When you're just starting out as a programmer, you'll hear: "programmers aren't paid to write code - they're paid to solve problems". This advice is spot on - usually. The most valuable work a programmer does is rarely typing code. It's the solutions they devise for business initiatives.
But when you start working at a senior+ level, this advice can mislead you. If you treat every interaction as a prompt to "solve", you may steer the organization too act too quickly. If you're influential at scale, you must exercise restraint.
Sometimes, the most valuable thing to do is bring the right people together to look at the bigger picture, identify structural problems, and deliberately architect solutions for those problems.
When it makes sense to "plan" instead of "solve":
- Problem impacts 2+ teams.
- Solution will be reused 2+ times.
- The work is your company's "secret sauce".