Lesson 4: Words mean different things to different people

Background

I’d like to share a story about failures I experienced as a software architect which taught me the lesson “words mean different things to different people.”

I was working as the enterprise application architect (fancy title, I know) for a company in the healthcare space. During that time, I had the responsibility of being involved in every new development project in order to ensure that we were following consistent architectural patterns and were moving towards a cohesive architectural vision.

Outcomes

During my interactions with one particular development team, we discussed architectural and design approaches for the software to be built. In particular, we were talking about object creation patterns as well as how to build a specific set of services. Through the course of the very abbreviated conversation, mostly due to my use of jargon and vocabulary that I assumed everyone knew, we all nodded our heads in recognition that we had a shared vision of the intent. After a couple of weeks, I reviewed the progress of what was being built, and it was plainly evident that we were not on the same page, at all.

Mistakes

I was a victim of WAP syndrome: Words Are Precise. WAP syndrome is the mistaken belief that words, in and of themselves, have an objective meaning that doesn’t vary from person to person. How naïve! Words, in and of themselves, don’t have meaning on their own. Words are simply tools that we use to communicate intent with each other. All words have subtle connotations which can vary from person to person, and this is particularly true in the software development space! How many times have we used terms like Service Oriented Architecture, Microservices, DevOps, or Agile only to find out that we are using the same words with others to talk about different concepts altogether? Spoiler alert: it happens all the time.

Lessons Learned

This event taught me an extremely valuable lesson: words mean different things to different people. In addition, the meaning behind the words is what’s important, not the words themselves. Since then, I’ve learned that if someone uses a word in a way that doesn’t sound like the way I use the word, then I need to dive into what the person is saying more intently. I need to ask questions, and really listen closely to understand the meaning behind the words. Without that, we can never truly create a meeting of the minds. Without that, we would use the same words to talk about completely different ideas or concepts. To be clear, words meaning different things to different people isn’t a problem in and of itself, it’s simply the way language works with humans. So, let’s be aware, and lean into the conversations when we discover we aren’t talking about the same things.

Agile Reinforcement

There are a couple of great principles from the Agile Manifesto and the Scaled Agile Framework that apply to this conundrum. First, the Agile Manifesto indicates “The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.” In this principle, the Agile Manifesto is specifically talking about communication; however, it’s remarkable how often we mistake notification for communication.

**Allow me to get on my soapbox for a moment.**

Notification is a one-way conveyance of a single person’s opinion, whereas communication is a two-way conversation where shared meaning is created among the individuals involved. One-way notification mediums include virtually anything that is asynchronous such as text messages, email messages, social media platforms, letters, notes, etc. Communication can only happen in real-time such as with face-to-face conversations, video calls, and phone calls. In addition, the higher fidelity of information leads to an improved ability to create shared intentionality; these formats include face-to-face conversations and video calls. There is a lot of information we convey with body language, eye movement, and facial expressions! There is a third category of conveyance that lies somewhere in the middle, such as instant messaging tools and chat platforms. While a case could be made that these tools and mediums are close to real-time, the results of these tools lend themselves to still being considered notification tools rather than communication tools.

**I’ll get off my soapbox now.**

SAFe Reinforcement

The Scaled Agile Framework says “Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles.” In general, there is a lot of wisdom to using very fast cycles where we can learn incrementally. In this particular conundrum, the fast learning cycles allow for corrective actions to occur very early in development. It’s not always possible to know in advance that we have different meanings or ideas. A fast cycle (with a good demonstration of working software) gives us all something tangible to discuss! Learning that there is a problem after only a couple of weeks is much better than discovering that we were not aligned after a few months. The faster and tighter the learning cycle, the better chance we have of truly achieving and maintaining alignment with each other.

I hope my struggles and failures can help teach you this important lesson: Words mean different things to different people.