In the article “Natural solutions”, I wrote
[…] product engineering is equally much about defining the problems we are trying to solve.
and I think that statement is somewhat more controversial than first meets the eye. The quote says something about the role of a product engineer and implies things like:
- Engineers are not just implementors of well-defined tickets and requirements.
- Engineers should preferably be able to define unclear requirements without involving someone else.
- Engineers are not just refining preexisting tickets but are also allowed to come up with new product ideas.
This also implies that it is a product owner’s job to ensure engineers have enough context to define unclear requirements and develop new product features (and avoid making the product owner a bottleneck).
By expanding the scope of what a product engineer’s role is, we create an engineering & product organization with a force-multiplied ability to innovate and move at a higher velocity.