Debugging is a crucial skill for product engineers, but it can also be a source of conflict when team members have different approaches, preferences, or tools. How can you resolve these conflicts without compromising the quality, efficiency, or morale of your team? Here are some tips to help you.
The first step to resolving any conflict is to understand what is causing it. Is it a matter of personal style, technical expertise, project requirements, or communication issues? For example, some engineers may prefer to use breakpoints and step through the code, while others may rely on print statements and logs. These methods may have different advantages and drawbacks depending on the complexity, size, or language of the code. Try to find out why each team member prefers their approach and how it helps them solve the problem.
Engineers from different backgrounds, such as software, electrical, and mechanical engineers, often have different debugging approaches. They frequently start by searching for the root cause within their familiar domains or begin troubleshooting with the least costly modifications. Sometimes, they may even assume that the part they are responsible for is not the source of the problem and cast suspicion on their colleagues' responsibilities. Sometimes the approaches can be misleading.
Address conflicts by fostering open communication, understanding diverse debugging approaches, and defining common goals. Establish team standards, encourage compromise, and involve neutral parties if needed. Emphasize continuous improvement, engage in team-building, and consider agile practices. Document decisions for consistency. Ultimately, prioritize collaboration and shared objectives for effective conflict resolution.
The next step is to align your team on the common goals and standards for debugging. What are the expected outcomes, timelines, and quality criteria for your project? How do you measure and document your debugging process and results? How do you communicate and collaborate with other team members or stakeholders? By agreeing on these aspects, you can create a shared vision and a common language for your debugging efforts.
In this process, we should prioritize respecting each other's viewpoints instead of deflecting blame. The ultimate goal is to solve the problem within a given timeframe and with minimal time and hardware costs. We should invest concentrated effort initially to pinpoint the issue.
Every member may have various opinions and approaches and we should respect them (there is no stupid idea, my normal may not be the normal of others etc). I would raise my approach/suggestion with justification is why it is effective. I would also try to listen why others think differently and why they think they are effective (I would love to hear their justifications too). Most importantly, we should start with ensuring that we are on the same page of the common goal. Otherwise, it may just end up with blaming games and lose significant amount of time (example from my experience: taking more than 3 months to debug and fix that could have been done in 2 weeks)
The third step is to be open-minded and curious about the different options and perspectives that your team members have. Instead of dismissing or criticizing their debugging approaches, try to learn from them and see how they can complement or improve your own. You may discover new tools, techniques, or insights that can help you debug faster, better, or easier. You may also find out that some approaches are more suitable for certain situations, scenarios, or stages of the debugging process.
In a medical device project, I once served as the head of electrical and firmware systems, collaborating with a mechanical engineer to resolve an intermittent failure in the machine's operation. Because the firmware had not been thoroughly debugged previously, the mechanical engineer suspected a firmware bug that prevented the action from triggering under certain conditions. However, after several days of observation, we managed to reproduce the failure and discovered that the cause was the aging of an electromagnetic coil, preventing the completion of the intended action.
The fourth step is to negotiate and compromise with your team members to find the best debugging approach for your project. This may involve some trade-offs, concessions, or adjustments from both sides, but it should also aim to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs for the team as a whole. For example, you may agree to use a combination of breakpoints and logs, or to switch between them depending on the task or the bug. You may also agree to use a common tool, platform, or framework that supports different debugging methods.
The final step is to respect and support your team members regardless of their debugging approaches. Remember that debugging is not a competition or a test of ego, but a collaborative and creative process that requires patience, empathy, and feedback. Appreciate the strengths and contributions of each team member and acknowledge their challenges and frustrations. Offer help, advice, or encouragement when needed and ask for the same when you are stuck or confused. By doing so, you can foster a positive and productive debugging culture in your team.