GoKawiilStaff engineer explains his method for finding high-impact problems to solve
A senior engineer describes how he identifies which problems are worth working on as a staff engineer, in response to a mentee preparing for promotion. Rather than scheduling dedicated 'strategic thinking' time, he says he absorbs complaints and pain points from everyday conversations, meetings and chats, letting patterns emerge over time until a clear opportunity surfaces.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This challenges a common assumption that strategic prioritization requires structured, deliberate planning sessions, suggesting instead that staying attuned to organic signals from colleagues is more effective. The advice is most applicable to bottom-up engineering cultures at large tech companies with infrastructure or developer tools teams, and may not translate to more top-down organizations.
- Passive listening to daily complaints can reveal problems worth solving better than scheduled strategic thinking sessions.
- Engineers who proactively identify unrecognized problems often make a bigger career impact than those who only solve assigned tasks.
- This approach works best in organizations with bottom-up autonomy, such as infrastructure and developer tools teams at large companies.
The Staff Engineer's Path by Tanya Reilly — If you're a senior engineer trying to figure out how to spot problems worth solving instead of waiting for assignments, this O'Reilly book maps out exactly that transition. Tanya Reilly covers the big-picture thinking, influence, and technical leadership skills the article is describing, making it a natural companion read.
See The Staff Engineer's Path by Tanya Reilly on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: lalitm.com — Lalit Maganti, 2026-08-23
Published there as: “How I find problems to solve as a staff engineer”
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