Platform engineering has emerged as a transformative force within modern software development. It promises to streamline development processes, empower developers with self-service tools, and enhance organizational agility. Yet, like any powerful tool, platform engineering can be a double-edged sword. If implemented without careful consideration and strategic execution, it can lead to pitfalls that hinder progress and stifle innovation rather than accelerate it. In this blog post, we’ll explore the common dangers associated with platform engineering gone wrong....

The phrase “never let a good incident go to waste” might seem cynical at first. However, in the world of technology, operations, and business in general, it holds a deeper wisdom. It’s a call to use setbacks, failures, and incidents as catalysts for improvement. At the heart of this philosophy lies the postmortem – a critical process vital for turning incidents into growth opportunities. What is a Postmortem? A postmortem (or a post-incident review) is a structured analysis conducted after an incident has occurred....

Software projects constantly evolve - features are added, bugs are fixed, and improvements are implemented over time. As a consequence, versioning comes into play. This allows us to track changes, understand the scale of modifications between releases, and make informed decisions about when and how to update our dependencies. Unfortunately, not everyone adheres to a standardized versioning scheme. Semantic Versioning (often shortened to SemVer) provides clear guidelines, and neglecting it can lead to a world of headaches in software development....

Agile methodologies have become synonymous with efficient software development, promising responsiveness, adaptability, and a relentless focus on customer value. Yet, a puzzling paradox exists within many organizations. While feature teams often embrace Agile’s flexibility, platform teams - those responsible for the core infrastructure powering the organization’s products—can remain bound to traditional waterfall approaches. This duality creates bottlenecks, stifles innovation, and undermines the very benefits Agile promises. Let’s explore why platform teams trapped in a waterfall mindset are detrimental to any organization striving for digital agility, and more importantly, how to break free from this counterproductive pattern....

In many organizations, the words “deploy on Friday” strike a familiar chord of unease. A lingering tradition from earlier days of software development, the “No Deploy Fridays” rule is often seen as a way to mitigate the risk of breaking critical systems right before the weekend. However, this practice holds organizations back and reveals deeper issues with their software development and deployment processes. The Hidden Costs of “No Deploy Fridays” While the intent to minimize weekend disruptions is understandable, there are significant drawbacks for organizations that forbid Friday deployments:...