Learning to Strategize & Plan with Help from an Inanimate Friend

Ever wondered what the best sounding board for a debugging plan might be? If you could describe the ideal listener, which qualities come to mind?

A wish list might include: patient, calm, totally uncritical and not rushing off to the next fire that needs putting out. Hard to find someone who fits the bill, am I right? Well, terrible puns aside, our team has recently discovered someone who does fit the "bill" — as in duck bill.