What a Forward Deployed Engineer does
A Forward Deployed Engineer is a software engineer who doesn't sit in a distant development department but where the work actually happens. He talks to operations, sales, accounting or production, understands the real workflows and builds applications, automations and AI integrations tailored to them.
The difference from classic contract development: there is no long hand-off chain from requirements to concept to implementation. The person building the software has seen the problem first-hand – and stays responsible for it working after go-live.
When it makes sense
- A process costs noticeable time, but nobody has the capacity to solve it properly.
- Business teams know exactly what they need, but IT has a long queue.
- An AI prototype or a spreadsheet workaround needs to become a real system.
- You need someone who translates between business and technology – and builds it himself.
How the engagement works
- Understand: conversations with and shadowing of the teams involved – what happens today, where is time lost?
- First version: a small, usable solution within days or weeks, not months.
- Iterate: feedback straight from users, deployed in short cycles.
- Operate: monitoring, backups, updates and documentation so the solution holds up in daily use – with a hand-over to your team if you like.
Frequently asked questions
Does Philipp Kohnen work on site or remote?
Both. Philipp Kohnen is based in Berlin and likes to work on site at your company, especially at the start, to get to know the workflows. Ongoing development can also happen remotely.
Does a Forward Deployed Engineer replace our IT team?
No. He complements existing teams as extra capacity for a specific project and follows your existing architecture, security requirements and processes.
How is this different from an agency?
An agency typically works through a specification and hands over a result. A Forward Deployed Engineer is embedded, discovers requirements together with users and stays responsible for operations.
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Contact
Want to talk about a project? Philipp Kohnen is happy to hear from you.
Philipp Kohnen · Berlin, Germany
Email: mail@kohnen.digital
Phone: +49 160 90 22 88 20