Enterprises that try to adapt to fast business changes have an endless combination of tools and strategies to consider—some of which only make a small impact. At the core, however, a platform ecosystem can be a central tool that supports transformation in meaningful ways.
A platform isn’t just about technology, but also people and processes. A platform ecosystem consists of a digital platform, a platform team that creates and manages
the platform as a product, and a platform community that helps the platform ecosystem thrive and fulfill a sustainable purpose.
The digital platform—which in many cases is a PaaS—becomes a focal point for transformation. A digital platform is a foundation that consists of self-service APIs, tools, services, knowledge, and support that are arranged as a compelling internal product.
Autonomous development and delivery teams can make use of the platform to deliver business functionality at a higher pace, with reduced coordination. And the enterprise’s digital platform can be used as an interface between different teams to improve communication and collaboration while reducing the need for lock-step coordination.
Used effectively, it can reduce the cognitive load on technical staff who are overburdened with delivery pressures and mounting technical debt, two of the many impediments to transformation. And it can encourage learning and new behaviors.