Senior interviews often ask: "Tell me about a time you had to work with unclear requirements."
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ambiguous requirements | Unclear or incomplete specifications |
| clarifying questions | Questions that reduce uncertainty |
| make assumptions explicit | State your assumptions clearly so they can be challenged |
| timebox exploration | Spend a fixed amount of time investigating before deciding |
| iterate | Build incrementally, adjusting based on feedback |
| stakeholder alignment | Getting agreement from relevant parties |
"The product brief said 'make search faster' with no metric defined. I started by asking clarifying questions: what is the current p95 latency? What counts as fast enough? After aligning with the PM on a target of under 200ms p95, I timeboxed 2 days of investigation. I identified the bottleneck, proposed a solution, and delivered it in one sprint."