This article (the bellow link) present a list of interesting, tough and unusual interview questions (mostly from significant and well known companies) and some associated suggested answers. I want to analyze this question and this suggested answer from an Agile & Scrum viewpoint.
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5. "If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?"
Suggested answer: A knife, matches and duct tape. (Duct tape is good for everything.)
The suggested answer seems to be smart and even cool. It is possible to produce a good impression during an interview. Anyway, I will propose another viewpoint: we have a problem and we need a solution. Let use an Agile/Scrum manner to solve this problem.
First: What are the value & risks associated with the problem?
Second: It is a clear-enough question?
Third: What is my expertise in this domain?
Third: What is my expertise in this domain?
Well ... Very high value and very high risks - "to be or not to be". And what about the island: what kind of island? It is near to Greenland or to Madagascar? It is Ireland or a simple rock near Saint Helen?
The information & the knowledge related to this problem is not ready enough in order to give a clear answer (a solution). We need to refine this knowledge until will be ready for the answer.
My suggested answer: "for a such high risks, high value and also vague problem, I need to gather more information about the inland (... requirements) and also more information about the possible survival solutions. It is totally unwise to give you an answer in a matter of seconds, minutes and even hours."
