Product Engineering at WorkOS

At WorkOS, product engineering is defined by a comprehensive project lifecycle that integrates customer understanding, market analysis, and rapid product development. This process, inspired by 37signals’ Shape Up methodology, involves several stages: project brief, shaping, Hilltop, build, ship, and post-ship. Each stage is designed to ensure clarity, encourage collaboration, and empower engineers to act as product owners. The lifecycle begins with a project brief outlining the problem and potential solutions, followed by shaping, where engineers deeply engage with the problem, collaborate with designers, and draft a solution. The Hilltop stage involves presenting this solution for feedback, which informs the subsequent build phase, where the product is developed with a focus on user experience and developer joy. Shipping involves enabling teams and selecting an appropriate rollout strategy, while post-shipping ensures continued alignment with customer needs and addresses any issues. This methodology emphasizes engineers' autonomy and expertise, fostering an environment where they become domain experts and integral to successful product delivery.