AA177 - What is a Platform Team? Roles, Responsibilities & Common Mistakes

Arguing Agile

In this episode of the Arguing Agile podcast, Enterprise Agile Coach Om Patel and Product Manager Brian Orlando dive into the often misunderstood concept of platform teams. They discuss:
- The definition and purpose of a platform team
- How platform teams differ from stream-aligned feature teams
- Key behaviors of effective platform teams
- Common anti-patterns and mistakes made with platform teams
- How platform teams enable greater business agility when implemented well
Whether you're a product manager, agile coach, or tech leader, understanding platform teams is critical for building high-performing organizations. Tune in to learn the do's and don'ts of platform teams.
0:00 Podcast Intro
0:11 Topic Intro: What is a Platform Team?
0:58 What is a Platform?
2:26 Stream-Aligned or Durable Teams
3:22 What the Platform Team Does
6:06 Good Behaviors: Collaboration
8:04 Good Behaviors: Fast Feedback Loops
9:57 Good Behaviors: Focus on Usability & Reliability
12:25 Bottcher's Points: the Source Article
16:36 Platform Confusion
19:15 Platform Team Product Management
21:17 Transferring or Sabotaging Cognitive Load
23:49 No Dedicated Platform Team
26:18 Customer Focus vs Platform Work
30:23 Normal (Platform) Business
32:13 Wrap-Up
platform team, platform as a product, stream-aligned teams, team topologies, cognitive load, business agility, product management, devops, enterprise agile
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Chapter

1. Podcast Intro (00:00:00)

2. Topic Intro: What is a Platform Team? (00:00:11)

3. What is a Platform? (00:00:58)

4. Stream-Aligned or Durable Teams (00:02:26)

5. What the Platform Team Does (00:03:22)

6. Good Behaviors: Collaboration (00:06:06)

7. Good Behaviors: Fast Feedback Loops (00:08:04)

8. Good Behaviors: Focus on Usability & Reliability (00:09:57)

9. Bottcher's Points: the Source Article (00:12:25)

10. Platform Confusion (00:16:36)

11. Platform Team Product Management (00:19:15)

12. Transferring or Sabotaging Cognitive Load (00:21:17)

13. No Dedicated Platform Team (00:23:49)

14. Customer Focus vs Platform Work (00:26:18)

15. Normal (Platform) Business (00:30:23)

16. Wrap-Up (00:32:13)