| Senior devs learn a better tolerance for ambiguity, and have better ability to see the big picture in both the problem space as well as the solution space. I encourage that sort of thinking from devs I'm mentoring. I do this by giving creating a rapport where they feel comfortable asking questions. I do by having an attitude that part of my role is to help them be more effective. When asked a question, I drop everything to help them. I then specifically give them problems that force them to ask questions. This in turn gives me the opportunity push the envelope with their thinking by asking them to answer their own questions. So when I get asked a question on how to do something, I will ask them if they understand the goals and constraints we need to work in. I make sure they understand that first. Then I ask them for different ways of solving their problem, the pros and cons of each and ultimately what their recommendation is considering those goals and constraints. By that time they generally end up with the "right" answer, and sometimes something I wouldn't have thought of. What I am doing with that exercise is guiding them through the process of how to think about solving the problem. Soon when they come to me, they are already giving me options, pros and cons with a recommendation. Sometimes I'm asked to decide about a difference of opinion between two devs. Making sure both have the same view of the goals and constraints is really important and most of the time aligning these solves the dispute. If not, then I will have one or both create a minimal test/prototype, time-boxed, that explores the problem. Then we evaluate the results together against the goals and constraints. This has worked very well for me. As far as breaking up tasks and delegating, it all depends on their tolerance for ambiguity. I usually start more junior devs with smaller, well defined tasks that have specific acceptance criteria. I adjust the level of definition based on their ability to succeed, but always do it in such a way that it forces them to grow. |