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Seeing Things Differently

in Work · 2 min read

Summary

This should serve as a reminder that even the most basic things can be interpreted differently by different people. Always be clear with requirements and don't assume anyone knows what you're talking about.

Interpretations

Ten-panel cartoon of a tree swing project. How the customer explained it: a three-seat swing. How the project leader understood it: a swing looped around the trunk. How the analyst designed it: a swing hung under a trunk cut away and propped up. How the programmer wrote it: ropes tied around the trunk, seat on the ground. How the business consultant described it: an armchair on a swing in a sunburst. How the project was documented: nothing. What operations installed: a single rope. How the customer was billed: a roller coaster. How it was supported: a stump. What the customer really needed: a tire swing.

Six-panel line drawing of the original tree swing cartoon. As proposed by the project sponsor: a three-seat swing. As specified in the project request: a swing looped around the trunk. As designed by the senior analyst: ropes tied around the trunk, seat on the ground. As produced by the programmers: a swing wrapped around the trunk. As installed at the user's site: a swing hung under a trunk cut away and propped up. What the user wanted: a tire swing.

The tree swing cartoon's original author is unknown. Versions of it have circulated in IT and engineering circles since the 1970s.

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