When you're communicting something, put the bottom line up front. BLUF.
The job of a software developer relies massively on communication. The best way I know to improve your communication is to quickly say the most important thing.
Nothing is worse than a poorly worded ticket, architecture document with too much context, or a rambling bit of documentation without actionable steps.
We've all been in meetings or Slack threads where we've thought, "What's the point of this conversation again?"
Aim to avoid those situations!
As an engineer, you have an obligation to your customers, teammates, and future self to communicate clearly. The best way to be clear is to be concise.
Here's a strategy for success:
- Say the most important thing first. Think - When someone reads this, what's the one sentence summary?
- When you're writing, try to delete half of what you've written before you hit "Send." Shorter is almost always clearer.