

Redefining the problem: A trait of great engineers - mweil
http://blog.opensesame.st/post/44468754048/re-define-the-problem

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thebear
It is perhaps worth pointing out that sometimes, a good way to redefine a
problem is to "widen" it, that is, to consider another problem of which the
original one is merely a special case. That's been called "the power of
abstraction," and it's pretty much what accounts for the amazing success of
mathematics. And it seems to work in a broader, less scientific sense as well:
for the longest time, I couldn't find a todo-list on the web that I didn't
hate. Along came the Trello guys and created a collaboration tool with task
lists. And bingo, for the special case of a single user, they (perhaps
involuntarily, I don't know) created the most awesome todo-list website.

------
cek
> Great engineers don’t solve problems - they redefine them. In other words,
> great engineers deftly navigate false premises. This is an invaluable asset
> and is far more rare than a productive engineer. It changes the playing
> field entirely. If you’re not constrained by the problem, the solution can
> be far more valuable.

This is actually true of great leaders in general; great engineers just happen
to be a specific sort of leader.

