The Name Of Things

If you cannot say the words, you cannot solve the problem.

This is true of many subjects in the world right now, a crippling inability to call things what they are. But it is also true of software development. I’ve written before about the importance of accepting blame when something goes wrong. The first step of that process is being willing to say what went wrong, to name it with precision. Shortly thereafter the people responsible for ensuring that particular thing doesn’t go wrong should be named, not to shame them or make them feel bad, but so they can be given the opportunity to improve in the future.

While it might be easier to “not point fingers”, such an approach rarely helps an organization get better.