> people hired as customer-engineer intermediaries (whether they're called "product owner", "business analyst", or anything else) get very tetchy when engineers start communicating directly with their user base because it threatens their job security.
I think SMEs and startups should avoid hiring for this role altogether for this reason. The dysfunction it can cause is a great risk companies of this size don’t need to expose themselves to. It leads to bad requirements gathering, designing the wrong specifications, and unnecessary work and communication.
I think SMEs and startups should avoid hiring for this role altogether for this reason. The dysfunction it can cause is a great risk companies of this size don’t need to expose themselves to. It leads to bad requirements gathering, designing the wrong specifications, and unnecessary work and communication.