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Impact Highlights from PlatformCon 2024: Measuring the Value and ROI of Platform Engineering

· 10 min read
Victor Ikeme
Victor Ikeme
Platform Engineer | Kubernetes | Cloud-Native Advocate | OSS | Technical Writer

PlatformCon 2024's "Impact" track directly addressed a critical challenge: demonstrating the value and return on investment (ROI) of platform engineering. Leading experts shared practical strategies for assessing platform success, enhancing developer experience, and aligning platform investments with tangible business outcomes.

Key Impact Sessions: Quantifying Platform Value​

1. Building Antifragile Internal Platforms:

Manuel Pais (Team Topologies co-author) showed how to build resilient platforms that withstand economic downturns and organizational changes. He emphasized creating adaptable, "antifragile" systems.

2. Maturing Your Platform Engineering Initiative:

Nicki Watt (OpenCredo) showcased the CNCF platform maturity model as a roadmap for refining platform initiatives, providing practical examples of sustainable growth and improvement.

3. Unlocking Collaboration: Inner Sourcing and the Multi-Player Platform:

Paula Kennedy (Syntasso) championed inner sourcing, transforming the internal platform into a collaborative environment to boost platform value and cross-team engagement.

4. Focusing on Organizational Success: The Goal is Not 'the Platform':

Jamil Jadallah (BrainGu) challenged the "platform-first" mentality, advocating for a business-aligned strategy where platform engineering directly supports broader organizational goals.

5. Elevating Platform Engineers: From Infra Support to Developer Superhero:

Matt Rogish (Aptible) inspired platform engineers to move beyond infrastructure support, emphasizing how platforms directly improve developer experience and overall organizational success.

6. Significant Cost Reductions: A 20% Cost/GP Optimization Journey:

Rohit & Akash Srivastava (MiQ) shared their cost-saving strategies, achieving a 20% reduction in organizational costs and providing practical advice on tracking and measuring tech infrastructure expenses.

7. Strategic Alignment: Mapping Your Platform to Achieve What's Next:

Steve Pereira (Visible) presented collaborative mapping techniques to align platform strategy with business vision, setting meaningful goals and translating needs into actionable steps.

8. Measuring Platform Engineering Success: A Practical Guide:

Ralf Huuck (Logilica) provided methods for aligning platform engineering goals with business objectives, offering tools for capturing meaningful metrics to justify continued investment.

9. Data-Driven Decisions: Orchestrating External Data Sources:

Raja Chattopadhyay & Thiaga Manian (Capital One) explored how orchestrating external data sources enhances decision-making and fraud prevention, addressing challenges in secure and efficient data integration.

10. Balancing DevEx Investment and Business Value:

Vilas Veeraraghavan (Truckstop) addressed the delicate balance between investing in developer experience (DevEx) and achieving tangible business outcomes, providing strategies for quantifying DevEx ROI.

11. Prioritizing Platform Initiatives: A Chargeback-Driven Approach:

Sridhar Kotagiri (Thoughtworks) discussed using a chargeback model to prioritize platform initiatives by clearly linking platform costs to team benefits.

12. Assessing Platform Effectiveness: Building a Platform Maturity Model:

Abby Bangser (Syntasso) shared insights from the CNCF Platforms Working Group, explaining how their maturity model can help companies assess and improve platform effectiveness.

13. Improving DevEx: Applying Google Frameworks and Methods:

Darren Evans (Google) highlighted Google's frameworks for continuous DevEx improvement, emphasizing the strategic advantage of developer-centric platforms.

14. Quantifying Platform ROI: A Hands-On Approach:

Marisa Martín Serrano & Marco Pierobon (Thoughtworks Spain) introduced an interactive platform ROI calculator, providing a practical tool for quantifying the financial impact of platform adoption.

15. Accelerating Business Velocity: The Power of Platform Engineering:

Juan Jose Behrend (Pomelo) showcased how platform engineering accelerated Pomelo's business speed, scalability, and operational efficiency.

16. Reframing Legacy: A Love Letter to Brownfield Development:

Gerald Benischke (Ooredoo FinTech) argued for the value of brownfield development, presenting legacy platform management as an opportunity for innovation.

17. Green DevOps: Building Sustainable Software:

Neel Shah provided strategies for developing environmentally sustainable and operationally efficient software.

18. AI-Augmented DevOps: Leveraging AI for Enhanced Processes:

Manjunath Bhat (Gartner) discussed how AI can enhance DevOps through predictive maintenance and generative capabilities.

19. Platform Engineering and Compliance: Reinventing the Approach:

Jon Skarpeteig (Signicat) presented solutions for achieving compliance (ISO27001 and SOC2) within developer platforms while maintaining autonomy and security.

20. Prioritizing People Over Platforms:

Bryan Finster (Defense Unicorns) challenged the focus on platforms alone, emphasizing the importance of user adoption for true success.

21. Measuring DevEx ROI: Quantifying Productivity Benefits:

David Williams (Quali) provided methods for measuring the productivity benefits of DevEx tools to help justify investments to stakeholders.

22. Translating Platform Results into Business Value:

Rashmi Tambe (Thoughtworks) discussed translating platform engineering results into clear business outcomes to improve transparency and secure leadership support.

23. Platform Engineering in Hybrid Environments:

Drew Piland (CloudBees) highlighted the increased impact of platform engineering in hybrid and cloud-native environments, emphasizing the advantages of efficiency and speed.

24. Beyond Productivity: Measuring Waste in Platform Operations:

Max Griffiths (Thoughtworks Europe) stressed the importance of measuring “waste” in platform operations, providing methods to identify inefficiencies and connect platform engineering ROI to business value.

PlatformCon 2024's "Impact" track highlighted the evolving need for robust metrics and methodologies to demonstrate the business value of platform engineering. These sessions equipped attendees with practical strategies for justifying platform initiatives and showcasing their tangible contributions to organizational success.

Impact Highlights from PlatformCon 2024: Measuring the Value and ROI of Platform Engineering

The Impact sessions at PlatformCon 2024 addressed one of the industry’s most pressing questions: how to quantify the value and ROI of platform engineering. Experts from top tech companies discussed how organizations can assess the success of their platform initiatives, enhance developer experience, and make platform engineering investments truly impactful. Here’s an overview of standout talks focused on aligning platform engineering with measurable business value.

Impact Sessions: Key Takeaways and Strategies​

  1. From Fragile to Antifragile Internal Platforms

    • Speaker: Manuel Pais, Co-author, Team Topologies
    • Description: Pais explored how to build resilient platforms that withstand economic downturns, changes in funding, and shifting leadership priorities. This session encouraged platform teams to create “antifragile” systems, making internal platforms adaptable and resilient.

  2. Maturing Your Platform Engineering Initiative

    • Speaker: Nicki Watt, OpenCredo
    • Description: Watt highlighted the CNCF platform maturity model as a guide for organizations looking to refine their platform initiatives, with practical examples on how the model can support sustainable growth and improvement.

  3. Switch Your Internal Platform to Multi-Player Mode

    • Speaker: Paula Kennedy, Syntasso
    • Description: Kennedy emphasized the benefits of inner sourcing within organizations, turning the internal platform into a collaborative “multi-player” environment to increase platform value and engagement across teams.

  4. The Goal is Not ‘the Platform’

    • Speaker: Jamil Jadallah, BrainGu
    • Description: Jadallah shifted the conversation from a “platform-first” approach to a more business-aligned strategy, underscoring that the end goal is organizational success, not merely creating a platform for its own sake.

  5. Go from Infra Support to Your Dev’s Favorite Superhero

    • Speaker: Matt Rogish, Aptible
    • Description: Rogish encouraged platform engineers to step beyond infrastructure support roles by showing how platforms directly enhance the developer experience and benefit the organization as a whole.

  6. A Cost Optimization Journey to Reduce Organization Cost/GP by 20%

    • Speakers: Rohit Srivastava & Akash Srivastava, MiQ
    • Description: The team from MiQ shared insights into cost-saving strategies that reduced their organizational costs by 20%, offering practical advice on tracking and measuring tech and infrastructure costs.

  7. Map Where You Are to Get to What's Next

    • Speaker: Steve Pereira, Visible
    • Description: Pereira discussed collaborative mapping techniques that align platform strategy with business vision, helping teams set meaningful goals and bridge the gap between needs and actionable steps.

  8. How to Measure Your Platform Engineering Impact

    • Speaker: Ralf Huuck, Logilica
    • Description: Huuck’s talk provided methods for aligning platform engineering goals with business objectives, offering tools for capturing meaningful success metrics to justify ongoing investment.

  9. Orchestrating External Data Sources for Informed Financial Decision-Making

    • Speakers: Raja Chattopadhyay & Thiaga Manian, Capital One
    • Description: This session explored the orchestration of external data for enhanced decision-making and fraud prevention, addressing challenges in integrating diverse data sources securely and efficiently.

  10. The Unspoken ROI: Navigating the Tension Between DevEx Investment and Business Value

    • Speaker: Vilas Veeraraghavan, Truckstop
    • Description: Veeraraghavan delved into the complex balance between investing in developer experience and achieving tangible business outcomes, addressing the challenges of quantifying DevEx ROI.

  11. Cracking the Value Puzzle with a Chargeback-Driven Approach to Platform Engineering

    • Speaker: Sridhar Kotagiri, Thoughtworks North America
    • Description: Kotagiri discussed how a chargeback model can help organizations prioritize and fund platform initiatives by clearly associating platform costs with specific team benefits.

  12. Building a Platform Maturity Model

    • Speaker: Abby Bangser, Syntasso
    • Description: Bangser shared experiences from the CNCF Platforms Working Group, explaining how their maturity model can help companies of all sizes assess and improve their platform’s effectiveness.

  13. Improving Your Developers’ Platform Experience by Applying Google Frameworks and Methods

    • Speaker: Darren Evans, Google
    • Description: Evans highlighted Google’s frameworks for continuous DevEx improvement, emphasizing the strategic advantage of investing in developer-centric platforms.

  14. The Platform ROI Calculator: Input, Formula, and Results

    • Speakers: Marisa Martín Serrano & Marco Pierobon, Thoughtworks Spain
    • Description: This interactive session introduced a platform ROI calculator, giving attendees a hands-on tool to quantify the financial impact of platform adoption.

  15. Supercharging Business Velocity: The Game-Changing Impact of Platform Engineering Teams

    • Speaker: Juan Jose Behrend, Pomelo
    • Description: Behrend showcased Pomelo’s success in leveraging platform engineering to accelerate business speed, scalability, and operational efficiency, providing a model for companies seeking similar benefits.

  16. A Love Letter to Legacy

    • Speaker: Gerald Benischke, Ooredoo FinTech
    • Description: Benischke argued for the value of brownfield development, reframing legacy platform management as an opportunity for experienced engineers to bring stability and innovation.

  17. Green DevOps: Building Sustainable Software

    • Speaker: Neel Shah
    • Description: Shah’s session covered the principles of Green DevOps, providing strategies for developing software that is both environmentally sustainable and operationally efficient.

  18. How Platform Engineering Teams Can Augment DevOps with AI

    • Speaker: Manjunath Bhat, Gartner
    • Description: Bhat discussed how AI can enhance DevOps processes through predictive maintenance and generative capabilities, making it a powerful tool for improving software delivery.

  19. Reinventing Compliance with Platform Engineering

    • Speaker: Jon Skarpeteig, Signicat
    • Description: Skarpeteig presented solutions for compliance within developer platforms, emphasizing that achieving ISO27001 and SOC2 compliance can go hand-in-hand with autonomy and security.

  20. Why Platforms Don’t Matter

    • Speaker: Bryan Finster, Defense Unicorns
    • Description: Finster’s provocative talk highlighted the importance of people over platforms, arguing that success hinges on user adoption, not the platform alone.

  21. Quantifying ROI in Developer Experience Tools and Platforms

    • Speaker: David Williams, Quali
    • Description: Williams provided methods to measure the productivity benefits of DevEx tools, offering insights on justifying platform investments to stakeholders.

  22. Platform Engineering Impact: Mapping Engineering Outcomes to Business Value

    • Speaker: Rashmi Tambe, Thoughtworks
    • Description: Tambe discussed how to translate platform engineering results into clear business outcomes, improving transparency and support from business leaders.

  23. Platform Engineering’s Impact in a Hybrid World

    • Speaker: Drew Piland, CloudBees
    • Description: Piland’s session covered the added impact of platform engineering as organizations move toward hybrid and cloud-native environments, highlighting the efficiency and speed advantages.

  24. Looking Beyond Productivity: The Importance of Measuring Waste

    • Speaker: Max Griffiths, Thoughtworks Europe
    • Description: Griffiths tackled the need to measure “waste” in platform operations, providing methods to capture inefficiencies and connect platform engineering ROI with business value.

The Impact track at PlatformCon 2024 underscored the evolving metrics and methodologies needed to validate platform engineering’s business value. With talks that ranged from cost optimization to DevEx ROI, attendees walked away equipped to tackle the challenges of scaling and justifying their platform initiatives in meaningful, quantifiable ways.