preface

This year is the 10th year that I entered the testing industry. I have come into contact with a lot of people in my career during this decade. In the process of working with different people, I often have some confusion, such as:

Faced with the same complex testing tasks, some people can tease out a solution in a day, while others take a long time to ink? Some people are quick to describe problems at work, while others falter and flounder. Some people, when asked, "What basis do you have for saying that? "Is there a specific example", often get stuck, some people can present the facts and reason, there is a wobbly say one, two, three? ...Copy the code

However, as I get closer to work, it is not difficult to find that those who are efficient problem solvers and effective communicators all have one thing in common, that is, they have an efficient structured way of thinking.

What is structured thinking?

Structured thinking simply means that when you approach a problem, you can take a structure and break it down into parts that you can solve.

Take a very common example to feel, suppose you as an interviewer, interview, ask the candidate to think about a Taobao shopping cart function, how to test? You might get a lot of answers:

For example, some candidates will answer, first add shopping cart, then delete it to see if the number is correct; Check the shopping cart to see if the price is calculated correctly; You can add up to a few items and so on. Calculate if the coupon works...Copy the code

These answers may or may not be correct, but most of the time, they are based on our testing experience to analyze the problem, which does not guarantee that we can think clearly and fully. Then how to use structured thinking to analyze such problems more clearly and comprehensively? As a test engineer, we all know that testing can be divided into interface testing/functional testing/performance testing/security testing/exception testing/compatibility testing. Then, if we disassemble the test analysis from the test classification, it is nothing more than how to measure these test categories, and then refine each category until it can no longer be disassembled (as follows) :

The above is a simple process of using structured thinking to analyze problems, which can also be applied when we write test cases or comb test points. By disassembling according to test categories, we can not only explain the whole thing, but also make the analysis relatively clear.

Thus, structured thinking is a process of thinking from disorder to order. In this process, you can establish a three-dimensional analysis method of summing up first and dividing later. Look at the key aspects that will solve the problem and then work down to get a bird’s eye view of the whole and the parts, not just one detail. This common way of thinking is actually a pyramid tree, as follows:

Why should test engineers learn structured thinking?

Work, software test engineer need to face is not only able to undertake complex products independently or module testing work, also need to constantly to horizontal or vertical communication with different characters, in the face of complex projects, role and even across the border in project management, process control, customers, and so on.

For example, facing the same problem, some people can hit the heart with three sentences, while some people may not be able to say the core in 30 minutes; In the face of a complex business module, some people can quickly conduct a hierarchical analysis of test points and organize an efficient test case review, while some people are confused in test analysis, resulting in continuous delay in use case review… There are countless examples of this at work, but where does this mental difference manifest itself? The most fundamental reason is whether there is a fast and effective way to process information, as well as a clear and effective expression of the logical structure of information.

Here’s an example:

In an online accident, a testing colleague rushed to report: "I found some problems with the previous code, and some data were pushed to another platform. If we change it now, it will have a great impact. Shall we change it at another time?"Copy the code

When you receive this information, you may have some questions, such as how big is the impact, and how long is the next time? At the same time, as the recipient of the information, you may only get the information that your colleague has found a problem, but you do not get the detailed information of the event and specific treatment plan.

Such a scenario is vividly seen in our life and work. Information asymmetry and communication cost increase are caused by the lack of effective information processing and expression.

It can be seen that structured thinking is particularly important in our daily work and life communication. Complex problems can be analyzed layer by layer in pyramid mode, which can clearly and systematically show your ideas and thinking logic, thus improving our efficiency in dealing with problems and reducing the cost of communication.

How to improve structured thinking?

As we begin to uncover structured thinking and understand what it does, we wonder, can structured thinking be trained and improved? The answer is yes! Of course, we need to further analyze the pyramid model. As shown in figure:

In the pyramid structure, there are generally two directions of logical relation, namely vertical logical relation and horizontal logical relation. A good pyramid structure needs to meet the longitudinal relationship of conclusion first, above and below; In horizontal relation, it satisfies the four basic principles of classification and grouping and logical progression. In a word, it is “argument analogy”.

• Vertical: vertical is a hierarchical relationship, the idea of the upper level is the generalization of the idea of the next level, the next level is the explanation and support of the previous level.
• Horizontal: Horizontal is the association relationship, the ideas in each group must belong to the same logical category, must be organized in logical order.

After further combing the pyramid structure, we can summarize the structured thinking ability into the following three points:

1. Inductive information ability — horizontal analogy ability

The collection of massive amounts of information can’t completely help us analyze and solve problems. Generalizing information helps our brain to remember and organize logic and ideas.

Here is a recommended classification rule:

The Rule of MECE (Mad Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive) is Mutually independent and Exhaustive. The principle of MECE can be used to ensure the clearest and most complete views formed when the problem is decomposed.

There are six common methods that we use at work:

1. Dichotomy

This classification method is quite common in daily life. In fact, it divides information into A and non-A parts. Such as:

Domestic, foreign, others, oneself, married, unmarried, adult, minor, left and right, male and female, income and expenditure, professional and amateur, etc.Copy the code

2. Process method

That is, information is classified one by one according to the time, process and procedure of the development of things. Such as:

The daily schedule, the six steps to solve a problem, and the three stages to achieve a goal are all process categories. Process classification is particularly useful for reporting project progress and phases.Copy the code

3. Element method

We also often use the element method in our daily life. This classification method is used to explain the characteristics of various aspects of things. Such as:

The seven qualities of a good employee, the organization chart of a company, etc., are actually a division of a whole into different components. It can be top to bottom, outside to inside, whole to part.Copy the code

4. Formula method

Formula method can be classified according to the elements of formula design. As long as the formula is established, such classification conforms to the MECE principle. Such as:

Price = unit price * quantity, according to the publicity, unit price and quantity are elementsCopy the code

5. Matrix method

For example, when we arrange work, we have a way to classify your work into four categories: 1) important and urgent, (2) Important but not urgent, (3) Not important but urgent, (4) not important and not urgent.Copy the code

And then you can fill them into the four quadrants, which are going to be a 2-by-2 matrix. This method of classification is called matrix method.

6. Classification rules for specific scenarios

For most cases, THE MECE rule is a general classification rule, but in some cases we have a more direct model, where we can put the existing information, the classification, into some classification model.

3C (Market strategy model) : the first letters of Company, Customer and Competitor. When classifying strategies according to these three elements, companies can avoid the situation of losing money by ignoring user needs and market conditions and developing products on their own. “7S” (thinking organizational Strategy model) : namely, business Strategy, organizational Structure, operation System, Style, Staff, organizational skills and Shared value. SWOT model: SWOT analysis represents the analysis of the Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and Threats of an enterprise. SMART (Goal-setting model) : Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, time-based, etc.

We are not going to give you an example of these categories, but how can we apply them to our workplace?

For example, the system is not stable recently, and there are some serious P1 failures in succession. The boss asks you to organize a general meeting of all staff to improve everyone’s quality awareness. You are going to send a meeting notice:

In order to improve the quality awareness, we will convene a general meeting of all staff in the training room 205 of Building 3 at 3 PM on October 22nd. The agenda is to first review the causes of recent failures and then develop strategies to prevent them from happening again. The goal is to ensure the stability of the online system without P1 failures in the second half of the year.Copy the code

However, this content is not clear enough, it is better to use the 5W2H model to express the content in a structured way:

Objective: To improve the quality awareness of all staff and stop P1 failure in the second half of the year. Time: October 22, 3 p.m. Location: 205, Building 3. Agenda: 1) Fault recovery. 2) Develop fault prevention and control strategies.Copy the code

By comparing the two meeting notices, it is not difficult to find that the structure of 5W2H makes our expression more organized and clearer in specific scenarios.

2. Ability to extract information conclusions —- Ability to demonstrate vertically

When we summarize all the information, how do we enhance our ability to refine the conclusions? So this is actually a demonstration of the ability to demonstrate vertically in the pyramid model.

In the ability to extract information conclusions, there are two methods that are most commonly used, and these two methods have been described in many books. The following two methods are briefly introduced.

1. The deductive method

Deduction is a linear form of reasoning that ultimately leads to a conclusion led by the logical word “therefore”. In the pyramid structure, the idea at the next level above the process of deductive reasoning is a generalization of the process, with the emphasis on the final step in the process of deductive reasoning, that is, the conclusion that is “thus” elicited. The classic is Aristotle’s syllogism:

The main premise: Everyone dies. Minor premise: Socrates is a man. Conclusion: Socrates will die.

In our daily work, we often use a deductive method to conclude a conclusion.

Known rules: Frequent changes in requirements can easily lead to bugs. Specific events: when the line is about to go online, the business side needs to add requirements, whether to add conclusions: noCopy the code

What we need to note in deductive method is:

• Always be skeptical of rules (rules change, if they don’t, conclusions don’t hold).
• You need to increase the amount of knowledge to keep it “usable” (the more rules you know, the easier it is to draw conclusions).

2. The induction

Inductive logic is more difficult than deductive logic, because induction requires that we have a good ability to abstract out new concepts that govern their subconcepts. In generalization, the brain discovers that things (thoughts, events, facts) have commonalities and then categorizes them into the same group and explains their commonalities. Inductive logic is not linear, it requires the existing information on the basis of a higher level of abstraction, to obtain new concepts. Such as:

The next level of abstraction above apples and oranges is "fruit", and this level of abstraction can make "fruit" dominate apples and oranges in a vertical relationship. The abstraction of the new concept of "fruit" requires that we have relevant knowledge background.Copy the code

Now that we know the logic of induction, we need to pay attention when we apply it:

• Discard stereotypes and carefully select samples (whether they are representative and sufficient in number)
• Need to increase experience, expand sphere of influence, see more, absorb more, add facts.

3. The ability to express information —- top-down

Thinking is an invisible process, and in the end we have to show our conclusions. This is the ability to express information in structured thinking.

We often have the following misunderstandings in daily communication. Many people will directly convey their thinking process to each other without realizing it. Here’s an example:

In a certain meeting, you reported to your boss: "I found that technical support recently raised a lot of inquiries about the login problem, I guess there may be a problem with the login function, then I asked my colleagues to check, and found that it was xx iteration, XX misoperation led to the interface login error. As this problem is very bad for user experience, it needs to be solved by XX as soon as possible."Copy the code

At first glance, it seems that there is no problem. All the details in the process are clearly described to you. However, in the process of reporting, the seemingly reasonable basis, conclusion and output make the elaboration framework relatively thin, the key conclusions are not highlighted, and the recipient of information cannot immediately and effectively identify your important information.

If we report this in a structured way, it becomes:

1. First put forward the conclusion: currently there is a problem with the login interface, which leads to the online bug. The cause has been found, and XX needs to solve it as soon as possible. To elaborate further: the cause of the problem is XXX. This problem has lasted for XX days, which greatly affects user experience. In recent days, several similar problems have been consulted by technical support. Therefore, we must solve the problem quickly and try to solve it today.Copy the code

In contrast, top-down, structured presentation, from conclusion to evidence and reinforcement of the conclusion, allows the receiver of the message to quickly get the message you want to express and makes your conclusion more convincing.

So how do you train top-down thinking and communication? Here are a few tips:

• We can flexibly use some existing model frameworks, such as problem-cause-solution /SWTO, to quickly set the framework for logical thinking and communication.

• I can visualize my expression logic, such as the description of a sentence and so on to constantly strengthen my language and logical output, and improve my communication and expression ability.

summary

Structured thinking not only demonstrates your ability to effectively communicate information, but also your ability to analyze and solve problems in the workplace.

I hope this summary and share can help everyone in the workplace, bring some inspiration and thinking.

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