This is your shortcut to developer experience, cloud architecture, product engineering and tech leadership. Hosted by Marilag Svennevig and Morten Christiensen....
Measurable success with internal developer portals Part 2 with Waqas Ali | The Shortcu.tt Podcast
Morten and Marilag continue their conversation with Waqas, diving into the essential aspects of building and scaling internal developer portals. Discover how feedback, both quantitative and qualitative, drives adoption and shapes the evolution of developer portals. Learn strategies for gathering insights, measuring success, and managing growth in platforms like Backstage. Waqas also shares best practices for governance and fostering a collaborative engineering culture in large organizations. If you're scaling a developer portal or improving developer experience, this episode offers actionable insights!
Key points:
The role of feedback in improving developer portals.
How to track adoption and measure success.
Best practices for scaling developer portals while balancing autonomy and governance.
The importance of fostering a community-driven engineering culture.
Tips for using metrics and surveys effectively to improve developer experience.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction to Shortcut podcast and episode overview.
00:39 - Role of feedback in improving developer portals.
01:43 - Quantitative feedback: Tracking metrics like active users and page analytics.
02:08 - Qualitative feedback: Interviews, surveys, and empathy sessions.
04:22 - Combining feedback types to identify pain points and prioritize improvements.
06:56 - Success metrics: Adoption rates, feature usage, and DORA metrics.
10:15 - Using surveys to measure developer satisfaction and experience.
13:21 - Tracking efficiency improvements: Time saved through self-service features.
15:48 - Measuring community interest through documentation and search trends.
17:00 - Scaling developer portals: Governance, autonomy, and shared components.
22:10 - Impact of developer portals on engineering culture and collaboration.
24:20 - Balancing opinionated platforms with team autonomy.
28:00 - Waqas’ Shortcu.tt for building successful developer portals: Start small and iterate.
Connect with Us:
Waqas Ali- https://www.linkedin.com/in/waqasali47/
Morten Christensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenchr/
Marilag Svennevig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilag/
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29:42
Measurable success with Internal Developer Portals with Waqas Ali pt. 1 | The Shortcu.tt Podcast
In this first part of a two-part episode of The Shortcu.tt Podcast, we dive into the world of Internal Developer Portals (IDPs) with Waqas Ali, a seasoned expert in the field. He shares his journey, insights, and strategies for designing and scaling IDPs to improve developer experience and productivity. The discussion covers topics like starting small, understanding pain points, driving adoption, and building community engagement around IDPs. Tune in to learn actionable steps to bring value to developers and organizations alike.
Start Small: Begin with a focused goal, addressing key developer pain points, and scale gradually.
Community Engagement: Building a thriving developer community is essential for feedback and sustained engagement.
Adoption Strategies: Clear documentation, demonstrating value, and leadership support are critical.
Iterate and Improve: Constantly seek user feedback to enhance the platform's relevance and effectiveness.
Timestamp:
00:00 - Introduction
01:19 - The importance of having a centralized platform for developers and how it improves productivity.
02:43 - Starting Small. Tips for initiating an IDP project, including evaluating market options versus building in-house.
04:12 - The Role of Teams: Why a dedicated team is essential for the successful implementation and adoption of an IDP.
06:07 - Addressing discoverability, documentation, and API sharing issues in large and small organizations.
08:47 - Driving Adoption: Strategies to motivate developers and teams to contribute to and use the platform.
17:10 - Leadership and Prioritization: How leadership support and aligning with business goals can accelerate IDP adoption.
20:17 - Focus on delivering one impactful feature at a time and iterating based on user feedback.
23:13 - Building and Maintaining a Community: Fostering engagement through feedback loops, meetups, and incentivizing contributors.
27:10 - Knowledge Sharing: Elevating IDPs as spaces for mentorship, collaboration, and learning opportunities.
Connect with Us:
Waqas Ali- https://www.linkedin.com/in/waqasali47/
Morten Christensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenchr/
Marilag Svennevig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilag/
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28:20
Architecture for Flow: Wardley Mapping, DDD & Team Topologies with Susanne Kaiser | The Shortcu.tt Podcast
For today's episode of The Shortcu.tt Podcast, we’re joined by Susanne Kaiser, an independent tech consultant specializing in developer productivity and adaptive sociotechnical systems.
Susanne shares her journey from startup CTO to expert in combining Wardley Mapping, Domain-Driven Design, and Team Topologies to create architectures for flow. We dive into concepts like fast flow, cognitive load, team autonomy, and the importance of aligning organizational structures to user needs. If you’re keen to explore strategies for effective team organization and software delivery, this episode is packed with insights!
Key Points:
What fast flow means for developer productivity at a team and organizational level.
The architectural flow of Wardley Mapping, Domain-Driven Design, and Team Topologies.
How to create architectures for flow in complex systems. Strategies to navigate challenges in scaling teams and splitting responsibilities.
The role of purpose, user needs, and shared vision in driving transformation.
Resources Mentioned:
Website: https://susannekaiser.net/The Architecture for Flow Canvas (incl. link to Miro board):
Book (pre-order): Adaptive Systems With Domain-Driven Design, Wardley Mapping, and Team Topologies: Architecture for Flow (Addison-Wesley Signature Vernon) https://a.co/d/1I7aO1O
Wardley Mapping by Simon Wardley
Domain-Driven Design (DDD) by Eric Evans
Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais
Dynamic Reteaming by Heidi Helfand
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction, about Susanne Kaiser, and overview of the episode
06:15 - Combining these frameworks to build architectures for flow.
10:49 - How Susanne approaches organizations: Assessing the current state.
13:25 - Using Wardley Mapping to map user needs and value chains.
17:19 - Addressing challenges: Legacy systems, cognitive load, and team dynamics.
20:51 - Lessons from startups and enterprises: Common ground and unique challenges.
28:22 - The role of mindset in team composition and responsibility.
34:28 - How to manage team transitions and self-selection processes.
36:36 - Susanne’s Shortcu.tt
37:00 - Where to connect with Susanne and closing remarks.
Connect with Us:
Susanne Kaiser-
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susannekaiser1
https://susannekaiser.net/
Morten Christensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenchr/
Marilag Svennevig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilag/
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37:47
The Strong Engineering Community at Pandora with Casper Jensen | The Shortcu.tt Podcast
In this episode of The Shortcu.tt podcast, hosts Morten and Marilag are joined by Casper Jensen, Engineering Director Enterprise Architecture at Pandora.
They discuss Pandora's journey towards improving developer experience and productivity, the transition from project-led to product-led organization, and the challenges and strategies involved in managing a global tech team. Casper also shares insights on the importance of cross-functional collaboration, the impact of a strong engineering culture, and the significance of broadening one's technological scope as a developer.
Key Points:
- Pandora's transition from a project-led to a product-led organization.
- The structure and role of product teams at Pandora.
- The importance of developer experience and the steps Pandora is taking to improve it.
- The challenges of integrating internal and external engineering teams.
- The role of AI in enhancing developer productivity.
- The significance of cross-functional collaboration and understanding different technologies.
- The benefits of broadening one's technological scope for better productivity.
Timestamp:
00:00 Introduction to the podcast and guests
00:45 Overview of Pandora and Casper Jensen's role
06:21 Pandora's developer experience
12:37 The Engineering community at Pandora, and its challenges
16:12 Encouraging cross-functional collaboration
24:00 - Challenges in data discoverability
28:01 Use of Backstage and exploring Kubernetes Space
33:22 Controversial question about mass adoption of technology
36:12 AI's role in developer productivity
39:34 Casper's Shortcu.tt
Connect with Us:
Casper Jensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/casperj/
Morten Christensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenchr/
Marilag Svennevig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilag/
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43:30
Pilot Episode: The true value of Developer Experience with Rasmus Hald | The Shortcu.tt Podcast
In the pilot episode of Shortcu.tt, Morten, and Marilag are joined by Rasmus Hald to discuss the importance of developer experience (DX).
Rasmus shares insights from his extensive career at Microsoft, Maersk, and Lego, emphasizing the value of reducing toil and enhancing developer happiness. The conversation covers the significance of developer productivity, the SPACE framework for measuring DX, and the role of developer portals. Rasmus also provides practical advice on how organizations, regardless of size, can improve their developer experience and the benefits of a product-centric organization.
Key Points:
- Rasmus Hald's background and passion for developer experience.
- The importance of enhancing developer happiness.
- Explanation of the SPACE framework for measuring developer
productivity.
- The role of developer portals in improving discoverability and
transparency.
- Practical advice for organizations to start improving their developer
experience.
- The benefits of a product-centric organization.
Timestamp:
0:00 Introduction
4:00 How do you frame developer experience and its value?
9:00 How do you balance making developers happy?
14:10 Does it require a certain size for it to make sense?
22:14 What were the toughest challenges you had to overcome?
26:43 How important is a developer portal? Is it the first step?
Connect with Us:
Rasmus Hald - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmus-hald-33661b3/
Morten Christensen - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenchr/
Marilag Svennevig - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilag/
Follow Us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shortcu.tt/
Substack: https://www.shortcu.tt/
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shortcu-tt-podcast/id1778022854
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UYS8X1UnHpB4aHlDOmfRE?si=1f6f11eaa65c407b
This is your shortcut to developer experience, cloud architecture, product engineering and tech leadership. Hosted by Marilag Svennevig and Morten Christiensen.
Netherlands