What is the ostrich algorithm?

There's a cognitive bias in human beings called the intervention bias...

To put it simply, most of the time, when we encounter a problem, it's easier for our brain to decide to react than to do nothing.

And this is true even if the problem is minor, and our reaction will cause more harm than if we had remained inactive.

Have you ever tried to fix an object that worked fine despite a small, harmless flaw, and instead of fixing it, you broke it? I have.

Because our brain loves the idea of a completed task so much that staying inactive while knowing there's a problem creates a mental load, more or less significant.

In computer science, the solution to this problem is called: the ostrich algorithm!

Why play ostrich?

It's Monday morning, you receive a ticket indicating that a user encountered a problem with your platform by following an action path you hadn't anticipated. This problem:

• Is not critical
• Happens to one user in a million
• Requires several hours of work to fix

By fixing this bug, you'll be adding weight to your codebase and increasing accidental complexity, all so that almost no user will ever notice.

In short, you'll be working to feel like you've accomplished something, but not to bring real value.

The ostrich algorithm will simply help you decide whether or not there's a genuine benefit to making this change.

By accepting that this "bug" can happen and doing nothing about it, you have probably done a greater service to your platform and its users by focusing on tasks that are truly useful and add real value!

Warning: This decision is only acceptable if your application's security is not compromised in any way!