A few years ago, I looked after a platform team of 80+ software engineers. I had previously looked after a platform team but at a much smaller scale.
One of the genuinely curious questions that I got from others was why did we need 80+ software engineers for a platform team. How much code do these platform engineers need to write? Surely...
Think platform engineers just code all day? Think again! 🧐 Their roles and responsibilities go far beyond that. Today, I'll uncover the depth and breadth of a platform engineer's world aka the roles and responsibilities of a Platform Engineer:
1. Architectural Planning: Platform engineers design and establish the platform's overall architecture, ensuring it meets both current and future needs.
2. Developing and Maintaining Systems: They are responsible for building and maintaining systems that support the platform's operation, such as data storage and management, API management, and authentication systems.
3. Ensuring Platform Scalability and Performance: They work to ensure the platform can handle increased traffic and demand without compromising performance.
4. Problem-Solving: When issues arise, platform engineers troubleshoot and resolve them to maintain platform reliability. For a platform in its infancy stage, the amount of work under this category is not small and there can be quite a lot of firefighting which could take away the necessary resourcing to move the platform forward. This is where ruthless prioritisation and superb decision making is necessary from the leadership.
5. Security: They play a key role in securing the platform, safeguarding it from potential threats and breaches.
6. Collaboration: Platform engineers often work closely with other teams, such as developers and product managers, to ensure that the platform supports and aligns with broader organizational goals.
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