What is it
The XY problem is focusing on your attempted solution rather than your actual (root) problem.
Real world scenario
Imagine a software developer named Alice who is working on a web application. Alice encounters an issue where the application is running slow when processing large data sets. She wants to optimize the performance of the application (X), but she is not sure how to approach it.
Alice begins researching and stumbles upon a blog post that suggests using a specific caching mechanism (Y) to improve performance. Without fully understanding the problem or considering alternative solutions, Alice decides to ask for help on an online forum, specifically requesting assistance with implementing the caching mechanism.
Other developers on the forum, however, are confused by Alice's request since the caching mechanism seems unrelated to the root cause of the slow performance. They begin asking questions to better understand the problem and suggest potential alternatives to address the underlying issue.
After several back-and-forth interactions, it becomes apparent that Alice was experiencing performance problems due to inefficient database queries and not due to a lack of caching. The caching mechanism would have provided little to no benefit in this scenario.
In this situation, Alice fell into the XY problem trap by focusing on a specific solution (Y) without clearly communicating the actual problem (X) she was facing. As a result, both Alice and the developers on the forum wasted time and effort discussing and exploring an ineffective solution.
Solution
By sharing the broader picture from the start, including details about the slow performance issue and any attempted solutions, Alice could have received more targeted advice and solutions from the community. This would have helped her identify the real problem and resolve it efficiently, rather than getting caught up in an unnecessary detour.
This example highlights the importance of effectively communicating the underlying problem and being open to alternative perspectives when seeking assistance as a software developer. By avoiding the XY problem, developers can streamline the problem-solving process, save time, and arrive at optimal solutions more effectively.
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