A lot of the decisions I make rely on assumptions. It’s so much easier to work with assumptions than to validate every bit of information that is factored into a decision. It can also prove to be a terrible mistake.
Assumptions are risky shortcuts. What if your assumption was correct at some point in time, but things changed? What if it was never correct to begin with?
Imagine I go out to the store assuming it’s open. It was open the last time I checked, and it was about the same time. Only since then, it may have changed its opening times, or closed altogether.
What if I assumed if I left my cup by the coffee machine, someone would assume I wanted coffee. I’d likely not be getting my coffee anytime soon!
This is true at work, too. When I review someone’s code, and I’m not certain as to what that code should do, I’m much better off asking the question than assuming. I can’t begin to count the number of times this saved us from introducing a bug.
My point is simple: always challenge your assumptions. Always ask questions. In many cases, it would save you a lot of time you’d have wasted going down the wrong path. But I assume that’s obvious.
Optimising My Life 