👉 Telling engineering is a design approach that emphasizes clear, explicit communication of design decisions, assumptions, and trade-offs to stakeholders, contrasting with implicit or "showing" engineering, which relies on visual aids and context. It involves documenting rationale, justifications, and potential impacts upfront—such as through annotated diagrams, detailed reports, or narrative explanations—to ensure transparency and alignment. This method prioritizes accessibility for diverse audiences, including non-technical stakeholders, fostering trust, reducing misunderstandings, and enabling informed decision-making by making the design process visible and understandable from the outset.
