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Mental Models

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To manage the ever increasing volume and complexity of information that confronts us, one of the key coping mechanisms that prevents us from losing our minds (or at least slows the process) is that of simplification. Just as meteorologists take the massive onslaught of data from all their data sources, reduce and simplify into models to the point where they can (sometimes) tell us if it is going to rain later today, we cope through massive simplification and the construction of mental models. 

These mental models are constructed throughout our lives from our wide range of experiences, and generally they serve us well. They allow us to make complex decisions in the Blink (a great book, by the way) of an eye, they allow us to focus our analysis on the difficult or novel portions of a larger issue – indeed, we would be hard pressed to interact without mental models in today’s world. They are necessary, but they can carry underlying evil. 

Throughout history, there has been a generally accepted set of mental models that have governed the behaviour of society. As we look back, it is easy to recount any number of invalid models that have held us back. The idea of the world being flat most certainly slowed exploration to new worlds. The belief that humans could never run a sub-four minute mile held most athletes back for some time – it is no coincidence that after it was broken for the first time, the floodgates opened and 17 more broke that barrier in the 3 years that followed. All manner of mental models have been crushed over time - man can’t fly; we’ll never escape earth’s gravity; the list goes on and on. 

Henry Ford once said “Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.” 

Our mental models form the box within which we live, and will often overly constrain our ability to creatively resolve the issues we face. In the software development world, there are a number of mental models that severely limit the capabilities of people or teams that lean on them: 

- ”Software is difficult – it’s not something you can touch or feel” is often an argument that comes along with a project that is out of control, as a rationalization for the lack of careful planning, analysis, and change management. Any complex task is difficult (and tough to grasp) if there is insufficient effort to manage it appropriately, and software is no exception. Pick the right models to express different aspects of the problem, and software is just as easily communicated as the hardware it is run on. 

- “We can’t afford to plan this project, we just don’t have the time” is often a model used by those that haven’t measured where their time goes, and aren’t astute enough to even compare their actual performance against their intent. Done practically, it is safe to say that the converse of this model is true – the shorter the fuse on a project, the more critical the planning activities become. 

- “We must use this [development approach | language | platform ]”, while sometimes valid constraints on a project, often have more to do with religious fervor or toolbox gaps than true constraints. I don’t think any project demands a specific development approach (much to the chagrin of process consultants everywhere), business solutions are rarely language constrained, and except for embedded software, even platforms are becoming less relevant these days. 

We need to take stock of the mental models that we use to guide our actions, and critically assess where these models lie in the continuum between being useful mechanisms to make sense of the complex world around us and being constraints that hold us back from accomplishing great things. History is full of people that have said ‘that’s impossible’, only to be proven wrong - a trend that isn’t going to change anytime soon. 

When you hear someone say ‘that’s impossible’, it can be valuable to see this as a challenge to overcome, a mental model in want of adjustment. What models are you clinging to that are holding you back? 

-Jim Brosseau of Clarrus Consulting Group 


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