Platforms are everywhere. From the devices we use to the cars we drive, platforms enhance efficiency, drive innovation and reduce costs. In short, platforms are the backbone of modern software and they are integral to fostering innovation.
For modern organizations, a big part of achieving platform success is adopting a “platform mindset,” which means removing existing silos in the tech development process. Eliminating silos can create a unified technology ecosystem, accelerate product development and improve user experiences — however, transitioning to a platform mindset across an organization can be quite challenging.
At Capital One, engineers were facing challenges building platforms, and through informal conversations, they started sharing solutions — and this eventually led to a formal Platform Community of Practice (CoP). As the CoP was formalized, it expanded across divisions and types of roles, and today it is building out best practices for platform transformation across our organization. Through this process, we’ve learned that a CoP can play a crucial role in easing the platform mindset transition and providing a space for technologists to share best practices, solve problems and drive platform transformation.
Growing Pains
As organizations scale, they face the challenge of managing increasingly complex technology environments.
Multiple systems and tools are deployed to meet various needs, but these can create inefficiencies when they are not effectively integrated. Silos often emerge, creating barriers to communication and collaboration, which in turn hinders productivity.
One of the key advantages of unifying into a single platform is the elimination of arbitrary uniqueness: The variations in tools, processes and systems that arise when different teams use separate technologies to achieve similar goals. A single platform ensures that all teams work within a shared environment, promoting collaboration and enabling faster problem-solving.
This also facilitates quicker time-to-market. Teams share resources, tools and best practices, reducing the time and effort required to develop and deploy new products.
More than this, it enhances customer experiences. Seamless integration can create a smoother customer experience and it allows developers to focus on the fun part: Building new features rather than losing time managing fragmented systems.
Shifting to a Platform Mindset
Shifting to a platform mindset can be challenging because it requires more than just technological change — it demands a cultural shift where technologists must embrace new ways of working and collaborate across traditional boundaries.
That’s where a Community of Practice (CoP) can play a pivotal role in fostering a platform mindset. A CoP is a group of individuals with a common interest who come together to share knowledge, solve problems and promote best practices. It brings together people who are passionate about platforms, providing a structured environment for collaboration and learning.
These groups help solve new platform problems — but also stop companies from continuously needing to reinvent the wheel. The focus on knowledge sharing means that a CoP will help teams reuse solutions for platform problems that have already been solved elsewhere.
The goal of a CoP is to establish best practices that can be shared with the larger organization. They become force multipliers that lead their respective areas through the platform mindset change curve.
So, how can organizations establish an effective Platform CoP? Here are some best practices that I’ve gathered in my time leading the Platform CoP at Capital One:
- Define the Problem: Clearly articulate the challenges the organization faces and how a platform approach can address these challenges.
- Be Inclusive: Ensure that the CoP is open to all relevant stakeholders, including developers, engineers, product managers and others.
- Build a Backlog: Create a backlog of issues, ideas and opportunities that the CoP can tackle. This backlog provides a roadmap for the CoP’s activities and helps prioritize efforts.
- Establish Working Groups: Form working groups within the CoP to focus on specific areas or challenges. These groups can delve deeper into particular topics and drive progress more effectively.
- Regular Meetings: Maintain a regular meeting schedule with a prepared agenda to keep the CoP active and focused on relevant topics.
- Grow the CoP: Continuously promote the CoP within the organization to attract new members and ensure ongoing engagement.
We know success in the modern marketplace is fuelled by collaboration. By bringing together passionate individuals and enabling them to share best practices, CoPs help overcome the challenges of cultural change — empowering organizations to create cohesive tech ecosystems capable of driving efficiency and fostering continuous innovation.