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Shouldn't all 'software engineers' be 'product engineers'? I don't really get his point, all he's describing is what any good engineer should be doing anyway.

• explorigin 7y ago
  In short, it would be wrong to expect all software engineers to be product engineers. It takes more than code-monkey experience to foresee markets needs and develop to them. In some ways it's the difference between a mechanical engineer and an industrial engineer. One makes machines, the other optimizes processes.
  • PopeDotNinja 7y ago
    Just an FYI, saying 'code-monkey' at work can get you in trouble in some places. The sun is setting on the use of 'xxxxx-monkey'. Unintended cultural references & all that.
• OrangeMango 7y ago
  In an ideal company, yes. If that's where you currently work, consider yourself lucky. A long long time ago, I started my first job out of college and that is what was expected of us. Seeking more information and questioning decisions made by those above you were part of the job, and you were expected to do it respectfully, productively and with no doubts about your intention to find the best solution regardless of whether you thought of it or not. You even had a mentor available to help you do that (because it is not something that comes naturally to most people). In my completely unrepresentative sample data set, this is not what I see today. I see engineers that are convinced they are right and refuse any guidance from the "olds", yet they consistently focus on relatively tiny components rather than the system as a whole. They think the customer is a simple construct rather than a complex entity of multiple people/departments all with their own motivations and needs. I see managers and bosses that expect orders to be carried out without question, yet have no idea how any of the technology works or that there may be multiple ways of accomplishing something, whereby some options have complementary effects on other business functions.