Answering Detailed Questions About Your Project

Think of the most important decision in a project you led. Someone asks why you made it, and you answer. They ask why you did not choose the obvious alternative, and you answer again. Then they ask what would have happened to the system at ten times the load. Could you still answer with numbers, or would you start to guess?

Most engineers can explain a decision one level deep, because that level is the reason they gave at the time. Few have prepared the second and third levels, which cover the alternatives, the numbers, and the consequences for other teams.