Enterprise Software Lessons: What Building for Big Companies Taught Me # E n t e r p r i s e S o f t w a r e L e s s o n s : W h a t B u i l d i n g f o r B i g C o m p a n i e s T a u g h t M e
S i x y e a r s o f b u i l d i n g e n t e r p r i s e a p p l i c a t i o n s a t C o g n i z a n t h a s t a u g h t m e l e s s o n s t h a t t e x t b o o k s d o n ' t c o v e r . H e r e ' s w h a t w o r k i n g w i t h l a r g e o r g a n i z a t i o n s r e v e a l s a b o u t w h a t m a k e s s o f t w a r e p r o d u c t s s u c c e e d .
Enterprise Customers Are Different B u i l d i n g f o r e n t e r p r i s e s i s n ' t t h e s a m e a s b u i l d i n g c o n s u m e r a p p s . T h e u s e r s , b u y e r s , a n d s u c c e s s c r i t e r i a a r e f u n d a m e n t a l l y d i f f e r e n t .
Key differences:
Users don't choose the software : IT departments and procurement decide. Users adapt.
Change is expensive : Switching costs are high. Customers stay even when dissatisfied.
Reliability trumps features : Downtime costs millions. Stability matters more than innovation.
Compliance is mandatory : Security, audits, and regulations aren't optional. Understanding these dynamics shapes how you build.
Requirements Are Always Incomplete E v e r y e n t e r p r i s e p r o j e c t I ' v e w o r k e d o n h a s h a d r e q u i r e m e n t s t h a t e v o l v e d a s w e b u i l t .
What I've learned:
The written requirements capture about 60% of what's actually needed
Stakeholders don't know what they want until they see what they don't want
Domain expertise lives in people's heads, not in documents
Edge cases are more common than anyone admits This taught me that requirements gathering is ongoing, not a phase.
Scale Changes the Game W h a t w o r k s f o r 1 0 0 u s e r s f a i l s c a t a s t r o p h i c a l l y f o r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 . E n t e r p r i s e s c a l e e x p o s e s e v e r y w e a k n e s s .
Scale lessons:
Performance is a feature : Slow software gets abandoned
Small inefficiencies compound : A 1% inefficiency at scale costs millions
Error handling matters : At scale, edge cases become common cases
Monitoring is essential : You can't fix what you can't see Building for scale has made me think differently about product decisions.
The Politics of Enterprise Sales E n t e r p r i s e s o f t w a r e i s n ' t j u s t a b o u t t h e p r o d u c t . O r g a n i z a t i o n a l p o l i t i c s , r e l a t i o n s h i p s , a n d t i m i n g a l l m a t t e r .
Observations:
Champions inside the organization make or break deals
Procurement processes can take months or years
Budget cycles constrain when decisions happen
Pilots need to prove value quickly to survive Product managers who ignore organizational dynamics fail.
Integration Is Half the Product E n t e r p r i s e s o f t w a r e d o e s n ' t e x i s t i n i s o l a t i o n . I t i n t e g r a t e s w i t h E R P s y s t e m s , d a t a b a s e s , l e g a c y a p p l i c a t i o n s , a n d d o z e n s o f o t h e r t o o l s .
Integration reality:
APIs are the product interface that matters most
Data formats and standards aren't optional
Backward compatibility is sacred
Documentation is a product feature Building integrations taught me that the product boundary extends far beyond the core application.
Security and Compliance Are Features I n c o n s u m e r p r o d u c t s , s e c u r i t y i s o f t e n a n a f t e r t h o u g h t . I n e n t e r p r i s e , i t ' s t a b l e s t a k e s .
What I've learned:
Security vulnerabilities are deal-breakers
Compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001) open doors
Audit trails aren't overhead; they're requirements
Data residency matters for global customers Understanding these requirements shapes how I think about product development.
The Human Side of Enterprise B e h i n d e v e r y e n t e r p r i s e d e p l o y m e n t a r e r e a l p e o p l e t r y i n g t o d o t h e i r j o b s .
Human lessons:
Training determines adoption more than features
Change management is as important as the software
Support quality affects renewal rates
User feedback often comes through complaints, not surveys These insights from enterprise development directly inform how I think about building products that succeed.
Faizan skipped presentations and built real AI products .
Faizan Khan was part of the January 2025 cohort at Curious PM , alongside 13 other talented participants.
