This is how to boost Product and Engineering collaboration

Ante Peric, Principal Engineer at Infobip, addressed these questions at the Infobip Shift conference in Zadar.

He also explored the dynamics between engineering teams and product management, offering practical strategies for feature development. Peric highlighted instances where aligning with the product team’s perspective can lead to successful outcomes.

How to build a bridge between Product and Engineering?

If we want to build this bridge, it’s essential to focus on the following pillars:

The dynamic between product and engineering: Ante stresses the importance of fostering a collaborative relationship between product and engineering teams.

It’s important to move away from the mindset of competing priorities.

For developers, this means clearer communication and more aligned goals

Product Backlog Refinement (PBR): To streamline collaboration, Ante introduces PBR as a biweekly process where both teams prioritize tasks. This regular alignment ensures developers are focused on delivering the most impactful features, reducing bottlenecks and improving efficiency.

Product context: The discussion centers on ‘Conversations,’ but the strategies shared can apply to any development project where multiple communication channels and complex workflows are involved

Everyone needs a seat at the decision-making table

Using Infobip as an example, in 2018 the company was a market leader in SMS services and sought to expand by building new products on top of their existing communication channels. To achieve this, the team engaged with customers to gather requirements, with the goal of creating a scalable, real-time, and user-friendly product.

As the product gained traction, the company encountered challenges related to scalability and service stability, highlighting the risks of over-reliance on third-party services.

Balance between features: Ante emphasizes the need to strike a balance between developing customer-facing features and technical improvements that enhance system performance.

Utopian engineering pitfall: Ante also warns against what he calls “utopian engineering,” where teams focus solely on adding new features without considering the impact on performance and reliability.

In large IT projects, it’s essential to prioritize what truly matters, given their complexity and the high expectations of users.

Collaboration and decision-making: It is crucial for everyone (product, engineering, leadership) to collaborate in decision-making to address technical issues and feature development effectively.

The power lies in collaboration and staying proactive

So, what lessons did Ante and his team pick up along the way?

First of all, keep it real and ensure that engineering and product teams are in sync, working hand in hand towards common goals. It’s all about collaboration!

And don’t forget to regularly check in on growth trajectories and any challenges that pop up along the way – especially during those exciting growth spurts. Staying proactive will help you tackle issues before they escalate and keep the momentum going strong!