The Importance of Smart Questioning in Software Engineering
11 Sep 2024
One of the most important characteristics a software engineer can possess is effective communication and one of the most important parts of effective communication is knowing how to ask intelligent questions. In Eric Raymond’s How to Ask Questions the Smart Way, he offers principles on how to engage with an open source community and most importantly, how well-formulated questions result in more productive interactions and better problem solving. This technical essay will examine two StackOverflow questions: One of which will align with principles from Eric Raymond’s article, and one that does not in order to see how each approach results in results of varying quality. By analyzing these cases, I am to understand and highlight the importance of asking smart questions in order to be an effective communicator.
Unclear and Ineffective
Let’s start by looking at a question that doesn’t adhere to the principles set by Eric Raymond. One user had a question about time consumption on a leetcode problem. One reason why this question doesn’t adhere to the guidelines is because the user lacks minimal effort. While the user provides code, the explanation of what is going wrong is vague. The code runs into a Time Limit Exceeded (TLE) error, but the user doesn’t isolate the problem with specific input/output examples to demonstrate the failure. Furthermore, The user does not clearly demonstrate effort to debug or optimize the code on their own. The comparison of their code with another solution is good, but the user hasn’t articulated specific steps taken to resolve the problem, giving the impression that they want others to optimize it for them. Also, The user mixes a few different concepts in the question (performance, code correctness, algorithm efficiency), making it difficult for others to understand what they specifically need help with.
Although the question wasn’t well-formulated and lacked clarity about the user’s exact problem, one respondent still made an effort to tweak the code and address potential errors. This demonstrates that when a question violates Eric Raymond’s principles for smart questioning, it often receives fewer responses because viewers may struggle to understand the actual issue or feel that the user could have found the answer with more research. Despite this, one user attempted to provide a solution based on the limited information available.
Simple and Effective
On the other hand, another user asked what the ‘—>’ operator meant in C/C++. This is a well-constructed question because it adheres to several key principles of effective questioning. First, the user clearly describes their confusion and surprise, providing specific context about where they encountered the issue, which helps others understand the background of the question. They include a complete, minimal code snippet that reproduces the behavior in question, allowing respondents to quickly test and verify the problem. The output is also provided, making it easy to compare expected versus actual results. Additionally, the user asks a focused, concrete question: where the behavior of the –> operator is defined in the C/C++ standards. This makes the question specific and actionable, guiding potential answers toward a clear goal.
In conclusion, this analysis highlights the significant impact that asking well-formulated questions has on the quality of responses in technical communities like StackOverflow. The comparison between the two cases illustrates how adherence to the principles outlined in Eric Raymond’s How to Ask Questions the Smart Way can lead to more efficient problem-solving and clearer communication. The poorly constructed question received fewer, less effective responses, while the well-crafted question garnered more helpful and precise answers. These examples underscore the importance of asking smart questions as a critical skill for software engineers, ultimately leading to better collaboration and more productive interactions.