

Developers should know How, What and Why - koski
http://weblog.madebymonsieur.com/developers-should-know-how-what-and-why/

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iaskwhy
The most important word I learned all over these years is "why". People get
worried about asking "Why?" for several reasons (like showing you might not
know something you should) but I found out it's a question clients love to be
asked, it makes them feel like you really want to be inside whatever they want
you to do.

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erikstarck
This is so true. I've been using this model to specify requirements in large
organizations, organizing the requirements in HOW, WHY, WHAT-sections roughly
equivalent to business goals (WHY), features / requirements (WHAT) and a
system specification or in best case running source code (HOW).

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koski
The why can be also so much more than the business goals. It can be the vision
of the company. The reason it exists. What it wants to be and to what it
believes in.

Not all companies are so clear about the "why" but the ones that do, are quite
successful.

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pauljburke
I think they missed a few.

I KEEP six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are
What and Why and When And How and Where and Who.

<http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_serving.htm>

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Swizec
What's probably even more important than only being able to design the How
after you know the Why and What is that Why is a very very _very_ good
motivator.

In general I noticed that people much prefer their work when they know why
they're doing it. If you disclose enough information, they might even surprise
you and work more than you ask of them because they feel the Why is that
important.

