1.3. Beyond “I Built Features”: How to Communicate True Impact in Reviews

You built stuff — Now, show why it matters!
Here’s how to translate “I shipped code” into “I moved the needle.”

Why impact storytelling beats activity lists (and how to do it)

• Leaders and orgs care about outcomes—did you help the team/product/customers win?
• Use the “so what?” test:
  • “I automated build scripts.” So what? “Freed up engineers for more roadmap work, shipping 2 new features last quarter.”

Script/Question Frameworks and Before/After Examples

• Before: “Fixed bugs in the dashboard.”
• After: “Cut dashboard errors by 70%, improving NPS and reducing customer complaints.”
• Before: “Built onboarding doc.”
• After: “Reduced ramp-up time for new hires by 50%; now used as the team’s gold standard.”

Template:
“I did [Action], resulting in [Outcome/Impact] for [Team/Customer/Goal].”

How to Highlight your work in Backend, Infra, Ops

The challenge of demonstrating the value of your work when you work in roles that are not directly customer-facing or visibly tied to product features.

• Show the Impact made by telling how your work enabled others or avoided costs/issues:
  • “Automated data migration scripts—reduced weekend downtime and engineer OT by 90%.”

Bringing proof to your story

• Use data: time or costs saved, usage, user feedback, bug counts, project velocity, team engagement.

Wrap Up

In your next review, don’t stop at “I built X.” Always ask: “So what?” Show how your work reached the world, your teammates, or the bottom line.