Gut Feeling Decision Making

Gut feeling decision making, also known as intuitive decision making, is a methodology where developers rely on instinct, experience, and subconscious pattern recognition to make quick decisions, often in complex or uncertain situations. It involves leveraging tacit knowledge and heuristics rather than purely analytical or data-driven processes, commonly used in agile environments, debugging, or when time constraints prevent exhaustive analysis.

Also known as: Intuitive Decision Making, Instinct-Based Decision Making, Heuristic Decision Making, Tacit Knowledge Decision Making, Experience-Driven Decision Making

Why learn Gut Feeling Decision Making?

Developers should use gut feeling decision making when facing ambiguous problems, tight deadlines, or when data is incomplete, as it allows for rapid prototyping and iterative adjustments. It is particularly valuable in creative tasks like UI/UX design, architectural choices, or troubleshooting, where past experience can guide efficient solutions without over-analysis.

Learning Resources

• book: Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
• docs: Intuition in Decision Making - Psychology Today
• docs: The Role of Intuition in Software Development - Martin Fowler
• book: Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer
• docs: Intuitive Decision Making in Agile Teams - Agile Alliance