The Biased Brain

Our brains use heuristics (mental shortcuts) to process information quickly. In a team setting, these shortcuts often lead to predictable errors in judgment.

1. The Anchoring Effect

The first piece of information offered (the “anchor”) heavily influences subsequent thoughts.

• In Engineering: The first estimate given in a planning session often dictates the final number, regardless of its accuracy.
• Solution: Use “Planning Poker” where estimates are revealed simultaneously.

2. Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and favor information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs.

• In Engineering: If you believe a specific library is the best, you will ignore its performance flaws and over-index on its ease of use.
• Solution: Build “Steel Man” arguments for the options you don’t like.

3. The Halo Effect

Allowing our overall impression of a person (“They are a genius coder”) to influence our evaluation of their traits in unrelated areas (“They must be a great architect/manager”).

• Solution: Evaluate technical proposals based on the document (RFC), ideally with names removed during initial review.

4. False Consensus Effect

Overestimating the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.

• In Engineering: “Of course everyone knows that we should use a microservices architecture here.”
• Solution: Explicitly state assumptions and ask for “objections” rather than “agreement.”

5. Social Loafing (The Ringelmann Effect)

The tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

• Solution: Keep teams small (the 2-pizza rule) and ensure individual contributions are visible and valued.