Platform engineering has rapidly emerged as a critical discipline for modern software delivery, evolving in response to increasing complexity and the need for better developer experience. In my recent talk at QCon San Francisco, I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on the evolution of platform engineering, its current trends, and its transformative impact on software delivery.
The Evolution of Platform Engineering
I started by reflecting on the journey of platform engineering. Many organisations began with infrastructure-centric approaches, where developers were left to navigate the complexities of cloud resources, Kubernetes configurations, and CI/CD pipelines on their own. While this enabled teams to deliver software more quickly, it also introduced significant cognitive load. Developers were spending too much time on operations instead of doing what they love: coding.
Over time, as the demands on developers grew and infrastructure became more complex, it became clear that a new approach was needed. Enter platform engineering: a discipline designed to centralise and productise infrastructure, providing streamlined tools and workflows to developers. By building self-service capabilities, platform engineering abstracts away much of the complexity that would otherwise weigh developers down. The result is a smoother, faster, and more satisfying development experience.
I’ve seen firsthand how this shift reduces friction in the software delivery process. Developers can focus more on solving business problems and less on managing operational details. Teams can iterate faster, and organisations see real improvements in both productivity and developer satisfaction.
Key Trends in Platform Engineering
During the talk, I highlighted several key trends that are shaping platform engineering. These trends reflect the current challenges organisations face and the opportunities platform teams have to drive meaningful change.
Platform as a Product Mindset
Treating internal platforms as products is essential. Platforms that succeed are those that are designed for developers, not just infrastructure teams. I emphasised that platforms must evolve with developers’ changing requirements. To do this, platform teams need to embrace a product mindset: creating roadmaps, gathering feedback, and iterating based on what developers actually need. Platforms are not static; they are living products that must grow alongside the teams they serve.
Developer Experience (DevEx)
At the heart of platform engineering is improving the developer experience (and check out this related awesome QCon London talk by Andy Burgin, "Curating a Developer Experience - a Hands-On Guide for Platform Engineers").
My goal, and I believe it should be yours, is to provide developers with self-service capabilities, golden paths, and guardrails. Golden paths are the opinionated workflows and tools that make it easy to get from idea to production, while guardrails ensure developers have the freedom to move quickly without sacrificing security or reliability. A strong focus on DevEx empowers developers to deliver better software faster.
Standardisation and Flexibility
While platforms bring much-needed standardisation through opinionated workflows and tools, we also need to leave room for flexibility. Every organisation’s needs are different, and within any organisation, teams often face unique workloads or edge cases. A good platform supports "multiplayer mode", and balancing standardisation with customisation across teams is critical. The most mature platforms standardise common workflows while allowing teams to extend or customise where necessary.
Metrics and Measuring Impact
One of the questions I hear most often is, “How do we know if our platform is working?” Metrics are key to answering that question. I highlighted frameworks like DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment) and SPACE, which help us measure outcomes like deployment frequency, lead time, reliability, and developer satisfaction. These metrics provide tangible evidence of the platform’s value and help identify areas for improvement.
Shifting Left and Platform "Day 2" Focus:
Beyond deployment, platforms must address Day 2 concerns like observability, governance, and security. Platforms can’t stop at providing deployment pipelines—they need to give developers the tools and insights to operate their software successfully in production. Observability, in particular, is critical for helping developers detect and resolve issues quickly, while strong governance ensures consistency and compliance at scale.
AI and Automation
The rise of AI and machine learning is already changing how we think about platforms. Automation has long been a cornerstone of platform engineering, but with advancements in AI, automation is becoming more intelligent. Platforms can now provide smarter recommendations, reduce manual toil, and enable developers to focus on high-value work. I expect AI to play an even larger role in the future of platform engineering.
The Future Impact of Platform Engineering
Looking ahead, I see platform engineering continuing to transform the way organisations build and deliver software. The demands on developers are only going to increase, and platforms will be essential for helping teams scale without sacrificing quality or speed.
One of the most exciting opportunities I see is the potential for platforms to become the backbone of innovation. As organisations adopt more advanced technologies—like AI, machine learning, and edge computing—platforms will need to evolve to support increasingly complex workflows. By providing the right tools and abstractions, platforms will enable developers to experiment, innovate, and deliver value faster than ever before.
Automation will also continue to evolve. The platforms of the future will not just automate repetitive tasks; they will intelligently anticipate developers’ needs and proactively provide solutions. Imagine a platform that can automatically detect bottlenecks in your CI/CD pipeline, optimise workflows, and suggest improvements. These kinds of intelligent capabilities will be game-changing for software delivery.
Another area where platforms will have a significant impact is in addressing operational concerns. Platform teams are uniquely positioned to tackle challenges like security, governance, and reliability at scale. By embedding these capabilities into the platform, organisations can ensure that teams are delivering secure and reliable software without adding unnecessary overhead.
A Platform-shaped Call to Action
I closed my talk with a call to action for platform teams: continue evolving your platforms with a laser focus on developer experience, measurable impact, and adaptability. Platform engineering is not just about tools and technology—it’s about empowering developers, streamlining processes, and driving organisational success.
To achieve this, platform teams need to embrace the product mindset. Treat your platform as a product, listen to your users, and iterate based on their feedback. Focus on outcomes, not just outputs. Measure the impact of your work, and don’t be afraid to experiment with new ideas. Platform engineering is still evolving, and there’s so much potential to do even more.
The future of software delivery is being built on these platforms, and I truly believe the possibilities are just beginning to unfold. Let’s work together to shape that future. By empowering developers and enabling innovation, platform engineering has the power to transform not just software delivery but entire organisations.
Thank you to the event organisers and everyone who attended my talk at QCon San Francisco. It’s an exciting time to be in platform engineering, and I can’t wait to see what we build next.
If you are building a platform (or experimenting with portals), check out Syntasso Kratix Enterprise (SKE). We've created this framework so you can build your enterprise-ready internal developer platform (IDP) and enable developers to ship faster, safer, and at scale.
Additional Resources
You can view and download my slides via Speakerdeck: "Platform Engineering: Evolution, Trends, and Future Impact on Software Delivery."
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