When you’re looking for a bug it’s terribly hard to not get
bogged down in details at the expense of seeing the bigger
picture. An outsider doesn’t have those details so that
helps tremendously. The lesson I took away from that day is
that when I’m stuck I ask an outsider.
This pretty much sums it up and isn't limited to software engineering at all. Having chased some hardware bugs on my own I came to the same conclusion: one conversation with a not involved colleague ending in the question Well, have you checked (the obvious) X? was more productive then some hours or days of bug hunting.
On the flip side, when playing the part of the outsider, never be afraid to ask if it is plugged in (etc.). If you can shape your local culture, help ensure those sorts of questions are understood as basic due diligence and not an insult. I always half apologize, but about 1/3rd of the time, yeah, that's it. (Oops.) We all do it.
I always phrase it to the client as 'building a mental picture of the problem'. Then I can ask questions that some people might otherwise take offense to.
I've heard a teddybear works pretty well in a pinch.
For me, the epiphany usually hits when I finally break down and decide to ask for help. I realize my cognitive blind spot while composing a message for a forum post or email.
It's always good to step back and acquire a fresh perspective.
> I've heard a teddybear works pretty well in a pinch.
Ah! The ancient feud between the School of the Duck and the Monastery of the Bear! I think modern times have calmed down the waters and all's right in the world of Engineer Fu.
I just spent all night working out bugs on a project. I pushed my work two days ago and thought it was perfect. Err, no. There were bugs to fix. So I looked at it and couldn't figure it out. Nothing looked right. So I got the person I work for to go through the issues with me. One by one I was able to figure it out. The software shipped. And it ended up being so much better than before. Plus it worked like it was meant to.
I've seen the same type of scenario played out from a business perspective. "Wait, why are you spending $2,000/month on SEO? Why don't you just partner with Company X." My favorite, though, was when I showed a ticket broker friend of mine how to plug into existing affiliate markets. One quick switch and his revenue jumped 1,000% at no cost to him.
You could probably make an argument that it's for similar reasons that scientific advancements often (though I'm not sure exactly how often) come from people outside the field.
I'd expect such an argument has been made by people - perhaps someone here might know of some examples.
I think that notion may be a case of "story bias". The stories of scientific advancement coming form those outside the field are so much more interesting that they get told in vast disproportion, making it seem they are the norm.
