Master the Art of Asking Great Technical Questions

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I’m a big believer in asking what some consider "stupid" or "bad" questions, often ones that could be solved by a quick Google search, but I find that taking the time to craft a good question leads to far better answers.

What Is a Good Question?

A good question is easy to answer and focuses on a specific technical concept, helping the responder explain exactly what you need to know.

Explain What You Know

One of my favorite techniques is to start by stating your current understanding of the topic and then ask, "Is that correct?" For example, when discussing DNS recursion I clarified my misunderstanding about a recursive DNS server chain, which allowed the expert to correct me.

When I was curious about why rkt uses more disk space than Docker, I wrote down my understanding of how each stores container images, listed possible reasons, and asked, "Is my understanding correct?" The answer was extremely helpful.

Ask Fact‑Based Questions

Instead of vague questions like "How does a SQL JOIN work?", ask precise fact‑based questions such as:

What is the time complexity of joining tables of sizes N and M?

Does MySQL always sort join columns before performing the join?

Is hash joining used by other database engines besides Hadoop?

When joining an indexed column with an unindexed column, must the unindexed column be sorted?

These specific questions reveal exactly what you want to learn about implementation details and algorithms.

Honestly State What You Don’t Understand

When someone uses terminology you don’t grasp—like "optimistic lock"—interrupt and ask, "What does that mean?" This shows confidence and encourages clearer explanations.

Identify Unknown Terms

When I joined a data team I encountered many unfamiliar terms (Hadoop, Scalding, Hive, Impala, HDFS). I created a personal glossary by asking simple yes/no questions about each term’s nature and relationships.

Do Some Research

Before asking, a quick Google search can help you refine the question and avoid asking something that’s already answered.

Decide Who to Ask

Consider timing, the person’s expertise, and the expected effort. Sometimes a less senior colleague can provide a quick answer and also benefit from the experience.

Ask Questions That Reveal Hidden Assumptions

Advanced questioning uncovers implicit knowledge, such as "What do you look for when you suspect this type of failure?" or "How do you know the database crashed?" These questions help surface information that isn’t obvious.

Answering Questions

After reading all the points and making a pull request, start looking for questions you can answer. If you already know the answer or the documentation covers it, you can respond quickly and reinforce your own understanding.

Questions as a Contribution

Well‑crafted questions can greatly benefit the community; they often lead to blog posts, documentation, and shared knowledge that helps many people beyond the original asker.