One of the most important skills we should develop as software engineers is the solving-problems.
In this short post we are going to see some tips are very useful to get better our experience solving problems...
Note: There is no magic in the world of software development, the practice and try to solve the problems by ourselves is the best way to achieve it.
1. Divide/conquer
Breaking the problem down into manageable pieces allows you to understand the situation better because youโre now dealing with the micro bits of the problem. This approach makes the problem-solving process more accessible, more efficient and effective.
Once these micro problems have been solved, you can combine them to decipher the more complex issue.
2. Understand correctly the problem
An old advice says:
We donโt understand if we can not explain something in simple terms.
Many of the problems when we are facing an issue is we are not understanding it at all.
Take some sample inputs and try to analyze the output, it is a good suggestion to understand a problem in software development.
Also it will be helpful to explain the problem to a other developer.
3. Solve problems on different languages or technologies
You have an algorithm to solve in javascript, try to solve in c# or php. In this way you are going to see the same problem using different techniques of that language.
This pushes you to learn to be flexible and choose the ideal tools for every job. Working on problems using different platforms expands your skillset and helps you gain experience that can translate into more intuitive thinking and rewarding results.
4. Learn more about Design Patterns, algorithm or data structures
When you usually get stuck in solving an issue, one way to get better is read more and more about design patterns, clear code and related to this.
Design patterns usually offer a template of how you can solve some recurring issues.
As for algorithms, they are a set of steps that can solve problems and get work done when executed in the correct order.
Most data structures and algorithms can perform specialized tasks; therefore, using them makes your code efficient and effective.
5. Learn from past experience
In the case we are a senior developer there are a lot of bugs we have solved in our experience, we usually will have some similar issues and we can solve in a quick way learning from the past.
This is as essential as finding the solutions in the first place because the more you practice your problem-solving skills, the easier it becomes for you to apply the correct answers to different problems.
This puts you in a position to solve new problems quickly while using the best possible solutions.
6. Remember the fundamentals of programming language or technology (angular, react, javascript)
It is not a big deal for experienced developers. But we have to remember that the most of all problems will face in our life as developers will be more easy to solve if we have the knowledge necessary for the technology we are using.
Conclusion:
Practice is one of the most ideal approaches to enhancing your problem-solving skills.
You can do this by trying to fix current challenges or participating in coding contests.
Try as much as possible to solve problems you think you canโt solve, but donโt be too confident and encounter the most complex challenges.
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