DAY 27 - Putative is a 4-letter-word

CLICK HERE for the "Learn Something New Every Day" 30-day project introduction

?

Today I am going back to my English language roots for the thing I learned today and talking about a word I have known only in context, but never really thought about at length.

Miriam-Webster's word of the day is putative.?It is an adjective and is always used before a noun to mean "generally believed, supposed, or assumed to be (something)."?A putative reason is a reason that is generally believed to be so.?A putative cause is a cause that is widely accepted.

In the business world, I would maintain that putative is a word that should send up a red flag -it is a "4-letter-word" like those that, as a kid, prompted grandma to wash your mouth out with soap.?

Assumptions are a fast way to failure.?I learned this when I witnessed the building of a platform using assumptions about what the user needed (putative needs). It created a beautiful platform, full of really cool features that had the potential to be great, but was not utilized by the actual targeted users.?It never really got off the ground.?I often wondered what it could have been if the actual users were consulted and other data was brought in before technical requirements were written.?

Assumptions need to be backed up by proof. WHAT DOES THE DATA SAY?

Sometimes the data will back up an assumption.?Sometimes the data hides little gems that can alter a decision and change the outcome.

Have you ever witnessed an assumption gone wrong?

?

As always, stay inquisitive, my friends (and consult the data!!)