Chapter 4 of 4
Prioritization and Impact
How to prioritize your time and roadmap based on cost, impact, and strategic thinking.
Key Insights
Impact is not about how much you build — it's about how much value you deliver to users.
Prioritization is the most important product skill an engineer can develop.
Engaging directly with users to gather feedback transforms your engineering judgment.
Notes
Cost vs Impact Framework
Every feature has a cost (engineering time, complexity, maintenance) and an impact (user value, business metrics, strategic positioning). Product-minded engineers evaluate both before committing. A small feature with high impact beats a large feature with uncertain impact every time.
Engaging with Users Effectively
Don't just read user feedback — participate in user research sessions. Watch users struggle with your product. Ask open-ended questions: 'What were you trying to do?' not 'Did you like the button?' Direct observation reveals insights that analytics and tickets never capture.
Strategic Thinking for Engineers
Strategic thinking means understanding how your work fits into the bigger picture: the team's goals, the company's strategy, and the market landscape. Engineers who can connect their technical work to business outcomes become indispensable. Ask: 'If this succeeds, what changes for the business?'
Lessons from Microsoft, Meta, and Stripe
Drew Hoskins shares specific examples from his career: building Meta's EntSchema ORM required deep understanding of internal developer needs, Stripe's Workflow Engine had to balance reliability with developer experience, and improving Stripe's API Review process meant understanding how external developers perceive API quality. In each case, product thinking was as important as technical excellence.
Quotes
“Drew Hoskins encourages software developers to adopt a product focus and teaches us the skills to do so.”
“Understanding user needs and the broader impact of your work will not only lead to better products but will also help your career grow and flourish.”