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The platform play: How to operate like a tech company

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Summary

This article discusses how companies in various industries can operate and innovate like tech companies by utilizing platform-based IT. This involves reorganizing IT into a set of modular "platforms," managed by accountable platform teams, that are run as individual services and that can be swapped in and out. This type of IT setup enables companies to move quickly, fail and learn fast, and scale more flexibly than their competitors. The article also outlines the four steps necessary to take a platform-based approach, from assessing the platform portfolio to setting up the initial platform teams and Mission Control to transforming platforms to managing through the executive committee.

Q&As

What distinguishes tech companies from other companies?
What distinguishes tech companies from other companies is that their technology allows them to move faster, more flexibly, and at greater scale than their competitors.

What is the concept of mission control?
Mission Control is a capability with the resources and authority to lead and manage across platforms in three ways: making strategic and allocation decisions, setting and enforcing standards for speed and interoperability, and managing and coordinating programs that cut across platforms.

What is a platform-based company?
A platform-based company is one that operates as a set of modular platforms, run by accountable platform (or product) teams. Each platform consists of a logical cluster of activities and associated technology that delivers on a specific business goal and can therefore be run as a business, or “as a service.”

What are the key steps to take in order to become a platform-based company?
The key steps to take in order to become a platform-based company are to assess the fitness of the platform portfolio, set up the initial platform teams and Mission Control, transform platform by platform, and manage through the executive committee.

How can IT be used to accelerate and innovate?
IT can be used to accelerate and innovate by organizing IT around a set of modular “platforms,” run by accountable platform (or product) teams, working in an agile manner, setting and enforcing standards for speed and interoperability, and managing and coordinating programs that cut across platforms.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides a comprehensive guide to how to make the transition to become a platform-based company, with clear steps and advice on how to set up the initial platform teams and Mission Control, as well as how to manage through the executive committee.

👎 The article does not provide any real-world examples or case studies of companies that have already adopted a platform-based approach, which would have been useful in providing more concrete insights.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about how businesses can operate like tech companies and the benefits they can gain from a platform-based approach. It talks about how setting up platform teams and mission control, assessing the fitness of the platform portfolio, transforming platform by platform, and managing through the executive committee are all important for companies looking to adopt this approach.

Friend: That's really interesting. What sort of implications does this have for businesses?

Me: Well, I think it means that businesses need to be more agile and flexible if they want to keep up with the tech companies. They need to be able to quickly adapt to changes and develop platforms that are easy to use. It also means that businesses need to invest more in data analytics and cloud technology, as well as invest in their IT infrastructure and staff. Finally, they need to have strong executive leadership and a team of people that can work together to manage the transition.

Action items

Research and stay up to date on the latest trends in platform-based IT and digital transformation.
Develop a plan to assess the fitness of your company's platform portfolio.
Create a Mission Control team to manage and coordinate programs that cut across platforms.

Technical terms

Platform: A logical cluster of activities and associated technology that delivers on a specific business goal and can be run as a service.
Agile: A working model that enables teams to move quickly on priority business initiatives and to allocate resources to make that happen.
Mission Control: A capability with the resources and authority to lead and manage across platforms in three ways: making strategic and allocation decisions, setting and enforcing standards for speed and interoperability, and managing and coordinating programs that cut across platforms.
Design Thinking: A focus on the user experience through design thinking and digitization/automation.
Application Programming Interfaces (APIs): Interfaces based on established standards that allow code to be easily swapped out and replaced.
Executive Committee: A committee that enforces the big decisions, sets a high business bar for transformation goals, and mediates all group-level issues.