This is the most commonly seen workflow:

1. Product managers talk to users, scope requirements, prioritize things to build, and manage the delivery of new features.
2. Product designers also talk to users, and then mock up features, bringing requirements to life.
3. Engineers build what’s defined in the requirements.

I know this is a simplistic view, but many companies operate this way, in effect creating silos between the different groups, which leads to misalignment on what people are trying to accomplish.

Everything I described above is about outputs.

If you ask a developer, “What’s your job?” they might say, “To build what I’m told.” (I’m exaggerating to make a point.) That’s not their job. Their job—as is the case with everyone building stuff—is to solve problems and create value. Defining the specific tasks to get there is much harder, but the outcome is value creation, not lines of code, features, or anything else.

Outcomes > Outputs

If you can get your entire team aligned on outcomes over outputs — solving problems and creating value — instead of the details of the work they’re executing, you have a chance of creating something significant.