KISS Principle
 Ockham's Razor

Description of KISS Principle / Ockham's Razor. Explanation.

Definition KISS Principle / Ockham's Razor. Description.

The KISS Principle is a popular maxim that is often used as a reminder to avoid unnecessary complexity. It is an acronym, meaning: Keep IT Simple and Stupid. Some people prefer the more decent version : Keep IT Simple and Straightforward.

Ockham's Razor is originally in Latin: "Numquam ponenda est pluritas sine necessitate".

The translation of this principle of parsimony is: "Multiples should not be posited without necessity".

Or more freely: "The theory or hypothesis with the minimum number of assumptions wins".

Or more accurately: "Of two equivalent theories or explanations, all other things being equal, the simpler one is to be preferred".

The razor is normally attributed to William of Ockham (1285–1349), although he actually did not coin the term, nor wrote the text.

Anyway, the users of the many theories and methods on 12manage are well advised to be careful with applying the KISS principle and Ockham's Razor too quickly. After all, as G.B. Shaw 1856-1950, Irish critic and poet said: "For every complex problem there is a simple solution that is wrong".

Compare with: Goodbye Kiss  |  Dialectic Inquiry  |  Delphi Method  |  Root Cause Analysis  |  Analogical Strategic Reasoning  |  Theory of Constraints  |  Brainstorming  |  Six Thinking Hats  |  System Dynamics  |  Scenario Planning  |  Game Theory  |  Spiral Dynamics  |  Real Options  |  Kepner-Tregoe Matrix  |  Plausibility Theory  |  Chaos Theory  |  Soft Systems Methodology  |  Mind Mapping

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End of description KISS Principle / Ockham's Razor. An explanation.