Marketing and Engineering: Two Sides of the Same Coin

The most important component of your marketing strategy is your product. Where does your product come from? Engineering.

But the engineering team won't be as effective as it could be if it is isolated from marketing in its own functional silo. Engineering needs marketing to determine what is needed, and marketing needs engineering to determine what is possible. It is the constant, iterative process of product development between marketing and engineering that delivers the best attainable product for your situation.

This sort of relationship requires a significant level of trust, and that trust must be built over time. Does marketing really know what the market needs, or is it just relaying the latest anecdote from a customer? Is engineering padding its schedule so it won't have to implement that feature? Only time will tell. But once you attain this level of cooperation, the payoff is huge. My most effective years as an engineering manager occurred when my office was right next door to the product marketing manager.