Take Drucker Memos on Your Architecture

~240 Words | 1 min Read

Judgement is rapidly becoming a core skill for the future of software engineering. We need to to discern between possible approaches. Sometimes a temporary ‘hack’ is actually a pragmatic solution. But you only know that in hindsight. So what can we do to develop it?

Thankfully there’s a tool for that. It’s something your boss, or your gran-boss might be using: The Drucker Memo. It’s a technique attributed to Peter Drucker. He’s the father of modern Management, and the guy who coined the term “Knowledge Worker”. It’s as simple as taking note of decision you made for later review.

You need to capture some context to make it useful. What did you see? What were your options? What did you consider?

You also need to capture your predictions. What do you think will happen? Why? How are you expecting the design will work?

Capturing these details, means you can review them later. Put a ‘tickler’ in your calendar 3-6 months from now. Then open up your note, and your code. Review what you thought then. Check what you see now. Where were you right? Where were you wrong?

By capturing situation, decision, and expectations you can give your judgement feedback. Over time, you’ll learn to see more clearly. And your prediction, built on past experience, will improve. All it takes is a few extra minutes when you make a decision to take some notes.