Hacking Your Manager: Positioning Platform Engineering Effectively

Discover strategies for effectively promoting platform engineering to management in this insightful 55-minute talk. Explore the decision-making processes of C-level executives and middle managers, understanding how they set priorities and execute strategies. Gain valuable insights from Kaspar von Grünberg, CEO of Humanitec and a pioneer in platform engineering, as he shares his decade-long experience in building Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs) at scale. Learn how to position platform engineering within your organization, navigate the strategy and execution phases, and address potential rescue missions. Understand the importance of mandates, incentives, operations, and competition in managerial decision-making. Acquire practical tips on communicating with managers, thinking backwards, prioritizing application developers, and addressing quality assurance concerns. Examine the value of platform engineering and its potential impact on your organization. By the end of this talk, you'll be equipped with the knowledge to effectively "hack" your managers and bring platform engineering to the forefront of their attention.

Introduction
Clevel executives
Middle managers
Strategy phase
Execution phase
Rescue mission
Mandate
Incentives
Operations
Competition
Key importance
Tell your manager
Think backwards
Application developers first
QA
Do we need managers
Platform mandate
External reference
Value of platform engineering
Conclusion