You're developing a new software engineering product. What are the most important things to consider?

A solid problem statement also needs to be backed by practical need for the solution in the market. The idea might be great but there may not be many takers. It needs to be supported with competitive analysis + surveys done with prospective customers/users.A small addressable market may not justify the cost of building the software. Most importantly engineering teams should be convinced and excited about the idea. An enthusiastic team would give 100%, to build a quality product. Solution - Identify key technical challenges followed by a hackathon style spike to identify technical and functional feasibility. Avoid long meetings/deliberations, get practical with fail fast approach.

There are many things that go into making a world class software engineering product (or for any product for that matter). First and foremost, One needs to understand the WHY - The purpose of building the product. We need to then answer the question for WHO are we building this product for. Once we have figured out the answers to these quintessential questions, we need to get a grasp of WHAT pain points are we trying to solve. From a user standpoint, we also need to comprehend HOW will they be using the product. Essentially by deciphering the above, we are defining the problem space by taking a CUSTOMER CENTRIC approach & the initial contours of the product. Techniques to use: Interviewing real users/customers, cheap prototyping

Think from the view point of your end users and determine the problem that is weighing them down, even if they offer only a glimpse of the actual problem during the conversations. Use the 5-Why or suitable methodology to elicit the problem before bringing in how the solution will look like. Google Venture 5-day Design Sprint methodology is a great approach to start with to define the problem and identify a set of core assumptions to test with a prototype. Ensure that Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility of the problem statement are understood.

Assuming that we are able to articulate the Problem space, the next step is to crystalize them into an effective user journey and an engaging workflow. This is where DESIGN THINKING as a technique comes in handy. In conjunction with this step, is the Architectural approach and the technology choices one needs to make by keeping both the Functional Requirements and Non Functional Requirements in place.

A simple cost effective architecture is the key here. Start with a balanced approach towards design, avoid over-engineering. Follow clean architecture for application and clean code principles. Product extensibility and variability adds complexity. Careful evaluation is required weighing in the trade offs. Iterative approach helps in dealing with complexity, starting with the simplest approach. Collaborative brainstorming on functional and design/architecture decisions is a crucial to keep everyone in the loop and feel connected to the overall solution.

Great Software Engineering products evolve with frequent incremental value delivered in production and rapid iterations with effective customer feedback loops. So having a sound DevOps mindset with focus on reliability, scale and security would be a bare minimum step. Given the creative nature of software engineering, teams need to have easy communication channels and a collaborative culture to build the solution. A well architected solution shall make clear the responsibilities of each building block to facilitate separation of concerns and enable rapid development. Principles/Frameworks such as Test Driven, Shift Left, DevSecOps, Scale validation, System Reliability Engineering should be deployed as appropriate.

This is the key. When you have a team with the diversity of thinking and willingness to fuse those diverse thinking into a cohesive team to accomplish a common objective, magic happens. I call it bring the emotions out without becoming emotional as you build something that has not been done before. As a leader, learn to serve the team by removing blockers. Let the silent contributors find their voice and feel welcome. Celebrate the different voices and help them morph into a symphony. People are your super power. Help them with everything you got.

ALWAYS Recruit talent with a combination of good attitude and aptitude. For effective collaboration a healthy and professional relationship needs to be fostered between teams and within the teams. It starts with leader/seniors setting the benchmark for a cultured environment and leading by example. Ensure everyone is heard and treated with respect. Individuals should be encouraged to actively participate and contribute in discussions. This builds camaraderie and results in more productive outcomes. Toxicity or hostile behavior should be dealt with immediately and appropriately. One bad fish can spoil the whole pond.. Individuals should be take ownership and take accountability of overall quality of deliverables.

Ethics underpins everything you do as you need to be sustainable to succeed in the long run. Building a product or service is to serve those who have a chronic life condition and they need to live and enjoy their life. You have to be profitable to continue the service and if we look at our products and services from that viewpoint (ethical and profitable), then we will have ethically strong and yet profitable business. You also have to use the products to continually reinvent yourself to be the best version of yourself and accommodate the changing landscape and keeping Ethics as the axis around which you evolve. Challenge the status quo constantly as that is how innovation happens and do it within ethical boundaries.