Why Great Engineering Starts with a Problem, Not a Code

13 Dec 2024 • 5 minutes read

In the startup world, there’s a common misconception that success hinges on building cutting-edge technology. The reality? Great engineering isn’t about pushing tech boundaries; it’s about solving the right problems. Time and again, I’ve seen founders obsess over creating the "best" feature or tech stack, convinced it will automatically add value to their startup. Here’s the harsh truth: Most customers aren’t impressed by fancy tech stack—they care about their problem you’re tackling and how effectively you’re solving it.

As a product manager—and a former entrepreneur—I’ve had plenty of conversations with founders (both technical and non-technical) who believe their next shiny feature is their golden ticket. Spoiler alert: it’s not. I’ve also pitched to investors who weren’t impressed by “bleeding-edge” tech but perked up when I explained the pain point we were solving.

Tech startups don’t need founders who only obsess over engineering perfection. They need product thinkers who can connect user needs to engineering capabilities. If that’s not you, hire a product manager who will.

The Misstep of Engineering-First Thinking

Here’s what happens when engineering leads without aligning with product goals: chaos. As a product manager, I work with a team of engineers, many of whom have never worked in an environment without a dedicated product person. Naturally, they’ve developed a habit of diving headfirst into solutions when they identify a problem.

It’s common to see developers hyper-focused on building a solution, often before fully exploring the problem space. This “solution-first thinking” can lead to missteps, over-engineering, or solving problems that don’t exist for the end user.

For instance, let’s take a hypothetical scenario: imagine a startup aiming to create a scheduling tool for freelancers. The engineering team starts designing a highly complex AI-driven feature to automate scheduling across multiple platforms. Sounds cool, right? But what if the primary pain point freelancers face isn’t the complexity of scheduling but the lack of transparency in payment terms? Without exploring the problem deeply, the team wastes time and resources solving the wrong issue.

This is what happens when engineering leads without product alignment.

The Role of Business and Product Plans

Most of us work to solve problems—and get paid for it. The simplest path to financial success, especially in startups, is solving a pain point that people are willing to pay for. While passion projects are exciting, For-Profit startups can't afford to treat their core business as one.

The importance of alignment between engineering and business priorities depends heavily on the startup's stage. For an early-stage startup, time-to-market is a critical metric. Taking two years to engineer a perfect product in such a fast-moving landscape could spell disaster. Yes, there are companies like YouTube that have spent years building revolutionary technology—but they all started with a clear niche and iterated from there.

For B2B SaaS companies or more mature organizations, the key metrics might shift to cost savings or user satisfaction. No matter the stage, however, alignment is crucial to prevent the endless build cycle of features nobody uses or pays for.

From Pain Points to Progress

Let me reiterate: founders and teams need to start with the problem.

This is where frameworks like Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) come into play. Instead of asking, "What feature should we build?" you ask, "What job is the user hiring our product to do?" By centring the conversation on the user’s pain point, you align engineering efforts with real-world needs.

For example, the JTBD framework helped me realize that users of one product weren’t looking for “an app to automate tasks”; they wanted “more time to focus on their core business.” That slight shift in perspective led to prioritizing features that simplified workflows rather than complex automation.

Bridging the Gap as a Product Manager

One of the best ways to ensure alignment is by fostering collaboration across teams. Business analysts, marketing folks, designers, product managers, founders, and engineers need to work together. When everyone sits at the table to discuss the problem, the team operates optimally.

In most companies, it’s up to the product manager and founders to define the requirements based on a solid understanding of the user’s pain points. Once those requirements are clear, the PM fills in the details, ensures designs align with the vision, and passes them on to the engineering team. A collaborative environment doesn’t just result in better products; it ensures everyone is working towards the same goal.

Final Thoughts

So here’s my two cents: Stop chasing the next big feature or obsessing over-engineering perfection. Instead, start with the problem. Whether you’re a founder, a product manager, or an engineer, remember: great engineering doesn’t just build—it solves.

At the end of the day, no amount of code will fix the wrong question. So ask better questions.

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