Writing Software vs Building Systems

Senior engineers focus on building systems rather than just writing software, which the article argues brings more business impact than technical skill alone. Before writing code, they question whether the software is needed, what problems it solves, who will use it, and how its success will be measured. The article says this work includes defining requirements and non-functional requirements with the Product Manager, planning iterations, handling dependencies, setting test thresholds, deployment, observability, rollout communication, and measuring success. It states that engineers who advance their careers only by deepening technical skills overlook that a company values the business impact they make.