Using HEAT Metrics to Bring Purpose to Platforms
Plus, how WhatsApp survives with 32 engineers, life wisdom from the creator of C++, killing off COBOL, and more.
In an industry buzzing with enthusiasm for Engineering Platforms, many are developed without a clear product vision, leading to poor adoption or even hindering organizational performance.
On this week’s episode of Dev Interrupted, cohost
talks with Simone Casciaroli, Head of Engineering at Onto. We first encountered Simone's insights at LeadDev New York and immediately knew he'd be the perfect guest to discuss how to build engineering platforms using the right metrics.Join us as Conor and Simone delve into the HEAT metrics and explore how they dovetail with established engineering standards like DORA. The episode rounds off with an engaging discussion about electric vehicle startup Onto.
“The truth is that sometimes when we build platform teams, I think we treat the platform almost like an ops team. So we target them with metrics that are actually metrics for the whole company.”
Episode Highlights:
(2:00) Are we building engineering platforms using the right metrics?
(9:00) Internal platform teams are on the rise
(14:00) How to think about output vs. outcome
(17:00) HEAT metrics
(27:00) SLOs and DORA
(29:45) Simone's work at Onto
(32:45) Future of electric vehicles
The Download
The Download is engineering leadership content we’re reading, watching, and attending that we think you might find valuable
1. How WhatsApp Was Able to Support 50 Billion Messages a Day With Only 32 Engineers
Jan Koum's vision for WhatsApp was to replace SMS, and with its staggering daily user growth, the company employed strategic engineering practices for scalability. This blog from
reveals how Jan and just 32 other engineers leveraged Erlang for server functionalities and built upon the open-source messaging server ejabberd while focusing solely on core messaging, eliminating feature creep, and conducting rigorous load testing.
2. Life Advice From The Creator of C++
In an overlooked interview, Bjarne Stroustrup, the creator of C++, delves into the significance of mastering skills beyond just coding for developers. Advocating for a well-rounded approach to professional growth, Stroustrup offered some invaluable advice and insights that should have ROI for novice and seasoned developers. Simply put, it’s an industry luminary offering real wisdom on how to upgrade your engineering journey.
This week’s Download is sponsored by “The Continuous Merge Guide to Merge Standards: A Free Guide To The Merge Standards That Empower Policy-As-Code In Elite Orgs.”
The Continuous Merge Guide to Merge Standards covers where CI/CD falls short, the importance of establishing merge standards on your team, and how LinearB workflow automation can help.
Inside, you'll find:
A breakdown of Continuous Merge philosophy and its many benefits
13 of our favorite merge standards that enforce quality and boost efficiency
Tactical advice on how to implement merge standards on your team
3. Did IBM Figure Out a Way to Finally Kill COBOL?
COBOL may be an enormous albatross around tech’s neck - with an insane amount of crucial government services still built on the legacy language. IBM has unveiled an innovative AI-powered solution that effortlessly translates legacy COBOL code into modern Java. Addressing the industry's persistent challenge of outdated systems, IBM’s breakthrough promises a streamlined transition for enterprises clinging to ancient architecture.
Read: IBM Taps AI to Translate COBOL Code to Java
4. Is The Solution To Engineering’s Skills Gap Found In Smaller Teams?
Are you navigating the ongoing challenges of the developer skills landscape? This article proposes an intriguing solution: the power of smaller, tight-knit teams. A fascinating argument for anyone in charge of leading small, medium, or large engineering teams, this piece makes a case for why a more compact team structure might be the refined approach you need.
Read: My Solution to the Dev Skills Crisis - Much Smaller Teams
5. Predicting Where AI Will Be in 5 years? 10 years? 15 Years?
If you’re wondering how AI will affect your career in the coming years, there’s probably no better person to ask than CodiumAI’s CEO, Itamar Friedman. In this clip, Itamar forecasts how developers will increasingly harness AI as an indispensable tool.
Thank you for including my post!