When Tasked with a Problem, Start with the Bigger Picture

It’s tempting to jump straight into action when a problem lands on your desk. But I’ve learned that taking a step back to see the big picture isn’t just helpful—it’s essential.

When faced with a challenge, I always start by zooming out. It’s not about delaying action, it’s about understanding the terrain before we start our journey.

The Power of ‘Why’

This three-letter word is more potent than any line of code I’ve ever written. Here’s why:

What seems urgent at first glance might not be that important in the grand scheme. I once had a CEO insist we needed to rewrite our entire codebase in a trendy new language. When we dug into the ‘why,’ we realized our actual pain point was slow feature development.

We initially thought we needed to rewrite our entire payment processing system to handle increased transaction volume. But by asking “why,” we realized the real issue was database bottlenecks. We ended up optimizing our database queries and implementing caching, which boosted our capacity by 300% at a fraction of the time and cost of a full rewrite.

Understanding the “why” behind a project can ignite passion and drive in a team. I witnessed this firsthand during a hackathon where our devs were tackling a problem for a local non-profit. Once they grasped how their code could directly improve lives, the energy shifted dramatically. They weren’t just writing algorithms; they were creating real-world impact. Without any prodding from me, the team voluntarily pulled an all-nighter, fueled by the knowledge that every line of code mattered.

This shared sense of purpose became our secret weapon, transforming a routine coding sprint into a mission that the team poured their hearts into.

A seemingly small fix might actually be the key to unlocking a major company initiative. By understanding the ‘why,’ you might realize that refactoring that old authentication system isn’t just technical debt—it’s the blocker for a huge partnership deal.

When a problem lands on your desk, fight the impulse to jump straight in. Instead, pause for a moment. Step back and look at the whole landscape. Then ask yourself, “Why are we doing this?”