What activities do you include engineering in when working through problem statements?

We have something we call a "common roadmap discovery doc" that has a set of questions around the problem that the PM, the designer and a tech lead (engineer) all work on together. The doc has questions about the problem to solve, the evidence we have around why it's important, the technical challenges involved, and what design constraints should be considered before choosing a particular solution.

The surrounding activities differ from team to team. Sometimes they hold virtual workshops (think Miro or Mural) sometimes they hold design sessions and sometimes they just do it asynch. It could be a mix of the above, and it usually is.

Engineering is a key partner in any product development organization and, as such, should be in the box with you, thinking about the problem statements impacting your customer. I always like to include my Eng partners in problem definition as early as possible; it fosters a customer-centric dev squad and promotes collaboration early in the process of developing a new feature or product. Here are some activities that I find are non-negotiable activities that you should include your Eng partners in.

1. Problem Definition Workshops

2. Discovery Sessions

3. Requirements Gathering

4. Feasibility Analysis

5. Prototyping and Proof of Concept

6. User Story Mapping with Technical Details

By involving engineering teams in these activities, you will promote a collaborative approach to problem-solving, ensure a more holistic understanding of the challenges, and facilitate the development of products that are not only viable and technically sound but also the most robust interpretation of what your customers value.