Stop Handing Out Tools. Start Growing Engineers
I’ve seen this happen too many times. A new project kicks off, and the team hears:
“Here’s the tool. Here’s the plan. Just deploy.”
It feels efficient. But it skips the most important step: exploration.
When engineers are told what to use, they don’t learn why . They never see how others solve the same problem. They miss the chance to break, test, and truly understand. And over time, they stay stuck—good executors, but not real decision-makers.
I believe every project needs an Exploration/Hacking Phase. A time before design and implementation where engineers get space to:
- Try different tools.
- Hack, test, and compare.
- Understand complexity and trade-offs.
- Bring back real insights.
Here’s how it works best:
- Everyone explores individually (to avoid bias).
- Then the team comes together, shares notes, challenges assumptions.
- Finally, design happens—not on slides, but on evidence.
Most organizations skip this because of time pressure. They want speed. But here’s the irony: skipping exploration usually makes things slower. Rollouts stumble on hidden issues, designs need rework, and production throws surprises.
The healthiest projects I’ve seen follow four phases:
- Exploration – learn, test, experiment.
- Design – share findings, align, finalize.
- Implementation – build with confidence.
- Operations – run, monitor, improve.
Exploration looks like slowing down. But it’s the opposite. It’s what makes the rest of the journey faster, smoother, and smarter.
Skip it, and you’ll pay later.
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