Dining Room or Kitchen

This week, I was describing two options for automated capture of run data from a very complex scientific instrument. I said something like this:

Option 1 is like taking a nice picture of a meal on the dining room table when it’s done. Option 2 is more like taking pictures every few seconds in the kitchen while someone prepares the meal.

If you just need to capture the final result, it’s obviously much more efficient to take Option 1. We’re usually most interested in the outcome of the process and the experience or insight it provides.

However, if you need to better understand the sequence of events that lead to a final result, it can be worth the extra effort shadowing in the kitchen. You will have a lot more work, it will take longer, and you’ll possibly see a mess or two. Kitchen pictures don’t mean you actually know how to cook that meal yourself, but there’s potential for insight in unexpected ways.

I have always coached technical teams to be curious and explore why a solution works, not just if it works. Understanding why and how something works normally can be a big help when it’s not working normally.