How to Build the Best Platforms for Software Engineers

Is your internal developer platform actually improving velocity, or is it a bottleneck? We discuss why platform teams building "cool" abstractions is a red flag, and you should aim to create the best platform for software engineers.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why "Golden Paths" can turn into roadblocks for developers.
• The danger of Shadow IT and why it’s a symptom of a failed platform.
• How to measure if your platform is saving time.

Connect with Adnan Alshar:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adnanmalshar92

Connect with Jelmer de Jong:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelmerdejong-xebia

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:54 - Is DevOps Dead? The Truth About Platform Engineering

00:03:07 - Why Developers Are Drowning in Complexity Today

00:04:37 - Why Having No Platform Is Better Than a Bad Platform

00:07:20 - Treating Software Engineers as Customers of the Platform

00:11:26 - The Exact Moment You Should Start Building a Platform

00:14:18 - Who Should Be on Your First Platform Team?

00:17:33 - Turning Your Angriest Developers Into Platform Evangelists

00:18:57 - Key Metrics: How to Measure Platform Engineering Success

00:21:01 - Why 60% of Companies Don't Measure Platform Success

00:23:35 - Why No Metrics Is the Biggest Red Flag

00:25:23 - The Disconnect Between Executives and AI Readiness

00:31:34 - Integrating AI Tools and Large Language Models Securely

00:34:22 - Shadow IT: The Symptom of a Broken Platform

00:38:03 - How to Scale Without Becoming a Bottleneck

00:41:45 - Don’t Forget the Business Side of Platform Engineering

#PlatformEngineering #DevOps #DeveloperProductivity