What & Why vs How

What and Why are questions about requirements, reasons, intentions, and goals. They matter most when contrasted with How, which is a question of implementation and tactics.

What and Why emphasize the problem. How describes a solution.

It’s easy - especially for engineers - to prematurely explore the how. Engineers build things and solve problems, so there’s a natural impulse to start thinking about designs and implementations. But an elegant solution to the wrong problem is waste. Requirements and reasons should be understood and explored - even allowed to gestate, if conditions allow.

In any discussion, identify which considerations are what/why issues and which are how issues, and which perspective is appropriate for the given context. It’s far too easy to conflate the two, especially under pressure. This leads to wasted time solving the wrong problem, or “talking past each other” as unstated assumptions diverge.

There’s a fractal quality to this principle - you can invoke it at different levels of detail for any topic.

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is an effective training method for developing a keen sense of what vs. how. TDD requires a clear focus on one perspective at a time, while developing a fluid, iterative shift between the two.