How to explain the time to think, and how not to dig into it?

Question

Agile

Hello.
Let's say you are faced with the task of doing some kind of integration, where some non-standard format is used.
As a result, you need to:
1) Understand the problem
2) View solutions from the available ones
3) Evaluate their suitability, poke them
4) View some tutorials and documentation.
5) Bring some solution to mind.
And this is not a water fall, but an unpredictable process.
Therefore questions:
1) How to explain all this to PM?
2) How much time can usually be spent on this?
3) What to do if the "search" for a solution has driven to a dead end, and solutions are not yet foreseen?
4) Is it a good practice to take the search for a solution home?

Answer 1

1) How to explain all this to PM?

Dear project manager, we have not solved such problems before, so it takes time to investigate the issue. To do this, I need to look at solutions from the available libs, evaluate their suitability and poke them, look at some tutorials and documentation, bring some solution to mind.
Nobody but you will tell you this.
Report this to the PM as soon as possible.
If you work in an office, then no. This is a bad decision.

Answer 2

>> Is it good practice to take the search for a solution home?
Henry Ford once said:
I can increase productivity if I get workers to go to work earlier, but I can't get an engineer to go to work early and still have a fresh idea.
In principle, it is a good idea to ask the manager to think at home too and share his thoughts at the next meeting. He, too, must contribute, and not just invite others to think while he himself will rest.