Subtractive thinking as a weapon against increasing complexity

"Dear friend, excuse my long letter, I didn't have time for a short one." This quote was probably written by Blaise Pascal in 1656 (although it has also been attributed to other personalities). It is human nature to add rather than take away. Not subtractive thinking, but additive.

Anyone who practices subtractive thinking as a systems engineer has a clear advantage. Because the time we invest in simplification is quickly recouped, especially in today's world of increasing complexity.

New research results

This article was inspired by an article in Nature, People systematically overlook subtractive changes. The key word is "systematic": if we don't consciously think about it, we correct problems by increasing complexity. In one experiment, researchers gave participants the task of making a pattern of colored squares symmetrical. This was possible by adding or removing squares, but 78% of the participants added pieces.

78% of the participants added parts to make the pattern symmetrical, although removal was also possible.

Researchers have found that subtractive thinking can be learned. However, this ability is at least partially lost under stress. This is particularly relevant in an industrial environment, where there is usually more pressure than in an academic environment.

Countermeasures

As I said at the beginning: additive thinking is a problem in systems engineering. This has always been the case, but the Increasing complexity has become even more important.

There are possible countermeasures, including

• Raise awareness of the problem, for example through appropriate training. I can hardly imagine a training course on this topic alone, but it can easily be linked to existing training courses.
• Designate a responsible person, for example the system architect
• Pursue and regularly review opportunities for simplification. This can be done as part of the Technical debt be pursued.
• Complexity measure - there are various metrics here. However, it is important to use them correctly. The aim is not to minimize complexity, but to achieve the right degree of complexity.

To stay true to the idea of subtractive thinking, I end here, having carefully shortened the longer manuscript of this article.

Image source: Pixabay