How I Find Problems to Solve as a Staff Engineer

A senior engineer inquired about the best way to identify worthwhile problems to tackle as they prepared to become a staff engineer. They had attempted setting aside time in their calendar to think strategically, but found this approach unproductive. The reporter advised that good problems are not found by staring at a blank page but by absorbing the day-to-day issues faced by the team and letting them simmer in the back of your mind.

Over time, connections between seemingly unrelated problems may emerge, revealing what is truly slowing people down and what can be addressed. The reporter, who primarily works in infrastructure and developer tools at large companies, emphasizes that this approach relies on bottom-up autonomy and listening to the stream of noise around you.

When something aligns with your area of expertise, engage with the user, asking probing questions to uncover their root issues and understanding their true needs. Rather than building features based on initial requests, observe the problems firsthand and determine whether they are truly significant and deserving of attention. Be cautious of moving too quickly, as requests can change or lose relevance over time.

Allow potential problems to accumulate, as some may surface in multiple teams, making them more important to solve collectively. Personalize your approach, whether it's writing down notes or simply trusting your intuition to identify and revisit unresolved issues when they resurface. An example of this strategy in action is Perfetto, a performance debugging tool the reporter works on, where teams repeatedly asked for minor UI enhancements.

After accumulating various requests, the reporter recognized patterns and developed a more comprehensive solution.