Organisational Sustainability with Platform Engineering

This 41-minute conference talk from GOTO Chicago 2024 features Lesley Cordero, Staff Software Engineer and Tech Lead at The New York Times, exploring how Platform Engineering can drive organizational sustainability. Discover how engineering organizations can overcome the consequences of prioritizing short-term gains over long-term stability. Learn about the three key components of sustainable platform engineering: DevOps-based sociotechnical principles, robust support structures that enable faster delivery, and standardized shared architecture. The presentation walks through defining sustainability in engineering contexts, platform engineering fundamentals, cultural considerations, automation strategies, measurement approaches, and communal support systems. Explore platform architecture principles, common design tensions, and a framework for building effective platforms that empower product engineers. Through practical case studies covering development, delivery, production readiness, and observability, gain concrete insights into implementing platform engineering practices that reduce technical debt, improve retention, and mitigate business risk.