I’ve spent a good chunk of my career working with developer tools, building platforms, and obsessing over how to make life easier for software engineers. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that developer productivity is more than just a metric—it’s the heartbeat of any organization building modern software. But here’s the catch: productivity isn’t about cranking out more lines of code. It’s about removing friction, cutting down on wasted time, and enabling developers to focus on solving real problems. And right now, in many organizations, developers are bogged down by complexity—ticket queues, fragmented workflows, and inconsistent tools. It’s no wonder teams are struggling to deliver value as fast as the business demands. So, let’s talk about how to fix that.
If you’ve read The Mythical Man-Month, you know the classic software engineering truth: there’s no silver bullet.
No single solution, tool, or approach will magically solve the challenges of software development. That reality is especially brutal when it comes to building integrated developer platforms.
Many organizations dream of boosting developer productivity and velocity with a slick platform, but the truth is hard to face: most companies aren’t even getting DevOps right yet. Ticket ops—the endless cycle of submitting requests for everything from a new environment to access to some critical tool—still dominates. Developers spend more time waiting than coding, and the idea of “you build it, you run it” feels like a pipe dream.
So, where do we go from here? Let’s look at the real pain points and the steps to build a developer platform that actually works.
The Reality of Enterprise Development
Let’s look at some common problems in enterprise development. Many teams talk about DevOps, but for most, it’s still just a goal. The idea of continuous delivery, self-service tools, and automation seems far away. Instead, developers often deal with a long process of waiting for tickets to be approved, which slows down their work and makes things frustrating.
Another issue is relying too much on new tools. A developer portal might look nice, but if your workflows are messy, it won’t fix the problem. Without automation, standard processes, and clear rules, a portal is just a prettier way to handle the same old struggles. Tools alone can’t solve deeper problems.
Lastly, many teams work in silos. Each team has its own favorite tools, libraries, and methods. This might feel like freedom, but it actually makes things harder. It leads to inconsistency, weak connections between systems, and makes onboarding new developers slow and difficult. Instead of helping teams move faster, these silos create delays and confusion.
What Does a “Reasonable” Platform Look Like?
The goal isn’t to build a perfect platform—it’s to make steady progress. A good developer platform helps teams get what they need quickly through self-service while still following company standards and best practices. It removes unnecessary steps and provides the right tools to empower developers without slowing them down.
A key part of this is enabling self-service. Developers shouldn’t have to open tickets for every small task. A strong platform lets them handle things on their own, such as setting up environments, deploying applications, or creating secure, production-ready boilerplate code. This isn’t just about automating tasks—it’s about getting rid of blockers so developers can focus on building software.
Another important piece is using golden paths and software templates. Golden paths are structured workflows that guide developers toward the best practices. When paired with software templates, they allow teams to quickly scaffold boilerplate code, ensure the use of approved frameworks and libraries, and reduce decision fatigue by eliminating unnecessary choices. Think of these as shortcuts to consistency and quality. By making the right way the easiest way, you create a system where teams naturally follow the standards.
Guardrails are also critical, but they’re not about restricting developers—they’re about protecting them. A well-designed platform includes automated checks for security, compliance, and performance, so developers don’t have to worry about accidentally missing something important. It provides built-in observability so developers can see what’s happening in production, and it comes with pre-approved infrastructure patterns to reduce risks. These guardrails allow teams to move quickly without breaking things, making it easier to innovate while staying safe.
The Limits of Developer Portals
Many organizations start with a developer portal, and that’s a good first step. A portal brings together documentation, templates, and workflows in one place, making it easier for teams to find what they need. But it’s important to remember that a portal by itself is not a full platform.
Without automation and integration, a portal is just a user interface sitting on top of the same old chaos. To truly improve how developers work, you need to build a platform that goes deeper. This means connecting the portal to infrastructure-as-code so developers can directly provision the resources they need. It means standardizing tools and processes across teams to cut down on complexity and confusion. And it means automating deployment pipelines so developers can focus on building software instead of spending time managing builds.
A Vision for a Fully-Integrated Platform
Imagine a developer platform that works like this: You start a new project with just a few clicks. A software template generates the app’s foundation, applies your company’s approved standards, and sets up a CI/CD pipeline automatically. If you need to run tests, the platform creates a containerized environment for you, complete with production-like data, so you can see how your application will perform in the real world.
Everything you need—security policies, observability tools, and scaling options—is built right into the platform. There’s no need to submit tickets or wait on other teams. Everything happens smoothly, without delays or unnecessary steps.
This might sound like a dream, but it’s achievable by using cloud-native development practices and the right tools. While Kubernetes might be one piece of the puzzle, the real focus is on the developer experience. Simplifying workflows, automating repetitive tasks, and giving developers the tools they need to do their best work is where the magic happens.
The Path Forward
Building a developer platform isn’t easy, but it can be done with the right approach. The first step is to focus on getting DevOps right. If your teams are still stuck in a cycle of ticket ops, you need to automate the basics before tackling anything more advanced.
Start small and simple. Create golden paths and templates for a few common workflows. This helps teams get started faster while following best practices. As you roll these out, gather feedback and improve them over time.
Integration is key. Your portal, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code need to work together as one system. This ensures that developers can move seamlessly between tasks without running into roadblocks or disconnected tools.
Most importantly, listen to your developers. The platform should address their real pain points, not just look good during a demo. The best solutions come from understanding what your teams actually need to work better.
For more practical insights on building these kinds of platforms, check out my talk on YouTube. In it, I break down how to architect and implement a developer platform that truly supports self-service, automation, and consistency, while addressing common challenges teams face.
There’s no silver bullet for building the perfect platform, but by taking it one step at a time, you can create something that helps your teams work faster, safer, and with less frustration.
