How a product engineer operates in product development process

A product engineer takes the role of programming and development for a product. They work with the product manager (PM) and UX (user experience) team to create a product that meets specific need of users. Product development involves a Product Manager, UI/UX designers, and product engineers. The entire development process involves thorough collaboration among the three teams.   

The task of a product engineer is to build the product. However, before beginning to code, they have to define the technical architecture of the product, the infrastructure it will run on, decide on a programming language that’s suits the product best, an appropriate database, etc. The technical specifications need approval from the project manager. Here’s a list of tasks that a product engineer performs during product development:  

1. Documenting the initial idea and goal of the product.  

2. Creating a pipeline for product development.  

3. Developing the product/writing code.  

4. Multiple iterations of product testing.  

5. Reviewing the product and releasing it.  

6. Upgrading and redevelopment to let the product evolve.  

We know that a product engineer does not work in silos. A team is at work with a product manager acting as a catalyst to transfer knowledge about the project and a designer/ team of designers sharing design ideas for the product. Once the design is finalised, the product engineer is responsible for the engineering delivery. They think about the technical strategy, integration architecture, engineering standards, and best practices while writing code to deliver quality software. 

Here are a few benefits of having a product engineer on board: 

• There’s a clear roadmap for successful product development. 
• A product engineer can pre-plan the strategies to appropriately handle the development process. 
• And use product engineering methods to deliver best-in-class product functionalities. 

Building a product is about providing value to the end user. To build a product that adds value to people’s lives, the team must think beyond technicalities. They must build something meaningful and easy to use. This is the reason why multiple experts are involved in understanding the market need for the product and delivering quality solutions. A team that has a product manager, product designers, and product engineers is responsible for transforming ideas into reality. Hence, good coordination is expected amongst the experts involved in product development while performing their tasks independently.