A forward deployed engineer is hired to get something running inside your environment. The fastest way to waste that is to make them wait: for accounts, for data, for someone to explain the problem. This playbook covers what to have ready before day one, and what the first weeks should look like.
Before day one
- An owner. One person who owns the problem, can make decisions and will judge the result.
- Access requests. Accounts, network access and any security review started before the start date.
- Real data. Access to the data the work depends on, or a clear path to it, not a sample.
- Users. The people who will use the result, briefed and ready to meet the engineer.
- A measure. A first view of how success will be judged, even if it changes.
The first week
The engineer should meet the owner and the users, see the systems involved, and look at the real data. By the end of the week, both sides should agree on the problem in one paragraph and on how success will be measured. If the data cannot support the problem, this is the week to find out.
The first few weeks
A good FDE builds in small steps and shows each one to the people who will use it. Expect working software early, even if it is rough, and expect it to change when users push back. Code should be in your repositories and running in your environment from the start, not in a separate sandbox.
Working with your security team
Bring security in early. An engineer who designs the access model with your security team moves faster than one who asks for exceptions later. Least-privilege access, reviewed and recorded, protects both sides.
Plan the handover from the start
Whether the engineer is on contract or joining permanently, the knowledge should not live in one person. Pair your own engineers with the FDE, keep documentation in your systems, and make sure runbooks are used before anyone relies on them.
A one-page checklist
| When | What | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Before day one | Access requests started; data identified; users briefed | Owner, IT, security |
| Week one | Problem and measure agreed; real data reviewed | Owner and engineer |
| Following weeks | Working software shown to users regularly | Engineer and users |
| Throughout | Pairing, documentation and runbooks in your systems | Engineer and your team |
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