Developer Productivity, Platform Engineering & Architecture with Dennis van de Laar
Beyond Coding24 Tammi 2024

Developer Productivity, Platform Engineering & Architecture with Dennis van de Laar

In this episode, Dennis and I and discusses his transition to Microsoft, the impact of developer productivity, and the evolution of the architect's role in tech. Tune in for insights on creating value in cloud-native technology and navigating the balance between autonomy and structured platform engineering.


Connect with Dennis van de Laar:

https://linkedin.com/in/dennis-van-de-laar-0374b4


References:

Pace-layered Application Strategy - https://www.gartner.com/en/information-technology/glossary/pace-layered-application-strategy


Jim Wilt - Five Pillars of IT Architecture - https://iasaglobal.org/Services/Public/TOPICS/Iasa_Five_Pillars_Presentation.aspx


Full episode on YouTube ▶️

https://youtu.be/UumRYf4WVsk

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OUTLINE

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:26 - Dennis worked with JP (Xebia NL MD)

00:01:03 - Executive Briefing Center

00:01:43 - How Dennis ended up at Microsoft

00:04:01 - Joining a team focussed on Cloud Native Technology

00:06:22 - Creating win-wins

00:08:36 - Focus on adding value

00:11:02 - Gartner's Pace-Layered Application Strategy

00:14:15 - Low code and innovation

00:17:15 - Low code has a bad rep

00:18:21 - Patrick's experience with GenAI

00:19:52 - The value of Microsoft Copilot

00:22:16 - Common customer productivity challenges

00:25:07 - Exploring Platform Engineering

00:26:41 - Developer Productivity linked to Innovation

00:28:25 - Losing autonomy with Platform Engineering

00:30:01 - Focus on Tech, People and Process

00:31:28 - Sharing experiences on way of working

00:33:42 - Letting go of your ideas

00:34:30 - The role of an architect is evolving

00:36:38 - Jim Wilt and human dynamics

00:38:57 - When to push and pull

00:41:51 - The best ideas don't always win

00:44:09 - Include people along your journey

00:45:36 - Final thoughts

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