Although software development is taught as a STEM out of Science or Engineering schools, it is as much an art or craft a creative process as a science. This presentation focuses on innovative problem solving techniques – the tools and techniques to use when your normal process just doesn’t seem to get you to a solution. Much of the information in this talk is based on Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, which, although it is focusing on Motorcycles, applies to all kinds of problem spaces (and Pirsig was a tech writer for IBM). These techniques have served me well over the years. The difference in art versus science approaches is actually supported by the way the brain works. The talk will cover such areas as:
* Traditional Problem Solving Methods, where they fall down
* Eastern techniques, advantages, disadvantages
* General Tips and how they apply in specific examples
* Brain versus Mind