The 3 Metrics That Separate Real FDE Teams from Expensive Consulting

Now that I’ve settled on FDE ≠ expert SE, here are the consistent three differences I keep hearing when I talk to leaders:

1. Time-to-Value
Traditional motion: 6–18 months from signature to first real production workload
FDE motion: 60–120 days to first production deployment + measurable expansion

2. Gross Retention & Expansion
Average enterprise AI deal without dedicated FDE resources → ~85–95% NRR
Average enterprise AI deal with dedicated FDE team → 130–180% NRR

3. Product Velocity
The code an FDE writes for Customer A almost always contains the next features the entire customer base wants. I find this to be the most interesting fascinating part that truly differentiates this model from the traditional pre-sales, post-sales implementation and professional services models.

When that customer-specific work flows straight back into the core product, your roadmap moves at 3–5× the normal pace.

Bottom line: Most companies already have the talent to do this today — they’re just scattered across pre-sales, post-sales, and professional services, operating without mandate, budget, or a career ladder.
The companies winning right now aren’t hiring “better engineers.”  They are redeploying existing resources in a different way.