Shipping Faster Without Working Harder (Here’s How)

Summary

In this video, Steve Win, a former Amazon principal engineer, shares strategies for becoming a highly effective engineer. He emphasizes the importance of removing theoretical blockers by triggering error messages early, treating uncertainty like a yellow light, and escalating problems progressively. Win also highlights the power of early research spikes to avoid costly confusion later in projects. By embracing a bias for action and removing friction from work, engineers can accelerate their progress, prevent burnout, and gain a reputation for high performance, all while working more sustainably and efficiently.

Takeaways

• 😀 Engineers often spend more time waiting for things to happen (access, approvals, responses) than actually working on the project.
• 😀 The best engineers eliminate waiting by identifying blockers early and addressing them directly, even if it feels backwards.
• 😀 A theoretical blocker is a guess about a potential issue, while a true blocker is confirmed by physical evidence like error messages.
• 😀 The 'proof of failure rule' emphasizes that you should never declare yourself blocked until you have actual evidence of a failure.
• 😀 Speculating about potential issues wastes time. It's better to move forward and learn from errors than to wait for certainty.
• 😀 Treat uncertainty like a yellow light—don't slow down, make assumptions, and force conversations by building and testing what you understand.
• 😀 If you're waiting for someone else's decision or response, you must escalate progressively to get the answers you need.
• 😀 When you're stuck on a project, escalate the issue to leadership if needed. Get an email confirmation if deadlines are at risk.
• 😀 It's more efficient to tackle the most challenging part of a project first, when you're still uncertain, rather than deferring it.
• 😀 The most exhausting part of engineering isn't the work itself but the friction, context switching, and waiting for clarity. Fast engineers eliminate this friction.
• 😀 Fast engineers aren't working harder—they are eliminating wasteful waiting, improving efficiency, and working sustainably to avoid burnout.

Q & A

What is the core message of the video?

The core message of the video is to stop waiting for approval or certainty before moving forward in your projects and career. Instead, act quickly, identify true blockers, and remove unnecessary delays by being proactive and tackling issues head-on.

What is a 'theoretical blocker' and how does it differ from a 'true blocker'?

A theoretical blocker is when you anticipate a problem (e.g., missing access or unclear requirements) and hesitate to proceed based on this guess. A true blocker occurs when the system physically prevents you from moving forward, like an actual error message or access denial.

What is the 'proof of failure rule'?

The 'proof of failure rule' states that you should not declare yourself blocked until you have physical evidence, like an error message or access denied screen. This helps differentiate between anticipated problems and real obstacles.

Why should uncertainty be treated like a yellow light?

Uncertainty should be treated like a yellow light because it often leads people to slow down or stop, waiting for more clarity. However, this is the slowest approach. Instead, you should proceed with what you know and learn through trial and error, which is faster and often reveals new insights.

What does Steve mean by 'waiting for certainty is the most expensive form of research'?

Steve means that waiting for complete certainty before acting is inefficient. It delays progress and leads to unnecessary speculation. Instead, taking action based on what you know and testing assumptions is a more effective and faster way to get results.

What is 'progressive escalation' and why is it important?

Progressive escalation involves gradually increasing the urgency of your follow-ups when you're blocked. If your initial requests for help or clarification go unanswered, you escalate the issue to higher levels of authority to ensure timely resolution and prevent delays in the project.

What is a 'research spike' and how does it benefit engineers?

A research spike is when you create temporary or throwaway code to experiment and understand a new system or technology. It helps you clarify complex issues early in a project, reducing future obstacles and speeding up the development process when you move to production code.

Why does Steve advise engineers to tackle the hard parts of a project first?

Steve advises engineers to tackle the hardest parts early because dealing with confusion or challenges at the beginning gives you more time to resolve them. Waiting until later in the project to deal with difficult issues can lead to missed deadlines and extra work.

How can being proactive in your work lead to faster career growth?

By being proactive and moving quickly on projects, engineers can avoid unnecessary delays, increase their productivity, and build a reputation for efficiency and action. This not only accelerates project timelines but also leads to faster career advancement as you demonstrate higher levels of responsibility and performance.

What is the key difference between slow engineers and fast engineers, according to Steve?

The key difference is that fast engineers remove friction from their workflow, focusing on getting past blockers as quickly as possible. Slow engineers allow delays, uncertainty, and unnecessary steps to build up, which makes their progress feel more rushed and inefficient.