10 Platform Product Evolution
This chapter covers
- Measuring the success of your platform organization.
- How platforms as products are a differentiation in your platform evolution.
- Intelligent assistants
- Internal developer platforms and products.
In the dynamic world of software development, organizations are continually seeking ways to accelerate delivery, improve reliability, and enhance the developer experience. As companies grow and their software ecosystems become more complex, an effective platform strategy becomes critical. This chapter explores the evolution of platform products, focusing on how treating platforms as products can be a differentiator and how measuring success, embracing cultural shifts, and leveraging modern tools and methodologies can drive organizational success.
We'll revisit our favorite company we have been discussing throughout the book, PETech, to illustrate these concepts in practice. PETech's journey from a monolithic application to a microservices architecture highlights the challenges and opportunities in evolving platform products, providing practical insights into how organizations can navigate similar transitions.
10.1 Measuring the success of your platform organization
Now that you have embarked on a platform journey and have started seeing some improvements, it is essential to measure your progress. As we have discussed, evolving your platform to the next level almost always requires knowing your progress.
10.1.1 The Platform Value Model
10.1.2 PETech's Approach to Measurement
10.1.3 Exercise 10.1: Identify the leading engineering platform metrics for your organization
10.1.4 Implementing Feedback Loops
10.1.5 Exercise 10.2: Create an approach for feedback mechanism at VitalSigns.online
10.2 Platform as Products as the Differentiator
10.2.1 Defining the Platform Vision and Mission
10.2.2 Establishing a Product Roadmap
10.2.3 Exercise 10.3: Create a platform product roadmap blueprint for VitalSigns.online
10.2.4 Implementing Agile Practices
10.2.5 The Role of the Platform Product Manager
10.2.6 Differentiating Through User Experience
10.2.7 Exercise 10.4: Adopting a Platform-as-a-Product Mindset
10.3 Cultural Shift from a Traditional Operations World
10.3.1 Embracing DevOps Cultural Principles
10.3.2 Breaking Down Silos with Team Topologies
10.3.3 Exercise 10.5: Implementing Team Topologies in Your Organization
10.3.4 Impact on PETech's Culture
10.3.5 Exercise 10.6: Planning a Cultural Shift Towards DevOps and Collaboration
10.4 SRE Strategy, Models, and Aligning with Organizational Needs
10.4.1 Understanding Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
10.4.2 Implementing SRE at PETech
10.4.3 Aligning SRE with Organizational Goals
10.4.4 Outcomes of implementing SRE
10.5 Intelligent Assistants to Help Enhance Engineering Platforms
10.5.1 The Role of Intelligent Assistants
10.5.2 PETech's PETechBot
10.5.3 Exploring Advanced Tools
10.5.4 Exercise 10.7: Integrating an Intelligent Assistant Into Your Platform
10.6 Comparing Internal Developer Platforms and Developer Portals