[jvanderbot]

ambiguity can be solved by random action.

I've solved so many of these uncertain problems by tossing coins. Once I make a decision, everyone comes out with reasons I'm wrong and just tells me what they want. Or, everyone accepts it and moves on and it is obvious nobody actually cares.

[ximm]

I think this comment gets to much negativity. Yes, this is often not a good approach. But it can be one tool in your toolbox that can get you unstuck when nothing else seems to work.

[catchclose8919]

> ambiguity can be solved by random action

This 100%. I've learnt the hard way that the only way to get unstuck at this kind of hellish work is random action - I'm biased to over-analyzing the problem so get stuck because I can't pick an option. A bias towards action, ANY/RANDOM action if you can't decide is what seems to help here best!

[waynesonfire]

So can ignorance and it's hard to tell which you're solving with that coin. I wouldn't want to work with you.

[tomjakubowski]

As long as you don't ship your decision without review, and you're willing to change your mind if it's wrong, what's the problem? Like OP, I often find that people are reluctant to discuss anything that's ambiguous, until someone has made an attempt at implementing it, and presents it to them. Then, suddenly, every ambiguous choice that was decided wrongly (in someone's eye, anyway) in that attempt comes out of the wood work. It's an extraordinarily good way to spark discussions people don't want to have.

"Write one to throw away" is the greatest advice I've heard for our field. You will rarely fully explore the problem space by just talking about it ahead of time.

[jvanderbot]

"Ignorance can be solved by random action"? I don't track.

If alternatives are actually equivalent, and that yields ambiguity in decision making, that's the worst time to go deep diving. "Resolve it and move on" is just a bias of mine.

It's ok, we'll probably never work together.

[warkdarrior]

Alternatives are almost never equivalent. If at decision time there is still ambiguity, it means that some criteria that separates the alternatives is not being considered.

You are suggesting to not search for that additional separating criteria and just use a coin flip to decide. Apparently you prefer a coworker that would flip a coin in order to move forward with a decision as soon as possible.

The other poster is saying the flipping a coin is the same as staying ignorant of that additional separating criteria. Apparently he'd prefer a coworker that wouldn't stay ignorant by choosing to flip a coin.