Build What Matters
If your engineers are nodding through roadmap meetings but unused features keeping shipping… you don’t have an execution problem. You have a context problem.
And by context, I don’t mean more documentation or extra meetings.
Context means engineers deeply understand the user problem, the customer motivation, and the business reason behind what they’re building.
Without that, teams can write a lot of code that solves the wrong thing. With it, they build the right things faster because they’re aligned on:
who the user is
what problem they actually have
why it matters enough to prioritize
how success will be measured
Execution only works when the direction is right.
As an engineering leader, I’ve seen the shift when a team stops building to close out Linear tickets and starts building for real customer needs.
Product intuition isn’t just for PMs, it’s the secret weapon of high-performing, results-driven engineering teams.
Why Engineers Need Product Context
When engineers understand the business and customer context:
They make sharper architectural and prioritization calls
They catch pitfalls early (onboarding friction, adoption blockers, scaling pain)
They stay motivated because they see the impact, not just the ticket
Fives Practices That Work
Engineers Join Customer Calls
Have engineers sit in on support, sales, or onboarding calls regularly. Once a month is the bare minimum.
You immediately see:
how users actually interact with the product
where they get stuck
which “critical” problems are genuinely urgent
This single practice dives more alignment than most internal meetings.
Require the “Why” in every RFC
Every design doc should start with the customer problem and the expected outcome.
Good: “Reduce onboarding time for enterprise tenants”
Bad: “Refactor auth handler”
If the why is unclear, it’s not ready to work on.
Normalize Open Questions
Make it normal to ask:
“What’s the goal here?”
“Why this instead of X?”
“Should we be solving this now?”
A team that is encouraged to ask questions early makes fewer mistakes later.
Customer Empathy Sessions
Run an exercise where engineers use the product exactly like a customer would. (You can include other teams too - Product, GTM, Design, Support, etc).
No code access.
No shortcuts.
Just the same docs and workflows users get.
It’s humbling.
It’s revealing.
It always results in better decisions.
Engineers Breakdown Work
Instead of PMs or EMs slicing tasks, the Engineering Lead (or Engineer who will be working on the project) should break work into milestones of about two weeks (or less).
This forces:
ownership
understanding of the bigger picture
clarity on how each piece impacts the user
It transforms execution into real product thinking.
Leadership Action Item of the Week
For any project that your team is working on, ask: “How will we know this is successful for the user?”
The answer should be clear.
What’s Next?
Metrics That Actually Matter
Setting Clear Expectations in Growing Teams
How to Scale Without Burning Out Your ICs
Velocity vs Durability: Pick Both
Want something covered? Hit reply and tell me. I love hearing what you’re dealing with.
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Meme of The Week
Thought I would share this important bit of info - your welcome! 😀
That’s a wrap for this week’s issue of CodingBeenz! 👩💻
Keep asking the “why”, keep building with heart ❤ , and remember your code might run, but clarity scales!
Until next time,
Sabeen
P.S.
If you’re new here (most likely you are since this is the first issue), grab your virtual beanbag, settle in, and feel free to share this with a fellow builder who loves coffee-fueled “how to run Engineering” arguments (or discussions 🤪). ☕💡