Open Source Ninja

The Consulting Playbook: Platform Fundamentals

02 Feb 2025 · 5 min read

When we start a new engagement, we look for a few platform fundamentals before anything else. These basics help teams move faster without creating new operational risks.

The checklist

  • Map the delivery path from commit to production
  • Identify the top three reliability risks
  • Standardize environment provisioning
  • Confirm you can roll back in under 10 minutes

A quick matrix

Focus area Signal Typical fix
Build Long queue times Parallelize CI
Deploy Manual approvals Define progressive rollout
Observability Missing alerts Instrument service SLOs

Mermaid snapshot

flowchart TD
    A[Commit] --> B[CI]
    B --> C[Deploy]
    C --> D[Observability]

Next step

Once these are stable, we can start the higher-leverage work: self-service workflows, paved roads, and focused education for the teams that operate the platform every day.