By Teresa Torres · producttalk.org · @ttorres on X · LinkedIn
Teresa Torres argues that engineers should be part of product discovery from the start, and offers three tactics for overcoming their resistance. Many engineers resist customer contact, but they still hold strong opinions about what to build, often uninformed ones drawn from their own experience. The fix is to tie decision-making to discovery, gradually onboard engineers through observation and practice, and rebuild trust that was eroded by years of treating engineers as order-takers. The piece matters because product trios depend on engineering input, and without it, prioritization meetings become less effective and less grounded in customer needs.
01Key takeaways
- Make discovery participation a condition for having a voice in what the team builds.
- Onboard engineers gradually: watch recorded interviews, observe live ones, take notes, suggest questions, then run mock interviews.
- When an engineer proposes an idea, start with curiosity about their reasoning before sharing your own view.
- Share more context with engineers so their suggestions improve over time.
- Ask engineers how they would make a prioritization decision, not just for data to support yours.
- Recognize innovative engineering ideas publicly, even when they aren't right for the current moment.
02Key sections
- Connect decisions to discovery
- Engineers have opinions about what to build, but those opinions are often uninformed by customer contact. Making discovery a prerequisite for weighing in on decisions links participation to influence.
- Reduce fear of the unknown
- Engineers often avoid discovery simply because they don't know what it involves. Onboarding them step by step, from reviewing recorded interviews to running mock sessions, builds comfort and momentum.
- Rebuild trust over time
- Years of treating engineers as order-takers have made them skeptical that their input is wanted. Leaders need to show curiosity, act on easy wins, and visibly credit engineers' contributions.
- Retrain the team's habits
- The reluctance is learned behavior, so undoing it is the product leader's responsibility. Consistent, small reinforcements change how engineers see their role in discovery.
03From the post
“The Core Concepts series addresses common questions and concerns within the world of continuous product discovery. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at common questions about the product trio. Did you miss the previous posts in this series? You can find them all here. Today’s post”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.