Driving Technical Change

Pitfalls

Telling the truth has few pitfalls. But there is one big one: in your effort to be seen as trustworthy, you point out and emphasize the flaws in your solution. You want to acknowledge that your tools have flaws, downsides, or compromises, but advertising them is another matter altogether.

Sadly, there is little to be done about this. Because nothing is perfect, you will occasionally be put into the position of saying something bad about the tool or technique you are advocating. Own up to it, acknowledge the weakness, and spell out why you don’t think that the weakness outweighs all your solution’s strengths.