FDE Practices in Action | Practice #1 – The Real Problem Is Rarely in the Requirements

FDE Practices in Action | Practice #1 – The Real Problem Is Rarely in the Requirements Welcome to the Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) Practices in Action series by AI Coach Shanthi Kumar V. In this first practice, I explain why the real problem is rarely found in the requirements and why FDEs must begin with discovery, not solutioning. Across six slides, you’ll learn how Forward Deployed Engineers uncover the true business context before moving into technology design. 🔑 Key highlights in this video: Why requirements only reflect what clients think they need How discovery reveals the actual business problem, context, constraints, and opportunities The role of client discovery and stakeholder interviews The structured 6‑step discovery process (Prepare, Engage, Observe, Analyze, Document, Align) Evidence and deliverables: RACI maps, interview notes, questionnaires, shadowing logs, assumptions & dependencies Enterprise impact: from siloed information to shared understanding, faster decisions, and higher success rates The ultimate takeaway: Start with business outcomes, not technology tools 📺 Explore more in my YouTube playlists: FDE Practices in Action (25 Practices): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLH... FDE Practices Demos (Student Outcomes):    • FDE Practice demos   📰 Subscribe to my LinkedIn newsletter — FDE Playbook for structured insights, enterprise case studies, and reusable frameworks: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relati... Stay tuned for upcoming practices in this series — each one designed to help you build your FDE career and master enterprise AI transformation. Forward Deployed Engineer, FDE Practices, AI Transformation, Business Discovery, Enterprise Case Studies, Governance, Requirements vs Business Problems, Stakeholder Interviews, Structured Discovery Process, RACI Matrix, AI Solutioning