The potential for you as an engineer to know things about your systems that your colleagues (even those on your team, who you've worked alongside for a long time) don't know is higher than many think.
What's more is that not only do they not know what you know, you might mistakenly believe they they *do* know it.
Which means when opportunities come up to reveal this "knowledge-past-each-other", you're not likely to bring it up with them.
Which means when opportunities come up to reveal this "knowledge-past-each-other", you're not likely to bring it up with them.
(aside: this phenomenon is known as the 'Fundamental Common Ground Breakdown")
Getting at this "tacit" knowledge is pretty difficult to do, and yet it's a critical reason why our systems are working as well as they are!
Imagine if you could find this, how valuable it might be for other engineers. Or accelerating the pace of new hires coming up to speed!
Imagine if you could find this, how valuable it might be for other engineers. Or accelerating the pace of new hires coming up to speed!
One of the challenges in discovering this tacit knowledge is that it's in use almost all the time by people, and because they don't know what they know is remarkable, it doesn't get much attention.
In order to find it, you'd have to choose a specific situation...
In order to find it, you'd have to choose a specific situation...
A situation that was bounded in scope and time, and was consequential enough to warrant focused attention.
Sometimes, people call these situations "incidents."
Sometimes, people call these situations "incidents."
Just having a situation to investigate with people isn't enough, tho. Anyone can willy-nilly ask questions!
Interviewing with techniques to get at tacit knowledge exist, and they require practice and reflection on that practice (just like every other skill worth building).
When you have a group who's sharpened their skills in these areas...you'll never want to be without them.
When you have a group who's sharpened their skills in these areas...you'll never want to be without them.
The investment in getting good at this really does pay off in the long term, I think we're just not used to this in the world of software.
Yet. I'm trying, really trying.
Yet. I'm trying, really trying.
