We find ourselves all too frequently in product and engineering discussions referring to the needs of “the business” such as “the business” wants to move more quickly or “the business” needs this fast tracked as if “the business” is some shadowy cabal pulling the strings from afar leaving the poor minions occupying the critically important engineering roles in the company without insight or input into such matters.
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What we frequently need to remind ourselves is that technically speaking we are all “the business.” There is no other when we talk about our collective work to reach the company’s goals. So what do we really mean when we talk about “the business?” We are really referring to the people that own the relationships with the company and its customers, that interface between the inside and the outside most typically populated by the Sales, Account Management, Executive and yes, Product functions. These relationships are the oxygen of the business and include commercial transactions but extend to strategic and personal interactions within the larger market. So when “the business” needs something from engineering what we really mean is that the market needs something as relayed to those people tasked with best capturing its needs. Feeding this business need allows the company to grow into larger and more varied segments of the market as a whole.