Dr. Charles Simonyi, a famous developer of the first Microsoft Office software, said in Susan Lammers’s book Programmers at Work (1986 Microsoft Press) that he gives programmers on their first day of work the book How to Solve It” by George Polya (1st published in 1945). They would follow Polya’s four steps of problem-solving: 1- understand the problem, 2-devise a plan, 3-carry out the plan, and 4-look back and try to improve the solution. I found Polya’s book online. It is so much relevant to this day. I highly recommend it for all developers, problem solvers, architects, and anyone looking for a framework for problem-solving. Check pages 38-39 in particular at How to Solve IT

Programmers at Work book