The first thing that stood out to me when reading this article was the statement: “stop trying to write perfect documents.” This differs a lot from what I have done; I very much prefer writing down information in a very structured way since it is crucial for knowledge transfer. I agree with the author in that writing good documents doesn’t necessarily indicate good understanding in the respective team. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t write perfect documents. Obviously, no document is going to be “perfect,” but aiming towards that when you express your understanding of something on a piece of paper (or online documentation) is crucial for smooth knowledge transfer. In line with the author’s sentiment, it’s important to discuss this documentation with the rest of your team. For instance, one thing I did this past summer for my PM internship was write really detailed documentation on what I (and only me) worked on in the summer, but also recorded videos explaining the documentation and had sessions with the privacy team I was a part of. The purpose of this was to instill a deeper sense of understanding, which is exactly what the author prioritizes.
Interestingly, another thing I don’t really agree with is the statement: “requirements actually mean shut up.” While it is definitely not productive/ideal if someone shuts up when seeing requirements, I think requirements are crucial for productivity. Defining bounds and very particular scope of work is often necessary for just getting work done. However (and a big however), just because requirements exist doesn’t mean you shouldn’t question them. When one is provided with requirements, they should ask themselves whether they make sense and are intentional, or if they are restrictive to the work at hand. If they are restrictive, then have a conversation with the person that proposed the requirements and why they should be different!
Overall, though, I do resonate with the concept of visually story mapping information. Everyone’s a visual learner; you just need good visuals.
