Forward Deployed Engineer Explained: A Simple Guide for Business Owners

Suppose there is a small store that manages its orders in three different locations. One person keeps orders in a notepad. Other people keep track of orders in an Excel spreadsheet. Yet another one manages customer queries through phone calls. The owner wants some new software. But none of the team members could agree upon what features this new software should have first. An engineer can work with the team to find the real problem.

This example helps explain a forward deployed engineer. The name is long, so people say FDE. This engineer works close to a customer and builds useful software for their needs. The role may vary from one company to another for each project.

You do not have to know how to code to get an idea about this position. In this guide, an order-tracking planning example is used. It will describe how an FDE might act, how the company can work with him/her, and what results a good project should produce. All the examples are made-up planning examples, and not anything to do with a Digitonix customer.

What the name means

An engineer builds and improves technical systems. In this case, the engineer needs to be close to the environment of these systems. They may visit, join regular calls, or work with the customer's staff. But, it does not have to involve working in their office.

One company that can be used as an example is Palantir Technologies, in which case the company's guide to early career positions mentions forward deployed software engineers as those who provide customer results. There are many ways that a company can use to define this position. When discussing a project with an engineer, one should ask what he or she will build, the decisions they will make, and how they will cooperate with you. See the guide to early career roles for further information.

Start with the daily problem

For our shop, the owner asks for the development of a dashboard. A dashboard is an interactive screen that brings useful information together. But, the engineer needs to think of another question: why is there such difficulty with this process? Maybe workers do not know if the product has been packed or not. Even a good dashboard cannot show a fact that nobody records.

The first goal can be simple. Staff should find an order and see its latest packing status. Write this goal before listing features. It gives everyone the same target. The team will then decide what pieces of information are important and what must be changed on a daily basis. It is always easier to check the goal rather than a general need for modern software.

Listen to the people doing the work

The owner knows the business goal. The employees know all the small details. For instance, one of them understands why some order requires a phone call; another one realizes that some supplier often changes delivery dates. Both of these views are equally valuable for an engineer. It is possible to gather much useful information observing the normal process.

Now make people show what procedures they go through these days. Use only secure sample documents. Ask people about delays, repetitions, or uncertainty in the processes. Don't think that the procedure is unnecessary just because it looks slow. Rather, such procedure may save the company from making mistakes. Understand the purpose of the procedure before considering how software can alter it.

Turn the problem into a small plan

Big projects may be promising and yet complicated to complete. A smaller first plan gives the team something useful to build and test. Such a plan for the shop may include finding out about orders and registering packing. Billing and changes in delivery may be left untouched until later on. Make these boundaries clear.

Give some examples for success. The employee finds the right order. They modify the order’s status if they are allowed to do so. An employee notices the change. If the connection fails, the screen should explain what is known. This set of examples helps engineers, owners, and users understand what the application should do before creating lots of screens.

Build a simple early version

One early form of application is a prototype. It’s like testing your idea with something smaller. Prototypes could be just drawings or clickable screens, or even using a bit of code. You should always consider what you want to prove in the prototype phase. A drawing can test labels. It cannot prove that real order updates are saved safely.

Ask some users to try using the feature in real-world situations. Observe any delays or questions from users. Maybe "complete" shows up on occasions when the correct term should be "packed." This data is important. Fixing it during prototyping may be easier than explaining it to all users after release.

Connect with existing systems carefully

There may be tools for dealing with stocks, orders, and/or accounts in place in the company. These may need to be integrated with the new software. Integration refers to interaction between two systems. Think of integration as a planned way for two systems to exchange information. First decide which system holds the trusted answer for each fact.

So, the stock system will contain the actual availability while the order system should never have any conflicting quantity. If there is some time lag, this should be reflected in the screen restrictions. The developer should also be in a position to plan for repetitive and failure cases. In the case of repeating requests, the system should not double order.

Keep access tied to real roles

It’s a different matter that different people will need different rights. For example, packers will have rights to change the packing status; accounts people will be able to access bill information. But, the customer must be restricted to accessing his own allowed records only. It is important to check whether the system is abiding by those policies while dealing with the operation.

First of all discuss the needs and take note of the same. You will find out that leaving the company for a new job makes a difference in this case. Old links and saved pages should not give someone access after their rights have been removed. It is something an engineer has to deal with.

Use AI only when it fits the task

FDE might be working on some AI project, but it doesn't mean that all the processes must have a relation to it. We can apply an ordinary order list instead of chatbot. Search bar or status update will fix this problem without creating any text. Select a specific tool because of its usefulness and not popularity.

If Gen AI is needed, the role must be defined. It means that the draft message about the order will be made basing on approved data. Draft message will be checked by someone before sending. The draft is not the evidence of the delivery of the order. Follow the same plan: approved data, clear access rules, useful tests, and a way to handle mistakes.

Test the whole task

Tests are run to check if the software does the required features. The tests must consider both normal situations and complex ones. These may include the absence of the order, invalid login, and problems with connection. The user experience and the system log must be considered. Proper display of the screen cannot guarantee that all the necessary changes were saved and delivered successfully.

Let someone who does not create the tool use it. Assign them a task instead of instructing them on how to do specific clicks. Questions from that person will help uncover unclear labels or missing instructions. Organize all of the information in an easy-to-understand list, noting the issues that need addressing before the product release and who will review the fix.

Measure whether the work became easier

Select the measure tied to the goal stated above. For example, the store could measure the time it takes employees to learn about the packing status, as well as how many calls result from confusing updates. Analyze how the process is handled before and after the change, using employee comments. A new system can generate more clicks but fail to make the actual task easier.

Bear in mind that the amount of time needed for maintenance is another part in this case. Some people need to fix errors, set connections, and help users. Although it could be simple to develop something initially, it will cost you much later on if you do not deal with this process. Effective software will simplify the whole process and provide a support policy.

Plan the handover

The delivery of the product allows the team to operate the system. They have to know the duties, key documents, typical issues, and the process of support. The list of connections with their owners and the contact person for each issue needs to be provided. It cannot be the duty of an engineer alone.

Have your support staff try using the notes about handing over the case on some example problem. Do they understand the procedure and what happened in that specific situation? Do they know which step to take next and which one is safe? If no, then improve your notes or software. A clear handover helps on a busy day when the original developer is not there to answer questions.

How Digitonix can help

The process of using this approach is possible to discuss with the Digitonix company via their web and software development services. You should present one daily problem, related people and examples of how the current process is being done. The initial scope should be small and with all the needs checked, and a plan of support should be presented. See web development for related information.

Everything depends on the task. The development process can involve React in its screens and Python in some of its processing operations. Contact Digitonix and tell what result you expect from them. The important point here is the way the team will deal with your issue, not the tools they will employ.

Frequently asked questions

Does an FDE write code?

Usually, yes. It may include development, integration, and testing of the solution on the users. The allocation of the tasks will depend on the company and the project. Ask about the responsibilities. Talking with the users may be very useful because the engineer needs to know the task that the code solves.

Must an FDE work in our office?

Not always. There are projects that need visiting, but there are projects when it is possible to work from another location and make regular calls. It is necessary to choose the option when the engineer has enough access to the users and the process. What matters is the possibility to make useful talks with the customer, with feedback and information exchange.

Is forward deployed engineering only for large companies?

Although it may be applied by large companies within the technology area, close work with the customer may also be useful in small projects. A small business can use a developer or partner team for similar close customer work. Judge the value of the title considering the scope and duties to do. A long title alone does not prove that the project fits your budget or needs.

Is this role the same as an AI engineer?

The roles can overlap, but they describe different work. Forward-deployed engineering implies work with the customer. AI engineering involves interaction with AI technologies. A project may include tasks from both areas or it may require common software development. Start with the business problem and decide which skills the project needs.

What should we prepare for the first meeting?

Identify an existing issue, examples of safe tasks, and list all the people involved in the process. Identify current tools, access needs and the desired result. This information assists the team to come up with a feasible plan and helps you to check it.