Gut feelings, don't ignore them

2026-06-09T08:30:00.000Z

In technical discussions I sometimes get the feeling that something isn’t right — but I can’t immediately explain why.

For a long time I found that uncomfortable. In meetings especially, there’s often pressure to respond quickly, to have a clear opinion, or to make a decision on the spot. When you can’t articulate the problem straight away, it’s easy to assume the issue is with you.

In my experience, it usually isn’t.

With complex systems, judgement often comes before explanation. You notice that an assumption doesn’t quite hold, or a design feels fragile, or a proposal only works if everything behaves perfectly — but it takes time to work through the details and understand exactly where the risk is.

That delay isn’t a lack of knowledge. It’s often the result of having seen enough problems in the past to recognise when something doesn’t smell right, even if you can’t yet prove it.

I’ve learned to be cautious of decisions made too quickly in meetings, especially when nobody has had time to think properly. Some of the worst technical mistakes I’ve seen started with a confident answer given under time pressure.

It’s perfectly reasonable to say:

“I’m not comfortable deciding this yet — I need to think about it.” or “Something about this feels wrong, but I need time to work through why.”

Good engineering isn’t about having the fastest answer. It’s about making decisions you can still defend six months later.