. Smaller tasks are easier to manage, track, and estimate accurately. It also helps in identifying dependencies and potential bottlenecks early.
4. Plan for Multiple Iterations
Recognize that the first fix may not be the final one. Plan for multiple iterations, including testing and feedback cycles. Continuous integration and deployment practices can help in catching issues early and often, reducing the risk of large, unforeseen problems.
5. Embrace Code Reviews and Pair Programming
Overconfidence in personal coding abilities might lead some developers to dismiss the possibility of errors in their own code, overlooking simple solutions. That’s where implementing practices such as thorough code reviews and pair programming comes in handy. These techniques foster continuous learning and humility, and also provide a fresh perspective on the problem, potentially uncovering issues that might have been overlooked.
6. Encourage Team Discussions
When a miscalculation happens, it’s important to realize it's not the end of the world. Encourage team discussions about mistakes and learning opportunities from past bugs to cultivate a more accurate assessment of debugging tasks. It's through sharing, how we grow the most. Learning from past experiences and sharing those learnings with the team can help in avoiding similar pitfalls in the future.
7. Document Your Findings
Effective documentation is crucial for maintaining clarity and continuity in software projects. When the entire team contributes to and utilizes documentation, it ensures comprehensive coverage and accessibility of information. Establish a documentation protocol where each team member contributes to the document creation and review process. Good documentation practices ensure that knowledge is not lost and can be easily transferred within the team.
8. Keep a Short Feedback Loop
Sometimes it's easy to drill deep and develop a new feature based on unconscious assumptions about what the end result should look like. By keeping the feedback loop short, you get the chance to clear them out. Regular check-ins and reviews with stakeholders can ensure that the development is on the right track and aligns with the requirements.
9. Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning
It’s important that both you and your colleagues engage in continuous learning. It can be anything, from the official training sessions, workshops or attending conferences, to more informal, brownbag sessions, reading club, or simple “this week I learned” trivia. Staying updated with the best practices in the industry oftentimes provides new insights and tools that can be applied to solve complex problems more efficiently.
10. Use Automated Tools and Techniques
If you've been following this newsletter, you probably saw this one coming. Leverage the power of unit testing, continuous integration, and continuous deployment tools to streamline the development process. Automated tools can help in identifying issues early and ensure that the codebase remains stable, reducing the time spent on manual testing and debugging.
Conclusion
When it comes to quick fixes, what seems like a 5-minute fix rarely is (if ever). By challenging your first instinct, conducting brief risk assessments, breaking down tasks, planning for multiple iterations, embracing code reviews, encouraging team discussions, documenting findings, and keeping a short feedback loop, you can better navigate the complexities and uncertainties inherent in development tasks.
Moreover, effective communication, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and leveraging automated tools can further enhance your team's ability to handle complex problems efficiently. By adopting these strategies, you can mitigate the risks associated with underestimating or overestimating tasks and ensure a smoother development process.
Pay it forward
Here are this edition’s knowledge nuggets that made me pause and think:
How Razorpay Scaled to Handle Flash Sales at 1500 Requests per Second - by
Latency is a silent killer - by
Embracing Simplicity: A Look Into Stateless Design - by Nikki Siapno
Why Accelerate Deployment? - by
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