Let's avoid saying, "Why didn't you think of it? It's common sense."
A common statement that I often hear from stakeholders is, "Why hasn't this feature been developed? It's a matter of common sense to include it."
A post shared by Ashok Tankala | Leadership and Executive Coach | Ex-CTO (@ashoktankala)
During a recent conversation with a former colleague, he mentioned that a product manager had used the same statement at the time of the Functional review.
Recalling several past incidents, I realized that I had used the same statement a couple of times. However, with time, I came to the understanding that what might be common sense to one person may not be so obvious to another.
Our individual common sense is shaped by our unique experiences and perspectives. I have observed instances where my team members went above and beyond to cover corner cases that were not initially required, simply because they felt it made sense. And I myself have overlooked certain aspects.
I firmly believe that if we fail to acknowledge and appreciate such efforts, we have no right to question why a certain feature hasn't been developed, using the rationale that it's a matter of common sense.
Instead of taking this approach, I suggest clearly communicating requirements to the team and avoiding the assumption that certain things are automatically common sense.
One may argue that if every detail is communicated, it could lead to irritation among team members. However, in my opinion, this is not necessarily true. It is the repetition that causes irritation.