How Importance of Smart Questions in the Field of Software Engineering
07 Sep 2023
In constant development of software engineering, engineer ability to ask smart questions is a skill that separates the proficient from the truly exceptional. smart questions is come from by curiosity and critical thinking not only drive innovation but also accelerate problem solving. This article explores why smart questions are essential to smart software engineers, assesses how well-chosen questions align with the principles of smart questioning, analyzes how smartness is reflected in responses, and highlights lessons learned from this experience opinion.
Smart questions play a key role in software engineering, helping to clarify ambiguity and ensure that requirements are fully understood. Ambiguous or vague requirements can lead to wasted effort and suboptimal solutions. By asking precise questions, software engineers can ensure they are building the right thing. The problems more effectively also helps them identify the fundamental issues rather than just addressing the issue, ask smart question can leading to more effective solutions. It also promotes progress and innovation in the field to achieve more outstanding achievements, and contributes to the development of the entire industry. So the road to becoming a smart software engineer starts with asking a smart question.If you don’t know how to ask smart questions, see “How to Ask Smart Questions” by Eric Raymond.
Example for smart question
On StackOverflow A smart question you need to provide more exact information such as:
1.Describe the symptoms of your problem or error carefully and clearly. The user mentioned that they had created two Conda environments with multiple Jupyter cores and described the problem.
2.Describe the environment in which it occurs (computer, operating system, application, etc.). Provide the vendor’s distribution and release level (for example, “Fedora Core 7”, “Slackware 9.1”, etc.). Environment mentioned (Anaconda for Python 2.7)
3.Describe the research you did to try and understand the problem before you asked the question. A user posted what he try.
4.Describe the diagnostic steps you took to try and pin down the problem yourself before you asked the question. The user mentioned modifying the kernel.json file and provided file information
5.Describe any possible relevant recent changes in computer or software configuration. Users mentioned creating a Conda environment and a Jupyter kernel, and followed the steps to manually set up the kernel.
6.If possible, please provide a way to reproduce the problem in a controlled environment. There is only one kernel called in the jupyter notebook menu, and it cannot be imported into Tensorflow.
Example for not a smart question
I have a DataGrid which seems to be in the correct place but the buttons under my DG are messed up somehow Here's what the design pane shows And here's what I see when I run the code When I moved the button to the left corner of the DataGrid, it was at the same place where the designer showed.”Describe the symptoms of your problem or bug carefully and clearly.
1.Describe the symptoms of your problem or bug carefully and clearly. The user mentions that there is an issue with buttons under a DataGrid. However, the description is quite vague, and it’s not clear what the specific problem is.
2.Describe the environment in which it occurs (machine, OS, application, whatever). Provide your vendor’s distribution and release level (e.g.: “Fedora Core 7”, “Slackware 9.1”, etc.). There is no information provided about the user’s machine, operating system, or the application they are working with. Knowing the environment can be essential for diagnosing UI issues.
3.Describe the research you did to try and understand the problem before you asked the question. The user does not mention any research or investigation they have conducted to understand or resolve the UI issue. It’s unclear if they tried to find solutions or explanations on their own.
4.Describe the diagnostic steps you took to try and pin down the problem yourself before you asked the question. The user does not provide any details about the steps they may have taken to diagnose or troubleshoot the problem. Mentioning any attempts made to solve the issue would be helpful.
5.Describe any possibly relevant recent changes in your computer or software configuration. There is no information about recent changes or updates to the user’s computer or software configuration. Such information can be crucial for understanding the context of the issue.
6.If at all possible, provide a way to reproduce the problem in a controlled environment. The user does not provide specific steps to reproduce the problem or any error messages, making it difficult for others to assist.
Conclusion
Smart questions are the cornerstone of intelligent software engineering. They enable clarity, efficiency, collaboration, learning and innovation. By adhering to the precepts of smart problems, software engineers can dramatically improve their problem-solving abilities and contribute to the advancement of the field. Using it in this way not only benefits the individual, but also elevates the entire software engineering community. The process of becoming a smart software engineer starts with a smart question.