That’s why I launched Soft Skills Engineering, abbreviated as SSE.
Just as software engineers propose optimal software and, if necessary, handle everything from current analysis to development and modifications, soft skills engineers also propose optimal soft skills, analyze the current state, improve what exists, and indeed, develop new ones.
Yet, “soft skills” can be a vague concept. Therefore, I will provide a definition and its components.
First and foremost, soft skills (or rather, skills in general) are emergent.
Emergence refers to the property where “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” It is sometimes called supermodularity. Emergent things cannot simply be described as consisting of A and B and C.
The same applies to soft skills. For example, consider the soft skill “communication”. If you ask whether it is merely A + B + C + … in terms of its components, the answer is No. Skills are far more complex, diverse, and ambiguous. As proof, if you ask ten people to talk about the components of communication, you are likely to get ten different answers.
Although soft skills are emergent, there must be some components.
In SSE, we have categorized them into six Ts. Four are related to tools, and two are related to actions. Note that we are not addressing the levels of proficiency.
Let’s take a closer look.
Tool refers to anything you use, as the name suggests. While software and hardware are obvious examples, templates and checklists would also fall under this category.
Examples:
Technique refers to methodologies, methods, or processes. Consider these as collections of “linguistically described steps and hints.” They are meant to be executed as described or used as references.
Examples:
Thought encompasses interpretations and concepts. Consider these as linguistically described interpretations or concepts. Some are built as “components of some structure,” like variable names or function names, while others are given names for convenience even if they don’t have names yet. These are meant to be understood, discussed, and used in your way.
Examples:
In SSE, the most critical component is Thought.
I refer to it as concept hypothesis testing. In SSE, instead of creating “working software,” we focus on building “understandable concepts” and then testing them. Discussions are held around the created Thought, turning it into Techniques or Tools to try them out. This is indeed the third paradigm.
| No. | Trend | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Waterfall | Plan |
| 2 | Agile | Working software |
| 3 | Soft Skills Engineering | Understandable concepts |
※ That said, understanding concepts is challenging, so there’s a pressing need for software that assists in concept understanding. I’m considering whether generative AI could be used. I’ll share any progress in due course.
Tenet refers to cultures, dynamics, or beliefs. While it might be considered a type of Thought, it carries a nuance of being more fundamental and challenging to change than Thought. Tenets are things you understand by articulating them.
From here, we move on to the components related to “actions.”
Training denotes practice. Here, practice refers to “acting it out” or “articulating your understanding and documenting it.”
Notably, the action of articulation is included in training. This is intentional and quite essential. Just like writing code, configuration files, or documentation, it’s about documenting soft skills (or their components) as well.
Just as non-engineers are often reluctant to code, engineers too may not be keen on writing about soft skills (or their components). And just as non-engineers may be hesitant to try out software, engineers too might be reluctant to experiment. But that won’t get us forward. To advance in terms of soft skills, writing is necessary.
Training is practice, so you can do it alone, without showing anyone, as a personal endeavor. Alternatively, you can make it public for others to see. In any case, it is self-contained. The next step involves Test.
Test means trial. It involves actually trying out the 4Ts developed in SSE. Specifically, it means using them yourself, showing them to others and observing their reactions, or getting others to try using them.
In SSE, we always adopt the mindset of constant trials. Personal, informal experimentation or officially adopting it in a team to see how it works—both are considered Test.
Here’s what it entails:
I am eager to promote this emerging field as a soft skills engineer. I consider it urgent, especially in today’s era of generative AI. If you need support or wish to hire me, please feel free to contact me.
How was it? I hope this article helped you get a sense of SSE.
This article first stated that soft skills are emergent. It then introduced the 6Ts as components. The tools aspect includes the four Ts: Tool, Technique, Thought, and Tenet. The action aspect includes Training and Test.