Should we stop using frameworks?
Reflection on the use of frameworks at product companies + BONUS
In some cases, frameworks seem like a surefire path to achieving success. Everyone of us has encountered frameworks that sound like a miraculous solution to our problems.
Frameworks can help us explore different approaches to solving problems and open our minds. We can be inspired by them and make choices based on what we learn from them.
Even tho, time and experience show us that there is no clear path to success. That’s why we need to adapt our process to the unique circumstances we might encounter.
So, should we stop using frameworks? Of course, we don't. We can use frameworks suitable for most situations we encounter, potentially speeding up our processes.
Even tho, we need to remember to apply critical thinking 💜
BONUS: How to use critical thinking to solve problems on a workflow 🧑🍳📕
This is the process that I follow, and that I recommend to all my mentees that want to solve a problem in their workflows.
In my mentoring sessions, instead of sharing popular frameworks by default, we work together on understanding what’s working well and what we need to improve. The next step is to ideate a solution, which can be a popular framework or not, since we can build our own framework based on what we need.
Ingredients before starting
4 tbsp of patience
4 tbsp of observation skills
4 tbsp of creativity
1 cup of coffee/tea (optional)
Method
Evaluate your unique situation. Before analysing any problem with a workflow, you need to have a full understanding of it, its dependencies, and the roles involved.
Analyse what are the problems with your working process on a regular basis. Organize retros, ask for feedback, and do some introspection.
Group similar problems and prioritise them to find which ones you need to solve first.
See how others are handling the problem. You can request advice from other teams at your company, from your professional network, search online, or discuss it with a mentor.
Examine the solutions you encountered to determine what's most suitable for your situation, or if some modifications need to be made. You can also use all your new learnings to create your own solution.
Test how the solution you encountered works in a real situation.
Check back again to see how your solution impacted the workflow. It's time to collect feedback again and decide if you need to keep, kill or iterate your solution ;)
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