<description>&lt;p&gt;Here’s what we covered:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Defining Platform Engineering&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Platform engineering&lt;/strong&gt;: Building compelling internal products to help teams reuse capabilities with less coordination.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Cloud computing connection&lt;/strong&gt;: Enterprises can now compose platforms from cloud services, creating mature, internal products for all engineering personas.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ankit’s career journey&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Didn't choose platform engineering; it found him.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Early start in programming (since age 11).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Transitioned from a product engineer mindset to building internal tools and platforms.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Key experience across startups, the public sector, unicorn companies, and private cloud projects.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Singapore Public Sector Experience&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Public sector&lt;/strong&gt;: Highly advanced digital services (e.g., identity services for tax, housing).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Exciting environment&lt;/strong&gt;: Software development in Singapore’s public sector is fast-paced and digitally progressive.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Platform Engineering Turf Wars&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Turf wars&lt;/strong&gt;: Debate among DevOps, SRE, and platform engineering.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;DevOps&lt;/strong&gt;: Collaboration between dev and ops to think systemically.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;SRE&lt;/strong&gt;: Operations done the software engineering way.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Platform engineering&lt;/strong&gt;: Delivering operational services as internal, self-service products.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Dysfunctional Team Interactions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Issue&lt;/strong&gt;: Requiring tickets to get work done creates bottlenecks.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Ideal state&lt;/strong&gt;: Teams should be able to work autonomously without raising tickets.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Spectrum of dysfunction&lt;/strong&gt;: From one ticket for one service to multiple tickets across teams leading to delays and misconfigurations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Quadrant Model (Autonomy vs. Cognitive Load)&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Challenge&lt;/strong&gt;: Balancing user autonomy with managing cognitive load.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Goal&lt;/strong&gt;: Enable product teams with autonomy while managing cognitive load.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Solution&lt;/strong&gt;: Platforms should abstract unnecessary complexity while still giving teams the autonomy to operate independently.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;How it pans out&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Low autonomy, low cognitive load&lt;/strong&gt;: Dependent on platform teams but a simple process.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Low autonomy, high cognitive load&lt;/strong&gt;: Requires interacting with multiple teams and understanding technical details (worst case).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;High autonomy, high cognitive load&lt;/strong&gt;: Teams have full access (e.g., AWS accounts) but face infrastructure burden and fragmentation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;High autonomy, low cognitive load&lt;/strong&gt;: Ideal situation—teams get what they need quickly without detailed knowledge.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Shift from Product Thinking to Cognitive Load&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Cognitive load focus&lt;/strong&gt;: More important than just product thinking—consider the human experience when using the system.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Team Topologies&lt;/strong&gt;: Mentioned as a key reference on this concept of cognitive load management.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Platform as a Product Mindset&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Collaboration&lt;/strong&gt;: Building the platform in close collaboration with initial users (pilot teams) is crucial for success.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Product Management&lt;/strong&gt;: Essential to have a product manager or team dedicated to communication, user journeys, and internal marketing.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Self-Service as a Platform Requirement&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Definition&lt;/strong&gt;: Users should easily discover, understand, and use platform capabilities without human intervention.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;User Testing&lt;/strong&gt;: Watch how users interact with the platform to understand stumbling points and improve the self-service experience.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Platform Team Cognitive Load&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Burnout Prevention&lt;/strong&gt;: Platform engineers need low cognitive load as well. Moving from a reactive (ticket-based) model to a proactive, self-service approach can reduce the strain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Proactive Approach&lt;/strong&gt;: Self-service models allow platform teams to prioritize development and avoid being overwhelmed by constant requests.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit &lt;a href="https://read.srepath.com?utm_medium=podcast&amp;#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1"&gt;read.srepath.com&lt;/a&gt;</description>

Reliability Enablers

Ash Patel & Sebastian Vietz

#60 How to NOT fail in Platform Engineering

OCT 1, 202430 MIN
Reliability Enablers

#60 How to NOT fail in Platform Engineering

OCT 1, 202430 MIN

Description

<p>Here’s what we covered:</p><p>Defining Platform Engineering</p><p>* <strong>Platform engineering</strong>: Building compelling internal products to help teams reuse capabilities with less coordination.</p><p>* <strong>Cloud computing connection</strong>: Enterprises can now compose platforms from cloud services, creating mature, internal products for all engineering personas.</p><p>Ankit’s career journey</p><p>* Didn't choose platform engineering; it found him.</p><p>* Early start in programming (since age 11).</p><p>* Transitioned from a product engineer mindset to building internal tools and platforms.</p><p>* Key experience across startups, the public sector, unicorn companies, and private cloud projects.</p><p>Singapore Public Sector Experience</p><p>* <strong>Public sector</strong>: Highly advanced digital services (e.g., identity services for tax, housing).</p><p>* <strong>Exciting environment</strong>: Software development in Singapore’s public sector is fast-paced and digitally progressive.</p><p>Platform Engineering Turf Wars</p><p>* <strong>Turf wars</strong>: Debate among DevOps, SRE, and platform engineering.</p><p>* <strong>DevOps</strong>: Collaboration between dev and ops to think systemically.</p><p>* <strong>SRE</strong>: Operations done the software engineering way.</p><p>* <strong>Platform engineering</strong>: Delivering operational services as internal, self-service products.</p><p>Dysfunctional Team Interactions</p><p>* <strong>Issue</strong>: Requiring tickets to get work done creates bottlenecks.</p><p>* <strong>Ideal state</strong>: Teams should be able to work autonomously without raising tickets.</p><p>* <strong>Spectrum of dysfunction</strong>: From one ticket for one service to multiple tickets across teams leading to delays and misconfigurations.</p><p>Quadrant Model (Autonomy vs. Cognitive Load)</p><p>* <strong>Challenge</strong>: Balancing user autonomy with managing cognitive load.</p><p>* <strong>Goal</strong>: Enable product teams with autonomy while managing cognitive load.</p><p>* <strong>Solution</strong>: Platforms should abstract unnecessary complexity while still giving teams the autonomy to operate independently.</p><p>How it pans out</p><p>* <strong>Low autonomy, low cognitive load</strong>: Dependent on platform teams but a simple process.</p><p>* <strong>Low autonomy, high cognitive load</strong>: Requires interacting with multiple teams and understanding technical details (worst case).</p><p>* <strong>High autonomy, high cognitive load</strong>: Teams have full access (e.g., AWS accounts) but face infrastructure burden and fragmentation.</p><p>* <strong>High autonomy, low cognitive load</strong>: Ideal situation—teams get what they need quickly without detailed knowledge.</p><p>Shift from Product Thinking to Cognitive Load</p><p>* <strong>Cognitive load focus</strong>: More important than just product thinking—consider the human experience when using the system.</p><p>* <strong>Team Topologies</strong>: Mentioned as a key reference on this concept of cognitive load management.</p><p>Platform as a Product Mindset</p><p>* <strong>Collaboration</strong>: Building the platform in close collaboration with initial users (pilot teams) is crucial for success.</p><p>* <strong>Product Management</strong>: Essential to have a product manager or team dedicated to communication, user journeys, and internal marketing.</p><p>Self-Service as a Platform Requirement</p><p>* <strong>Definition</strong>: Users should easily discover, understand, and use platform capabilities without human intervention.</p><p>* <strong>User Testing</strong>: Watch how users interact with the platform to understand stumbling points and improve the self-service experience.</p><p>Platform Team Cognitive Load</p><p>* <strong>Burnout Prevention</strong>: Platform engineers need low cognitive load as well. Moving from a reactive (ticket-based) model to a proactive, self-service approach can reduce the strain.</p><p>* <strong>Proactive Approach</strong>: Self-service models allow platform teams to prioritize development and avoid being overwhelmed by constant requests.</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://read.srepath.com?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_1">read.srepath.com</a>