Are your lights on?
by Donald C. Gause, Gerald M. Weinberg · first published 1977
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, readable guide to figuring out what the problem really is before trying to solve it. Recommended as a starting point for Weinberg and for anyone in software or consulting who wants sharper problem-solving.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…effects on organizational performance. This is a much more rigorous account than is usual in this space, so I believe it is a must read for everyone in software. --- Author: Gerald Weinberg Books: * Are Your Lights On? * Becoming a Technical Leader' * Introduction to General Systems Thinking Jerry's books have had a tremendous amount of impact on my thinking in the past couple years. I highly recommend reading everything…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…they can solve a problem/challenge? you are a consultant. or to paraphrase jerry weinberg: a consultant gives advise when asked. if you are the second, read "secrets of consulting" by weinberg (and "are your lights on"). then, what is your product? what do you want to advise on? and find out why this would be so valuable to pay you 10k, 25k, 50k, ... then, get a client, anyway you can and make sure you deliver 20x…
on “Ask HN: Resources/Steps for Becoming a Consultant?” ↗…http://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programm... 4/ The Innovators - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21856367-the-innovators 5/ The Hard thing about hard things - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18176747-the-hard-thing-... 6/ Are your lights on? - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11221270-are-your-lights...
on “Books on Entrepreneurship” ↗+1 for this. Arguably all of Weinberg's works teach mental models. 'Are Your Lights On?' is an easy introduction to his writing and thinking, and 'Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design' is directly applicable to any software project involving collection of requirements (I thin that's…
on “Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?” ↗A couple fun ones that weren't mentioned yet: JavaScript Allongé, the "Six" Edition by Reginald Braithwaite Are Your Lights On? by Gerald M. Weinberg
on “Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?” ↗Anything and everything Gerald Weinberg has written. I particularly recommend 'Are Your Lights On?' as a place to get started, 'The Secrets of Consulting' as a steady companion, 'The Psychology of Computer Programming' as the perfect thing to read two-to-five years into your career, and 'Becoming…
on “Ask HN: Which non-programming books are a beneficial read for programmers?” ↗"Are your lights on" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1044831.Are_Your_Lights_... ) is my favorite Weinberg book. It had a very profound impact on how I approach problem solving.
on “Gerald M. Weinberg has died” ↗Offhand... 1. 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes 2. 'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox 3. 'The Prize', D. Yergin 4. 'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg 5. 'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗What are your favorite Weinberg books? I've read Are Your Lights On (liked it a lot) and Secrets Of Consulting (just ok). Checking out Exploring Requirements now. Is Exploring Reqs 2 as much worth reading as Exploring Reqs 1, and any other must reads?
on “Requirements” ↗Damn auto-correct. Of course it's Gerald Weinberg. I have my favorite: "Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really is" just on my table right now :-) Can't edit my comment anymore, so leave the correction here.
on “I'm an engineer that needs to sell my services. Any good books on sales?” ↗Sounds like you're looking for advice on problem solving. I don't consider myself truly great at solving problems by any means, but I found these books helpful to me in analyzing problems: - Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is[0] - Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People[1] --------- [0] https://www.amazon.com/Are-Your-Lights-Figure-Problem/dp/093... [1] https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Solving-101-Simple-People/dp/...
on “Happy New Year and a Reflection on Mastery Through Simplicity” ↗Some of the seminal works on accountability as applied to systems and particularly the business world, are the works from Gerald M. Weinberg. "Are Your Lights On?" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1044831.Are_Your_Lights_... "The Secrets of Consulting" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/566213.The_Secrets_of_Co... "More Secrets of Consulting" - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/714345.More_Secrets_of_C...
on “Accountability Sinks” ↗Are your lights on - Jerry Weinberg The blind watchmaker - Richard Dawkins
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗Are Your Lights On?: A Treatise on the Definition of Diverse Problems
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books?” ↗I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read. Business / Tech Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is. Managing Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! Explore It!: Reduce Risk and…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗