When people try to use a step-by-step script to accomplish a task, there’s always a bit of tension. The more detailed the script, the higher the odds are that something doesn’t quite fit.

Depending on your perspective, those moments of friction might invalidate the whole approach… or they might highlight the value of a flexible, adaptable, human interpreting it as they go.

Now, it turns out there are a lot of frameworks out there. Since people know I’m something of a collector of problem-solving frameworks. I’ve gotten to see just how many different strategies people have tried, each one starting with a slightly different premise about the best sequence to define and solve a problem.

What I’ve found tricky is that, by necessity, frameworks treat the world as linear. Even my framework, something I invented to capture how I personally approach problem solving, feels overly restrictive when I try to apply it literally. I plan ahead to the later steps to guide what I’m doing first. I jump around as I form the picture in my head of the whole situation. My last step, “iterate and learn” is the biggest copout of all as I just leave it to the reader to recognize when they have  learned something important that requires another iteration.

And while I acknowledge that scripts are fundamentally limited by their linear representation of a nonlinear process, it’s never really bothered me. There’s a scene I’ve always loved from Pirates of the Caribbean where Captain Barbossa explains that the “Pirate code” is not to be taken too literally.

When you see frameworks as someone trying to capture a nonlinear process on paper, these gaps make a lot more sense. It’s a bit like looking at a 2D representation of a 3-dimensional object. We don’t expect a sketch to have all the details or the real world, but we do think it will emphasize whatever is most important to the artist.

So, I treat frameworks or scripts as just that. Unless there’s a very good reason to follow them exactly (e.g., a checklist for starting a plane), I see them more as a suggestion than a formal set of rules.

I also see the value in collecting many different frameworks to help you see things more clearly. Looking at a scene, you might be overwhelmed by all the different things going on. Look at a set of sketches highlighting different elements of the real world, and you might notice interesting features that you otherwise would have missed.