Laws of Software Engineering · Framework
Framework
Wicked Problems
Problems where the problem statement, the solution, and the evaluation are all contested and interdependent. There is no stopping rule. Every attempt at solution changes the problem.
How to use it. When you cannot get agreement on what the problem is, it is wicked. Stop trying to define it precisely. Instead, run small experiments that reveal different aspects of the problem. Defining the problem is part of the work.
How it gets misused. Confused with "hard problems". Hard problems are complicated. Wicked problems are contested. The distinction matters because the methods differ. Complicated problems yield to expertise. Wicked problems require ongoing negotiation.
Related
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Framework
Cynefin
Five kinds of situation: clear, complicated, complex, chaotic, and confused. Each one needs a different response.
- Principle Sociotechnical Systems Work systems have a technical subsystem and a social subsystem. Both must be designed together. Optimising one without the other produces worse outcomes than balancing both.
Clusters
- The Systems Thinking cluster - Ways of seeing systems whole.