Here's how you can enhance your decision-making skills in Product Engineering.

Gathering data doesn't have to be some formal survey. Often times you can run a SQL query on production data to find out usage trends. For example, when trying to come up with categories, see what customers are already entering in text fields. If you're considering removing a setting, check how many customers are using the setting and maybe do a quick breakdown of the customers by plan, account age, user size, etc

The number one thing engineers can do today to enhance decision making skills in Product Engineering is to make more deliberate and effective decisions. Communicating effectively with stakeholders is key in aligning and executing strategically. Primary principals to follow to enhance your decision making abilities include but not limited to : - Articulate and build alignment around your criteria - Communicate, communicate, communicate - Diverge before you converge - Diagnose when things are off-track and adjust. To become adept at decision-making, notice when you're entering debate territory, diagnose what's happening in real-time, and learn to remediate with a different path realigning where necessary or as you learn new things.

In my experience most important aspect of making decision in product engineering is to ask your self 4 questions. 0. is this feasible to do this things now by time,resources, money and priority? 1. by doing this am I making this product useful and usable and adaptable? 2. by doing this am I making this product efficient, secure and scale-able? 3. by doing this am I making this product more maintainable, repairable and manageable/distribute-able? this are the answers of the questions in order you need to think from 0 to 3. if answer of 0 is positive than you need to make all other question`s answer positive and deliver at the end.

One way of gathering data is through market analysis and all the points mentioned. Another important aspect is talk to the actual users (or beta users) to gather their feedback on the product (and about the product if it’s not launched). This is vital to know the customers pulse & need even though they have never used the product (or could not visualise how it will be)

1. Emphasize the importance of comprehensive data for effective decision-making. 2. Collect data on market trends, user needs, technical requirements, and resource constraints. 3. Utilize tools like customer feedback, competitive analysis, and performance metrics. 4. Highlight that decision quality is contingent upon the quality and completeness of available data. 5. Stress the significance of understanding the decision-making context through gathered data.

Skip the rigorous data analysis. Often times, basic counts and percentages ("this feature is used by 15% of customers on the enterprise plan") are enough to make your case and make an informed decision.

1. Conduct thorough analysis of gathered data to identify trends and patterns. 2. Utilize data insights to understand customer behavior, technology shifts, and market dynamics. 3. Predict future scenarios and make proactive decisions based on trend analysis. 4. Emphasize the importance of adaptability in responding to emerging trends. 5. Highlight trend analysis as a key skill for effective product engineering.

As part of your rollout strategy, think about how this change will impact existing customers. You might need to plan a data migration. One of the best tools for product engineers are feature-flags so you can roll out changes slowly and monitor.

1. Identify potential risks associated with each decision in product engineering. 2. Evaluate the likelihood and severity of consequences for each identified risk. 3. Develop mitigation strategies to address high-risk scenarios and minimize their impact. 4. Stress the importance of effective risk management in maintaining project success. 5. Highlight how thorough risk assessment instills confidence in decision-making processes.

In my approach, I prioritize not only identifying risks but also planning proactive measures to address them. This involves considering a range of possible outcomes and preparing contingency plans to handle adverse situations without derailing the project timeline or budget. Effective risk management is crucial as it not only helps prevent costly errors but also builds confidence among team members and stakeholders in the decision-making processes.

1. Engage cross-functional teams like design, development, marketing, and sales for diverse perspectives. 2. Ensure decisions consider all aspects of product engineering through collaboration. 3. Foster innovation and problem-solving through open communication and brainstorming sessions. 4. Emphasize the importance of diverse viewpoints in shaping the best decisions. 5. Highlight how collaboration enhances decision-making skills by leveraging collective expertise.

1. Implement a feedback loop to test decisions, gather results, and make adjustments swiftly. 2. Embrace agile methodologies for flexibility and rapid iteration in decision-making. 3. Continuously improve decision-making capabilities by learning from mistakes. 4. Adapt to changes swiftly by iterating quickly on decisions. 5. Ensure decisions lead to successful outcomes through rapid iteration and adjustment.

There are ALWAYS multiple solutions to every problem. Some of them may suck for various reasons, but don’t marry yourself to a single solution. Teams that can identify alternatives, and then efficiently validate the quality and impact of top-ranked alternatives against meaningful customer-oriented criteria will be the winners. Understand clearly the pros and cons of competing solutions.

Moreover, fostering a culture that encourages open communication and collaboration is paramount in optimizing the feedback loop. Encourage team members to share insights, challenges, and alternative perspectives, fostering an environment where constructive criticism is valued. This not only enhances the quality of decisions but also empowers individuals to take ownership of the iterative process, driving innovation and fostering a sense of collective ownership towards achieving organizational goals. Remember, the journey towards excellence is not always linear, but with a robust feedback loop and agile mindset, success becomes not just achievable, but inevitable

After rolling out a feature, check back after a few days to see if customers are using it. If not, you may need to improve the discovery of the feature, which might involve things outside of engineering: feature announcement blog posts, customer emails, targeted in-app messaging. Don't forget about this step. If you're going to monitor the outcome, make sure you instrument the feature before you turn it on for customers!

It takes time and money to develop new product. If you are an engineer, don’t buckle under pressure and simply guess at the right answer. Remember the old Einstein comment about taking 55 minutes of the hour to define the problem well, and then 5 minutes to solve it.

Additionally, Alignment to business and organisation goals is important for the product being worked-upon or launched. It will help in both ways of aligning with the customer’s as well as organisation goals for long term profitability of the product.