The Necessity of Allocating Engineering Capacity for 'Headroom'

Cagan discusses the critical need for product managers to allocate a portion of their engineering capacity to maintain and improve the product’s infrastructure. He recounts the near-collapse of companies like eBay and Friendster due to neglected infrastructure, leading to the dreaded 'rewrite' scenario. Cagan advises, 'Product management takes 20% of the team’s capacity right off the top and gives this to engineering to spend as they see fit.' This proactive approach helps avoid the catastrophic need for a complete system overhaul, ensuring that the product can scale and evolve without major disruptions.