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RubyConf 2018 - What poker can teach us about post-mortems by Cory Chamblin Are your post-mortems reactive and unsatisfying? The common post-mortem traces bad outcomes back to critical decisions so that we make different decisions in the future. But what if those decisions were sound? It tells us to stop making them! In poker, as in software, variance is real and you can do everything correctly and still lose the hand. In this talk, we'll talk about real post-mortems and problems with their conclusions. We'll rebalance our thinking to see when we might be learning the wrong lessons. We will learn about poker, taking risks, and a little about life.
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In this talk titled "What Poker Can Teach Us About Post-Mortems," Cory Chamblin presents insights on how principles from poker can improve the effectiveness of post-mortem analysis in software development. Chamblin begins by emphasizing the prevalence of reactive and unsatisfying post-mortems that often unfairly assess decision-making based on negative outcomes. Key Points Discussed: - **Understanding Poker**: Chamblin provides a primer on poker, specifically focusing on No Limit Hold'em, where players make strategic decisions based on hidden information and the actions of others at the table. - **Decision-Making in Poker**: He explains essential poker strategies that revolve around betting, understanding risk, and making informed decisions based on positions and odds. - **Learning Through Losses**: A significant takeaway from poker is that making the right decisions does not always lead to success. Chamblin parallels this to incident post-mortems, stressing that just because an outcome was negative does not mean the decisions leading to it were poor. - **Critique of Conventional Post-Mortems**: The talk critiques standard post-mortem practices, which often focus too much on outcomes rather than the decision-making process. Chamblin encourages teams to ask intentional questions that promote valuable insights rather than reinforcing a blame narrative. - **Practical Applications**: He discusses practical strategies for conducting more effective post-mortems, urging teams to recognize accepted risks and learn from the outcomes without falling into the trap of results-oriented thinking. - **Long-term Thinking and Resilience**: Chamblin advocates for resilience in decision-making processes, suggesting that like in poker, where players manage bankrolls and risks, teams should also prepare for potential setbacks in their projects. In conclusion, Chamblin empowers attendees to draw parallels between poker and real-life decision-making, advocating for refined approaches to post-mortems that foster learning and continuous improvement. By adopting a poker mindset, teams can mitigate risk aversion and recognize the skill involved in making sound decisions, regardless of outcomes. The talk serves as a call to rethink failure and learning in both poker and life, encouraging attendees to better manage risks and support sound strategies moving forward.
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