Mahmoud El Magdoub’s Post

Being just a “coder” isn’t enough anymore. The most valuable engineers are product-minded—they don’t just write code; they think holistically about the product, the users, and the business impact. 💡 Build full product skills. This means moving beyond “what’s technically possible” to “what delivers value.” When you align your technical decisions with the needs of your users and the goals of your business, you’re no longer just an engineer—you’re a driver of the product’s success. 🚀 In a world where software is evolving daily, being product-minded makes you indispensable. #Innovation #SoftwareDevelopment #TechLeadership #UserExperience #FutureOfWork

🚀 **Unlock the Secrets of Software Product Development!** 🚀 In today's fast-paced digital world, turning an idea into a successful software product requires more than just coding—it's about strategic planning, user-centric design, and continuous iteration. Check out my latest blog on Medium, where I break down the essential stages of product development in software engineering, from ideation to post-launch iteration. Whether you're a developer, product manager, or tech enthusiast, this guide has something for you! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dU4k_Nnt #SoftwareDevelopment #ProductManagement #Innovation #Agile

How I stopped just coding and started owning the entire product. We are all product! Period. But let’s be real here. A lot of engineers are still stuck in the same old mindset: write code, ship it, repeat. The kick is: If you want to grow, you must think bigger. (and out-of-the-box) You need to stop thinking like a coder and start thinking like a 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿. And let me tell you, if you’re not shifting your mindset, you’re holding yourself back. Seriously. You’re missing out on the why behind your work. You’re just doing tasks without knowing what the hell it’s all for. You’re stuck in the weeds while the real impact is up in the clouds. Meanwhile, product engineers are out here owning the whole thing—the code, the product, the customer’s needs. You? You’re still head-down in your IDE w/ your fancy headfones. Booo! But shifting to a "We are all product" ethos is relatively simple: 1. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝘄𝗵𝘆” 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 You code; hmm, nice. But do you understand why you’re building something? What’s the problem? How does your work impact the business and the customer? Product engineers solve real problems. 2. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 Stop just delivering code and start owning the product. Product engineers drive outcomes, not just deliverables. Be more than a resource with some IQ. Start owning the dame thing from top to bottom. 3. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 Sounds cliché, I know. But let me tell you a secret: No one cares about your fancy code if it doesn’t help the customer. Shhh! Ask yourself: What does the customer actually need? If you don’t know how to answer it, you’re solving the wrong problem. 4. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 It’s not about writing fancy solutions but it’s about impact—𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴. Sometimes, simple code that delivers is more powerful than complex algorithms no one needs. Product engineers focus on what moves the needle not what feeds their ego.

The Villain and Hero in Software Development 🦹♂️🦸♀️ In software development, there's one villain causing chaos: the disconnect between the business team (the "why" and "what") and the engineering team (the "how"). 😩 This leads to miscommunication and wasted efforts. But our hero, the Product Owner, is here to bridge this gap! 🌉 The world is changing. Tasks that used to be hard, like writing code, are now being done by people all over the world and even by artificial intelligence. AI is also making it easier to access and analyze customer and market data, helping us understand market needs and design solutions. However, ensuring that the right code is written to solve business needs effectively remains a challenge. 🤔💡 This is where collaboration between business and engineering often becomes a bottleneck. 🚥 Are you a Product Manager who takes on this Product Owner responsibility? Stay tuned to learn how our hero tackles this challenge and sets their organization up for success! 🦸♀️💪 #SoftwareDevelopment #ProductManagement #Collaboration #AI #RemoteWork

I sometimes feel out of place as a software engineer. And thinking about why I started programming kinda makes that clear to me. At 14, I poured countless hours into building from scratch: - My personal blog - A social network - A browser game But I knew nothing about product development. All I had was an interest in tech and a bunch of ideas in my head. Software is the ultimate way to unleash your inner builder: - Easy to dive into - Totally free - Accessible to all! How many of you started like that? People don't fall in love with technology just for the technology itself. They fall in love with the possibilities it unlocks: - Creating innovative projects - Using technology to make a positive impact - Solving challenging problems And yet, most of us end up working for soul-sucking feature factories. You can’t hide your true nature for long. Your passion for creation is like a dormant volcano, ready to erupt at any moment. I reached a breaking point and started questioning my life choices. Maybe I should move to UX? Or try product management? Maybe not, feature factories are sucking their souls too. Shall I just leave tech then? Something changed when I read the article on "product engineers" from Gergely Orosz of The Pragmatic Engineer What are product engineers? They: - Dive into product discovery, propose enhancements. - Align choices for optimal UX and business impact. - Thrive on seeing their work impact real lives. - Grasp the why behind product development. - Embrace the big picture for wise decisions. - Value quick feedback loops. - Harness an entrepreneurial mindset. They thrive in empowered product teams or go solo, building their own products like Pieter Levels and Marc Lou. If you are someone who: - Is sick of being treated as a code monkey - Aims to make a difference in the world - Loves to help others with technology => Join me on a journey to discover: - The role of product engineers - Foster collaboration between all people working in tech (check out my podcast, Invisible Algorithms) - Mastering essential soft skills and technical tools for solo or team innovation and product engineering I'm not alone in this thinking. I know there are more like-minded people out there. What’s your story? Let me know in the comments 👇

🧠 I've had the opportunity to learn so much over the last year, deeply embedding into Platform Engineering communities and learning about their successes and challenges. So many recognizable patterns have emerged: ➕ Our metrics tell the wrong story when we are not continuously monitoring our systems, forcing us into teleological patterns of analysis rather than proactive understanding ➕ Systems Thinking is more important than ever, #Deming knew that only 4% of an organization's productivity is a result of the worker, while 96% is related to the underlying productivity systems ➕ Throwing more tools just leads to tool sprawl and head first into Ashby's Law, we have to think about foundational tools that align with sociotechnical challenges and culture. Read more about it in my newest contribution to The New Stack! #PlatformEngineering #DevEx #DevOps

Measuring What Matters: 5 Key Indicators for Tech Project Success As someone who's been in tech for a while, I've learned (often the hard way) that measuring success goes far beyond lines of code. Here are 5 metrics I've found helpful for teams building software: 1️⃣ User Satisfaction: Are our end-users actually happy with what we're building? 2️⃣ Time to Market: How can we deliver value faster without burning out? 3️⃣ Technical Debt: Are we creating future headaches for ourselves? 4️⃣ Team Velocity: Are we improving, or just running in circles? 5️⃣ System Reliability: How often are we waking up to 3 AM alerts? 💡 A lesson I've learned: It's not about perfecting these metrics, but using them to spark conversations and guide improvements. I'm always learning. What metrics have you found valuable in your dev teams? I'd love to hear your experiences and insights! #SoftwareDevelopment #DevOps #LearningTogether #ContinuousImprovement

What if your platform wasn’t just functional but a developer favorite? In his The New Stack blog, Justin Reock shares 6 steps to shift from reactive fixes to proactive impact. ✨ Root out real pain points. ✨ Develop Systems Thinking. ✨ Drive developer love with a product mindset. Curious? See how: https://lnkd.in/gzpYmadk

Good article for any of my software engineers looking to pivot into the product engineering space. Covering all things to consider - like moving from hands on keyboard/ building code to being more customer-focused. #productengineers #softwareengineering #softwaretoproduct

🚀 What is true Product Engineering? 🚀 It’s not just about writing elegant code or using the trendiest tech stack. It’s about engineering with purpose—delivering real, tangible value to customers. Here’s what it looks like in action: ✅ Customer-Centric Mindset The primary focus isn’t the tech—it’s the customer. The technology is simply a means to create value for them. ✅ Taming Tech Debt Addressing tech debt isn’t an afterthought. It’s a continuous process, ensuring long-term product quality and reliability. ✅ Feedback Loops A direct line between customers and engineers ensures decisions are informed, trade-offs are smart, and improvements are impactful. ✅ Boring is Beautiful A “boring” tech stack with a proven track record and scalability beats flashy, experimental tools any day. ✅ Pragmatism Over Perfection It’s not about adhering to idealistic engineering principles; it’s about shipping meaningful value—consistently. ✅ Entrepreneurial Thinking Engineers who think like entrepreneurs see the bigger picture—they understand their role in driving business success. At its heart, Product Engineering is about building with empathy and delivering with intent. When teams embrace this philosophy, they don’t just build products—they build solutions that matter. 💡 Let’s talk: What does Product Engineering mean to you? How do you see these principles reflected in your work or your teams? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 👇 #softwareengineering #productmanagement #teambuilding #executiveleadership