Customer Reviews

Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really is

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I manage programmers. I need people who think on their feet and who know how to cut through the B.S. (no, not Bachelor of Science) and get to the real issues, then solve them.

That's why I'm buying everyone on my staff a copy of this book, now that I've managed to find a vendor who can get it.

Published originally in the 1970's, this book focuses on a number of creative approaches to solving seemingly intractable problems. Not a cookbook with recipes for specific problems, _Are_Your_Lights_On?_ inspires every reader to develop her own approaches to problems by emphasizing how many different ways there really are to skin a cat.

The book tells a number of stories that present sticky problems and then concludes the stories with how those problems were solved. The style of the writing is extremely informal and amusing while never patronizing. Entertaining pen and ink sketches illustrate the stories and the reader just keeps going because it's fun. But never mistake the seriousness of the book's purpose. One fantasizes about sending copies to Benjamin Netanyahu and Yassir Arafat with the cover note, "Read this and then try again."

I am buying my second copy of this book as I literally wore out my first - bought about 15 years ago. I have copied and quoted from it since it was first published and loaned it out. In my opinion, it is the best available book on problem solving. I have used it to teach members of my staff effective problem solving and it is universal - I am not in systems development. You will love the story that is the basis for the title.

Deceptively simple and effortless to read with an enormous payback! Simply the best book on problem definition. Forces you to think about what the problem is before you decide to tackle it. Should be read often. Promotes common sense.

This engaging little book helps you step back and see your problems from a broader perspective, which helps you solve them more effectively. It also introduces you to a number of truths about problems, especially that solving one problem always creates another.

What this book does not do, however, is tell you how to solve problems. If you're looking for how-to, look elsewhere.

This little book is a quick read that's worth every minute. Rather than approaching problem-solving with a focus on the 'solving', it teaches the reader how to ask smart questions about the problem itself.

--An essential read for beginning consultants
--An important read for anyone in (or supervising people in) a problem-solving function
--A worthwhile read for experienced consultants

The page layout of the book is odd and occasionally irritating, but the information layout has no such flaws. Easy both to read and use.

The best and most difficult humor to write is that which is also educational. Most of the problems we handle in our professional lives are serious, complex and very difficult to define. Furthermore, the solution of one problem generally results in a few moments of pleasure and relief before you realize that it simply masked another that is probably as difficult as the one just defeated.
This complex backdrop is the premise of this book, namely how do you figure out what is really wrong, and also what is just as important, what solutions are viable options. Loaded with many giggle generators, some of which are not as tongue in cheek as they sound, the problem statements lead you to do what is most important, namely thinking about the problem from all angles. Sometimes a viable solution is to do next to nothing disguised as a major alteration. My favorite was the advice concerning how to deal with people whose job description seems to be the creation of work with little to no useful purpose. Disguising your true feelings behind an apparent willingness to tackle the "problem" is a true interpersonal art form which is sorely needed by anyone who deals with someone superior in position.
This is one of the funniest, yet helpful books in print. The authors do a great job in making difficulties into anecdotes while providing helpful and valuable advice. They don't think outside the box, they simply turn it into one where amusing solutions pop out if you crank it the right way.

As a technical manager, I look for useful guide to improve my team's productivity. I bought this title one month ago and read 3 times. Then I lend it to my team members.

This book describes the problem definition and solving method, which is very suitable for software engineer. We software engineer sometimes dig too deep into technical detail. Sometimes we forget to clearify the problem scope and defintion. This book guide us to make requirement more clear. It also teached us how to resolve some problem in non-techincal solution.

According to the statistic, management driver affect the system development cost by 64%. I agreed that. 60% of my projects failed because high level management changed their mind. After read this book, I got some idea to resolve this 'problem'.

If you are a engineer who devote yourself into technical detail, I recommend you buy this book. It will help you put more effort in 'right' problem and improve your performance. If you are a manager, like me, it could help you to clearify your situation. And let you have more idea to interact with your customers.

A second language/computer science student stopped me in the hallway asked me if I had this book because he knew I was interested in critical and creative thinking. He asked if it would be good for his English and for learning about thinking. I told him I was not aware of the book, but would check it out. I ordered the book and read it.

Not only was the book delightfully written in English that second language learners could access, it was crafted with just the right balance of story telling and psychology for anyone. Indeed, it was written to help those of us who jump to conclusions, who suffer from myopia, or who never knew about the other angles, let alone trying to see things from a different perspective. It does help turn the lights on! I bet both Gause and Weinberg were storytellers in their former lives, and luckily for us, there was some transfer. They don't tell you how to solve problems; they illustrate some effective strategies and throw in lots of memorable stories that imprint their insights. Though this book is recommended for engineers and computer programs, it easily be applied to all occupations. I immediately told my family about it at the dining room table, my colleagues know about it, and I am incorporating it into my English classroom on writing and thinking. I was so impressed with this little book that I immediately went and read Weinberg's book on the Psychology of Computer Programming.

You will reap far more than you invest for this little nugget. This is what I told my student friend, who borrowed my copy. It truly is one of those pass around books. I hope he returns it or passes it on to others.

I've seen most of the reviews, and would agree that the book has a certain depth to itself, as well as concede that problems here exposed are barely trivial and simple.

However, and this is the most important thing: the book is exactly what you want to see in it. Its ideas are as deep and abstract, or as light and simplistic as you want, or are able, to perceive them.

I've taken a lot of the ideas here exposed further, and have discovered amazing concepts which I've found extremely useful in other unrelated areas.

If you are willing to give it some thought, abstract some of the ideas and recombine them, the book is extremely worthy of reading, at least twice.

If, on the other hand, you want quick answers and practical excercises, you will find yourself frustrated and, indeed, the book would only then be unworthy of your time and money.

I manage a team of business systems analysts whose job it is to solve problems. No, not the problem as stated by the user, but the underlying problem that is often unseen. And to find the solution that was never obvious. That's where this book excels. It does not teach problem solving, it is not a heavy read, it offers no formal methodology. Instead, it uses many humorous and thoughtful examples to involve the reader in thinking about the real, unstated, problem or opportunity. This is one of those rare books that you can read again and again.