What a Platform is? Which is the role of Engineers? How to improve time-to-market and reduce total cost of ownership moving from project to product mindset? Those are just of some questions that Platform Engineers are answering everyday. This is a draft presentation of my next presentation about Platforms and Software Engineering.

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A 360 degree view
22 Feb 2023

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Disclaimer: presentation work in progress!

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Software Application
why we are building software?

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Software Application
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360
to create business value!

5. The information included in this document is strictly confidential. Any use must be approved by Mia-Platform.
Software Application
>= 0 sustainability over time
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360 +€
-€

6. The information included in this document is strictly confidential. Any use must be approved by Mia-Platform.
Software Application
>= 0 sustainability over time
TCO and Tech Debt
growth over time
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360 +€
-€

7. The information included in this document is strictly confidential. Any use must be approved by Mia-Platform.
Software Application
>= 0 sustainability over time
TCO and Tech Debt
growth over time
Business Value (revenue
or cost saving) have to
growth too
it’s ok!
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360 +€
-€

8. The information included in this document is strictly confidential. Any use must be approved by Mia-Platform.
Software Application
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360
< 0 not, sustainable
if business doesn’t
growth enough and
TCO grows we
have a big problem
bad scenario!
+€
-€

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why we are in trouble?

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Project
result:
success when project
on cost, time, quality

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change the mindset
software it’s not a Sprint
but a long long long marathon (> 10 years)
Project
result:
success when project
on cost, time, quality

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change the mindset
software it’s not a Sprint
but a long long long marathon (> 10 years)
Project Product
result:
success when project is
on cost, time, quality
sustainability:
success if the product is
valuable during the time

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Product A Product B Product C Product D
the software product mindset it’s important
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360

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Product A Product B Product C Product D
Common Aspects
products share:
capabilities, processes, life cycle, teams,
infrastructure, configuration and more …
a platform!
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360

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Product A Product B Product C Product D
Platform
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360

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Product A Product B Product C Product D
Platform
+€
-€
shared costs
-€
(but less than before)
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360
>= 0 more sustainable

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● reduce cognitive load, just focus on what matter for my job
● share common assets, reduce cost, provide an home for digital
● improve quality because reuse means more test in different cases
● improve morale, team satisfaction, speed and autonomy
● it’s a safe place where people that provide a service meet people that need
that service
Platform
service providers
products
create value
producer
service consumers
business creators
benefit from value
consumers
curate the quality of
the conversation and
provide a safe place to
share value
curators
Benefits of a platform:
Value

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Platform
Let’s focus on the Platform

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Or better… Platforms
Platforms

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Platforms
Composable - Developers Configure, Script, Orchestrate and Reuse API/Data/Events/Components to craft new products
Infrastructure - People benefit on automation of provisioning, business continuity and cost management
Application Coding - Developers craft from source code new Applications/Services/Components
No-Code/Low-Code Builders - Citizen Developers leverage Data and Services to speed up their work
End-User Platform - Providers and Consumers share value
DevOps Foundation - People benefit on automation of delivery and operation
Data Fabric - Data Teams define domain models for channels/reporting/analytics/ML/AI
Citizen
Developers
Product
Developers
Ops/SRE
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360

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Let’s speak about
Platform
Engineers
Which is the role, responsibility and fun for them?

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Engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are
professionals who invent, design,
analyze, build and test
machines, complex systems,
structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill
functional objectives and requirements while
considering the limitations imposed by
practicality, regulation, safety and cost.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineer
Engineering Team
When developing a product, engineers typically work
in interdisciplinary teams. For example,
when building robots an engineering team will typically have
at least three types of engineers. A mechanical engineer
would design the body and actuators. An electrical engineer
would design the power systems, sensors, electronics,
embedded software in electronics, and control circuitry.
Finally, a software engineer would develop the software that
makes the robot behave properly.

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https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/what-is-platform-engineering
Platform engineering is an emerging
technology approach that can accelerate
the delivery of applications and the pace at
which they produce business value.
If we apply Engineering
methodologies to Platforms
we have Platform Engineering

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https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Platform_Engineering_Team
This team has the primary responsibility for the Platform that supports the
projects of the Wikimedia Movement. The platform is comprised of MediaWiki,
Data Platform, API Platform, Platform Operations, WMF Dumps and the
Wikimedia service infrastructure which provides our services, APIs and
tools. Additionally, the team supports MediaWiki as a FLOSS product to be used
by 3rd parties to host and share knowledge in a variety of contexts.
Platform Engineering Team from MediaWiki
A Platform Engineering Team:
a cross functional, multi disciplinary team
with the focus to simplify the life of users

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Platforms
Composable - Developers Configure, Script, Orchestrate and Reuse API/Data/Events/Components to craft new products
Infrastructure - People benefit on automation of provisioning, business continuity and cost management
Application Coding - Developers craft from source code new Applications/Services/Components
No-Code/Low-Code Builders - Citizen Developers leverage Data and Services to speed up their work
End-User Platform - Providers and Consumers share value
DevOps Foundation - People benefit on automation of delivery and operation
Data Fabric - Data Teams define domain models for channels/reporting/analytics/ML/AI
Self-Service
User
Experience
Citizen
Developers
Product
Developers
Ops/SRE
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360
Platform
Engineers

26. The information included in this document is strictly confidential. Any use must be approved by Mia-Platform.
Platform
service providers
products
create value
producer
service consumers
business creators
benefit from value
consumers
curate the quality of
the conversation and
provide a safe place to
share value
curators
Value
Platform
Engineers

27. The information included in this document is strictly confidential. Any use must be approved by Mia-Platform.
● Enable self-service user experience (DevX, OpsX, DataX, No/LowCodeX, UX, …X)
● Create antifragile systems:
○ autorepair
○ zero trust
○ scalable
● Thinks evolutionary by Design
● Favorite sharing:
○ catalogue discovery
○ governance rules
○ contributors and inner source (OSS internal)
○ collective code/components/data products/API Products/Event Products
ownership
● Efficiency
○ cost (Total Cost of Ownership: FinOps + People)
○ speed and reliability (DORA)
○ technical debt (Fitness metrics)
Main Objectives for the Platform Engineering Team and how to measure them

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● something make
● something buy (use)
● something evolve
● something compose
The dilemma: Make or Buy?
● start step-by-step, incrementally and don’t reinvent the wheel
● don’t focus on technology but on value for users:
self-service, antifragile, evolutionary, sharable, efficient
● balance the need of doing think custom and the time-to-market and TCO of a
Platform
Some tips:

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● team topologies
● agile
● devops
● lean
● culture
● people
● business values
How to organize the Platform Engineering Team?
This is the IT Democratization:
create a platform where all can work together and contribute

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● commoditization of some platforms
layers and emerging of new ones
● tech will change more and more
● goals remain the same: lower TCO,
improve Business Value
Future?
https://www.gartner.com/document/4071499?ref=solrAll&refval=356133061
Gartner predictions

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Chief Platform Engineer
to rule them all?
API Monetization Omnichannel Customer 360

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Further Readings from our blog
● Platform Engineering 101: all you need to know to get started
https://blog.mia-platform.eu/en/platform-engineering-101-all-you-need-to-know-to-get-started
● The Internal Developer Platform Revolution: what every CTO should know
https://blog.mia-platform.eu/en/the-internal-developer-platform-revolution
● Is Platform Engineering putting an end to DevOps and SRE?
https://blog.mia-platform.eu/en/is-platform-engineering-putting-an-end-to-devops-and-sre
● Platform Economy: why you need a modular IT architecture
https://blog.mia-platform.eu/en/platform-economy-why-you-need-a-modular-it-architecture
● IT Governance: the challenge of governing a corporate IT platform
https://blog.mia-platform.eu/en/it-governance-the-challenge-of-governing-a-corporate-it-platform
● API Platform: the importance of adopting a customizable solution
https://blog.mia-platform.eu/en/api-platform-the-importance-of-adopting-a-custom-solution
● Enterprise Digital Platform: the governance model from the open source
https://blog.mia-platform.eu/en/enterprise-digital-platform-the-governance-model-from-the-open-source

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A 360 degree view
Thanks!