We love our tools!
A writer loves to write; a coder loves to solve problems through coding; a Project Manager takes pride in Gantt charts. Similarly, to a Business Analyst, most problems are process issues. An Architecture loves to present problems and solutions using a whiteboard and diagrams.
We are highly influenced by the set of tools we know.
It is a well-known fact – the Law of the instrument. To a hammer, everything is a nail.
It reminds me of a story where one of the ERP Vendor’s team was instantly fired after a meeting with the customer.
The client had some issues with the ERP solution. The Project Manager (PM) and Technical Consultant visited to see the customer. The customer explained their issues. While the PM took notes, the Technical Consultant kept banging the keyboard throughout the meeting. At the end of the session, with much pride, he said, I have updated the configuration, which will solve all the problems you mentioned during the meeting. Before they both reach back to the office, an email from the customer hit the MD’s mailbox, advising firing the Techincal Consultant with immediate effect.
We know our tools and see the world through them. This phenomenon is here to stay. Therefore, when we share our problems, we must understand that the solutions are biased based on the tools another person is proficient in.
Choose the right people to share your problems. But, more importantly, understand that the solutions they are proposing in within reach of tools they know.
