True story: a one-time transactions export. Should've been a 15-minute query and a download link. Instead I built a scheduled job, added retry logic, wrote a config file for date ranges, set up logging, and wrote a README on how to run it. They needed the file once. Nobody ever ran it again. Nobody talks about this trap in FDE work: we're trained to build things that last, so "quick" never feels safe to actually build quick. Every request quietly gets treated like it's headed to production even when nobody asked for that. Here's the tell you've overbuilt something: if you wrote documentation for a script you'll run exactly once, that's your answer. One question, before you open the editor: Is this a delivery, or a build? A delivery is a result someone needs once. Fastest path to a correct output, nothing more. A build has to survive without you in the room. That's where the rigor earns its keep. Most of us can't tell the difference in the moment and that gap costs more hours than any technical skill issue ever does. What's the most overbuilt "one-time" thing you've shipped for a client? 👇

Hello All, I am looking for some feedback on the fde program launched by CEP IIT DELHI, is it worth attending this certification program? Please suggest.thanks

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, your job is not just to build and deploy technology. You are working directly with customers, understanding their problems, making decisions with them, and often becoming the technical person they trust to make things work. That makes customer credibility extremely important. A customer should feel: “I can trust this person to understand my problem.” “I can trust their technical judgment.” “I can tell them when something is not working.” “I know they will take ownership and find a way forward.” You build that credibility by: • Understanding the customer's business, not just the technical requirements • Asking the right questions before proposing solutions • Communicating clearly and honestly • Delivering quick wins and showing measurable results • Taking ownership when things break • Saying “I don't know” when you don't know, and then finding the answer • Connecting technical decisions to the customer's actual business outcomes The best FDEs don't try to prove that they are the smartest person in the room. They prove that they are the person the customer can rely on. Technical skills get you into the conversation. Customer trust is what makes you valuable. What do you think is the fastest way for an FDE to build credibility with a new customer?

One more learning for today... in my FDE Journey Topic: From “AI Response” to “AI Observability” Key Concepts: Storing of Tokens and Cost info into Database Post URL: https://lnkd.in/p/dtD24sbm

Every FDE hits this moment. The client's happy. The pilot's working. Then comes the message: "Can you also just quickly add..." Feels small. Feels like a favor. Feels like good client service. It's actually the moment most engagements start quietly dying. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 "𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲" 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩 Every "just quickly" request skips scoping. Skips discovery. Skips the question that matters most: does this actually move the metric we agreed to? Say yes enough times, and here's what happens: → Your thin slice becomes a sprawling mess of one-off asks → The metric you were supposed to hit gets buried under "nice to haves → You're now maintaining five small features instead of proving one big outcom → When it's time to report ROI, you have activity not results Nobody notices this while it's happening. Everyone notices it at renewal time, when there's no clean story to tell. The senior move isn't refusing. It's reframing. Top FDEs don't say "no." They say, "𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭." That one sentence does three things: - Protects the original outcome you're accountable for - Makes scope changes visible instead of invisible - Positions you as someone managing the engagement, not just taking orders 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 Junior FDEs measure themselves by how responsive they are. Senior FDEs measure themselves by whether the engagement still has a clear, provable outcome three months from now. Being easy to say yes to feels good in the moment. Protecting the outcome is what actually gets you renewed. 💬 Have you ever said yes to a "quick add" that quietly derailed a project? What did you learn from it?