The Self-Cultivation of a Product Engineer

Dream Chasers

In the world of engineers, some love digging deep into technology, exploring the principles and mysteries of computing; some specialize in code, pursuing perfect system design and implementation; some are enthusiastic evangelists, paving the way for new technologies to blossom; some enjoy tinkering with products, expanding the scenarios where technology can be applied… No matter which type you belong to, every engineer harbors, to some degree, a product dream—to change the world with a product they built with their own hands. For various reasons, not many pursue that dream. Yet a small, brave group does turn their visions into products; they can be called product engineers. They have long operated outside the spotlight of mainstream tech circles, only gaining attention after the rise of full‑stack engineers https://hackernoon.com/6-essential-tips-on-how-to-become-a-full-stack-developer-1d10965aaead. The article [The Product‑Minded Software Engineer] https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/the-product-minded-engineer/ gives a detailed introduction:

Product‑minded engineers are developers with lots of interest in the product itself. They want to understand why decisions are made, how people use the product, and love to be involved in making product decisions. They're someone who would likely make a good product manager if they ever decide to give up the joy of engineering. At companies building world‑class products, product‑minded engineers take teams to a new level of impact.

As cloud computing, AI, IoT, AR & VR, Low‑Code & No‑Code and other technologies continue to advance, computing has become foundational, software production costs are dropping, and human‑computer interaction is being transformed. “Software is eating the world” https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/07/software-is-eating-the-world-5-years-later/ is no exaggeration. In the digital age, software products are inseparable from daily life, yet great products remain scarce; many products still feel stuck in a previous era—“almost every internet product deserves a rewrite” https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/149866404. Traditional industries also need a flood of new software solutions to solve production problems. Thus, this is the best era for engineers to realize their value and for product engineers to fulfill their product dreams. May more and more engineers bravely embark on this challenging yet [the scenery here is uniquely beautiful] https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E9%A3%8E%E6%99%AF%E8%BF%99%E8%BE%B9%E7%8B%AC%E5%A5%BD/18535470 path, becoming the dream‑chasers and dream‑builders of a new era.

Inner Temperament

A product engineer is first and foremost an engineer, and engineers possess a distinctive temperament. The best explanation I’ve seen so far is:

The three qualities proposed by Baidu CTO Wang Haifeng https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%8E%8B%E6%B5%B7%E5%B3%B0/18526?fr=aladdin: self‑driven, pragmatic, and follow‑through. I was deeply moved when I first read them and still remember them vividly.
The Hacker Attitude advocated by Richard Stallman, the “father of free software” https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/74734649 http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#attitude, which many have shared.

When applied to product work, the three traits championed by Baidu are highly actionable and can be seen as an engineering‑centric interpretation of the I Ching’s “Three Talents” https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E4%B8%89%E6%89%8D%E4%B9%8B%E9%81%93/8326432:

Self‑driven → Heaven: Look to the stars, strive endlessly.
Pragmatic → Earth: Keep your feet on the ground and forge ahead.
Follow‑through → Humanity: Investigate thoroughly, see things through from start to finish.

Self‑driven

Proactively solve problems that arise in product, technology, or the team, regardless of difficulty.
Build products you truly believe in, with clear direction and goals, and be willing to give your all.
Hold independent opinions—don’t follow trends blindly, avoid self‑deprecation, and stay humble without becoming arrogant.

Pragmatic

Be grounded: start with yourself, actively fix online issues, improve product experience, and refine technical implementations.
Dive in, prove your predictions, and turn ideas into practice.

Follow‑through

For any project you own, push through obstacles and see it to completion, delivering the final result.
In your technical or business domain, attain enough expertise to become the ultimate problem‑solver.

External Flair

In the engineer’s world, there are countless problems to solve, technologies to explore, and product ideas to generate. A product engineer, however, focuses only on what is tightly linked to the product they own. Three outward strengths define them: product thinking, technical appreciation, and project execution.

Product Thinking

User‑centric, product‑first, always keep thinking about the product.

Possess an “owner” mindset; actively co‑design products rather than merely implementing features.
View the product through a technical lens, building simple and extensible systems.
Stay attuned to technology while maintaining a win‑win attitude, thinking holistically and growing together with business, product, and users.

Technical Appreciation

Be bold in making trade‑offs; don’t waste effort on ornamental details in a half‑finished house. Strive for global optimality of technology and product.

Know how to discern: No silver bullet

Choose technology solutions that fit the current product’s shape and scale, balancing present needs with future growth.
Look at architecture with a growth mindset, unblock technical bottlenecks, and overcome tough challenges.
While focusing on expertise, consider the business value behind the technology and watch the ROI of tech investments.

Know how to appreciate: See more possibilities

Continuously learn and practice product‑related technologies, seeking connections to the product.
Study the technical solutions of peer products to amass a rich toolbox of problem‑solving ideas.

Project Execution

Boost execution, collaborate efficiently, and maximize the team’s combat power.

Plan: Manage the project lifecycle and schedule; adjust promptly when difficulties or changes arise, and deliver on time.

Quality: Raise delivery quality, respect changes, and ensure system stability.

Measure: Set clear key metrics at project kickoff and continuously track performance after launch.

Ultimate Belonging

For a product engineer, the product is a belief, the answer we submit to the world:

A product is the crystallization of one’s effort, like an artist’s masterpiece, requiring craftsmanship.
A product is an extension of life, like one’s own child, demanding patience and joint growth.

No Need to Worry About a Lonely Road Ahead

Yuque has long been practicing a “product‑engineer culture.” Engineers are the backbone driving product evolution. Two talks share more on this:

[2020.01 Cloud‑based Yuque @ SEE Conf] https://www.yuque.com/dead_horse/slides/khw0sx
[The Path of Cultivating a Product Engineer] https://www.yuque.com/zaotalk/view/kwfng3

We are also piloting a “product‑designer culture” and welcome designers and product folks interested in this topic to join the experiment.

The Yuque team is tackling collaboration challenges in product development:

Thought collaboration: Enable product ideas and discussions to go online and reach consensus efficiently.
Work collaboration: Give the development process clear direction, goals, rhythm, and order.

We hope to discover a new way of working.

If you have a product mindset, [join us] https://www.yuque.com/about/careers to see and create the future together. We’re waiting for you by West Lake 💪

References

[Product engineers] https://sherifmansour.medium.com/product-engineers-f424da766871
[How Is A Product Engineer Different From A Full‑Stack Engineer?] https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/09/06/how-is-a-product-engineer-different-from-a-full-stack-engineer/?sh=7029250126e7
[Who is Product Engineer] https://hackernoon.com/who-is-product-engineer-cl4l3yiu
[What Is Engineer Culture?] https://coolshell.cn/articles/17497.html
[Baidu’s Wang Haifeng’s Quora summary of Baidu engineer qualities: pragmatic, self‑driven, see it through] http://tech.cnr.cn/techgd/20170312/t20170312_523652777.shtml
[Robin Li’s letter to investors: “We can endure ten‑thousand‑fold solitude, hide the stars and seas”] https://www.sohu.com/a/458482679_100032615
[How Baidu changes muscle memory?] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/0voJeccrQviq_c3Vujks3g
[There’s a culture called Baidu Engineer Spirit] http://www.techweb.com.cn/ucweb/news/id/2755183_1

Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on 研习录 (Study Notes). Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.

The Self-Cultivation of a Product Engineer