[koliber]

Your comment embodies one of the core tenets of what makes a great programmer. Great programmers are comfortable navigating ambiguity. They make mistakes but quickly correct course. They know how to test ideas in a way that yields signals faster. They know that they need to make mistakes, and know how to keep the cost of those mistakes low.

It’s like being able to walk into a bookstore full of cookbooks, and by skimming a few pages here and there, walk out with 3 fantastic cookbooks.

In other words, good programmers have the ability to quickly understand the full problem space (including business concerns) and efficiently navigate the solution space.