Socks And Techniques

I have been struggling with design techniques and methodology for 6 years now, and think I am glimpsing the root of the story. You will no doubt let me know how far wrong I am...:-). Twice in my life I have had remarkably strong argument/discussions about how to put on socks. I was trying to describe the value of turning them inside out, putting your hand in, turning the halfway out, so they go just on the bottom half of the foot, then pulling them up over the foot. Good for wet feet, all sorts of things. What astonished me both times was the emotion coming from the other person about the universality of *their* way of putting on socks. On neither occasion did we resolve anything about socks - there was just too much emotion present.

I have gone from thinking techniques are the cornerstone of everything, to thinking techniques don't much matter, to some third point I can't yet say but contains three points:

• It has to do with previous experiences generating a set of forces which resolve themselves in adopted values that are protected by the technique.

• It has to do with techniques being used because of familiarity; we use a technique because we have used the technique.

• It has to do with the value of a good technique in getting a result.

• (It also has to do with the role of techniques in deskilling tasks, which is the start of a different, longer discussion).

I have been studying my arguments/discussions with project managers who fundamentally differ from me in their view. I see that they have had a set of experiences that have caused them to respect and to fear certain things. Not too surprisingly, the techniques they espouse reflect those plus other experiences. How am I, indeed, who am I, to change their minds?

I have also been studying the way in which program derivation techniques, database design techniques, CRC techniques, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc. techniques give us (a) some assurance of results, (b) the ability to teach someone else, including and especially less skilled people, e.g., novices and children. I am struck by the power of a good technique.

...and by the emotive force it carries. As exemplified by even just putting on socks.

--AlistairCockburn