Eight years ago, I was drowning in dev chaos. Today, I'm one of the most respected engineers in my company. What changed? The Modeling Technique - a structured approach that transformed my career by providing a systematic method to analyze problems before solving them.
This technique ensures that once you start coding, you avoid blockers, rewrites, and questionable architectural decisions, making your development process predictable, smooth, and resulting in code that's easy to read, consistent, and in most cases bug-free.
The Problem: Dev Chaos
In my early career, I found myself trapped in a perpetual state of crisis. Hours would fly by like minutes as I desperately tried to make my code work. This frantic mode led to:
- Missed deadlines on individual tasks
- Frequent overtime work on small features
- Creation of subpar code that received negative reviews from colleagues
- Questionable architectural decisions on even simple implementations
- Code that was hard to read, understand, and modify
This cycle of chaos seemed never-ending, leaving me questioning my career choice. Every task, even those that seemed straightforward, inevitably ended with missed deadlines, an exponential increase in bugs, and intense pressure to work overtime just to complete basic features.
The Solution: The Modeling Technique
The turning point came when I joined a team that operated with steady calmness and efficiency. Their team leader employed the Modeling Technique, a method of deeply understanding the problem before attempting to solve it. This approach resulted in:
- Steady progress on individual tasks
- A well-organized system, even at the smallest levels
- A sense of calm and satisfaction in our daily work
The Modeling Technique is a structured approach to problem-solving that separates planning from execution, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the task at hand before writing a single line of code.
Why It Works
The Modeling Technique aligns with how our brains naturally process information and solve problems. Research in cognitive science supports the idea that our brains operate in different modes for planning and execution:
- Planning Mode: Associated with the brain's default mode network (DMN), active during introspection and planning. (Raichle et al., 2001)
- Execution Mode: Linked to the task-positive network (TPN), engaged during focused, goal-directed activities. (Fox et al., 2005)
Benefits of separating these modes:
- Reduced cognitive load (Sweller et al., 1998)
- Improved problem-solving capabilities (Monsell, 2003)
- Enhanced creativity in solution generation (Beaty et al., 2016)
By deliberately separating planning and execution, the Modeling Technique optimizes our brain's natural problem-solving processes. This separation reduces anxiety by breaking down the process into a series of manageable steps. Rather than being overwhelmed with achieving the end goal while lacking sufficient data to know which solution will satisfy business needs, you simply follow a structured approach.
The Modeling Technique: A Detailed Breakdown
The Modeling Technique involves looking at a problem from different angles and describing it in distinct sections:
- Context
- Describes known facts about the problem to be solved
- Provides all information that can be used to solve the problem
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Defines the environment of the problem
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Analysis
- Focuses on business interpretation of the facts
- Written using business language, stripped of technical implementation details
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Separates what we know from what we assume or guess
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Requirements
- Essence of what the business needs
- Uses a three-part structure: "As a [Person], I need [What], in order to [Why]"
- Ordered from most to least important
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Carefully reviewed to ensure requirements are not mutually exclusive or conflicting
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Potential Solutions
- Brainstorming session listing all possible specific solutions
- Each solution evaluated according to requirements
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Proposed Solution is the one that satisfies must-have requirements
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Tasks with Estimates
- Breaks down the Proposed Solution into small, independent tasks
- Each task should be completable in a short amount of time
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Allows for clear progress tracking
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Questions
- List of questions to the business or yourself about the project and technologies
- Helps focus on finding answers and provides satisfaction when checked off
Results and Benefits
The Modeling Technique is a transformative skill that elevates your capabilities at every career stage:
- Transforms a coder into a programmer
- Elevates a programmer to a 10x programmer
- Propels a 10x programmer into a team leader
- Evolves a team leader into a product owner
This progression occurs because the technique shifts your focus to business problems first, and using technology to solve them second. This approach results in optimized resource usage and deepens your grasp of the entire development process and business context.
For me, implementing this approach led to becoming one of the most respected engineers in my company, and more than doubling my salary. Development became predictable, calm, and highly performant, allowing me to focus on understanding the business, which further improved my ability to solve problems.
Getting Started with the Modeling Technique
While the technique may seem straightforward, mastering it takes time and practice. Start implementing it in your daily work to:
- Gradually reduce work-related stress
- Make your development process more predictable
- Gain recognition among colleagues and management as a person who thinks deeply and understands them like nobody else
The sooner you begin, the quicker you'll reap the benefits of this powerful approach. Remember, it takes time to master, so it's crucial to start as soon as possible.
Conclusion
The Modeling Technique offers a structured path from chaos to clarity in software development. By separating planning from execution and thoroughly analyzing problems before coding, you can transform your career, just as I did. It's about understanding the 'why' behind every requirement, to deliver exactly what is needed, instead of what was initially requested.
This approach leads to stress-free and predictable development while gaining recognition among your colleagues and management as someone who thinks deeply and understands the business like nobody else.
The Modeling Technique is more than just a tool - it's a mindset that can elevate your entire approach not only to software development but to life in general. By embracing this method, you're not just improving your code; you're enhancing your problem-solving skills, your understanding of business needs, and ultimately, your value as a developer and as an individual.
This technique can be applied to achieving personal goals like financial freedom, which becomes much easier to attain once requirements are crystal clear, potential solutions are easy to evaluate, and steps to achieve the goal are straightforward.
So why wait? Start your journey from chaos to clarity today, and experience the transformative power of the Modeling Technique for yourself, both in your professional and personal life.