Rethinking Developer Experience At T-Mobile: DevEx Vs Devprod, Exec Buy-in, And Developer Self-service Engineering Enablement By Abi Noda podcast

29:10

Brian Houck from Microsoft returns to discuss effective strategies for driving AI adoption among software development teams. Brian shares his insights into why the immense hype around AI often serves as a barrier rather than a facilitator for adoption, citing skepticism and inflated expectations among developers. He highlights the most effective approaches, including leadership advocacy, structured training, and cultivating local champions within teams to demonstrate practical use cases. Brian emphasizes the importance of honest communication about AI's capabilities, avoiding over-promises, and ensuring that teams clearly understand what AI tools are best suited for. Additionally, he discusses common pitfalls, such as placing excessive pressure on individuals through leaderboards and unrealistic mandates, and stresses the importance of framing AI as an assistant rather than a replacement for developer skills. Finally, Brian explores the role of data and metrics in adoption efforts, offering practical advice on how to measure usage effectively and sustainably. Where to find Brian Houck: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhouck/ • Website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/people/bhouck/ Where to find Abi Noda: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abinoda In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Intro: Why AI hype can hinder adoption among teams (01:47) Key strategies companies use to successfully implement AI (04:47) Understanding why adopting AI tools is uniquely challenging (07:09) How clear and consistent leadership communication boosts AI adoption (10:46) The value of team leaders ("local champions") demonstrating practical AI use (14:26) Practical advice for identifying and empowering team champions (16:31) Common mistakes companies make when encouraging AI adoption (19:21) Simple technical reminders and nudges that encourage AI use (20:24) Effective ways to track and measure AI usage through dashboards (23:18) Working with team leaders and infrastructure teams to promote AI tools (24:20) Understanding when to shift from adoption efforts to sustained use (25:59) Insights into the real-world productivity impact of AI (27:52) Discussing how AI affects long-term code maintenance (29:02) Updates on ongoing research linking sleep quality to productivity Referenced: DX Core 4 Productivity Framework Engineering Enablement Podcast DORA Metrics Dropbox Engineering Blog Etsy Engineering Blog Pfizer Digital Innovation Brown Bag Sessions – A Guide IDE Integration and AI Tools Developer Productivity Dashboard Examples…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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Gene Kim on developer experience and AI engineering 38:40

hace 16 días38:40

38:40

In this episode, we’re joined by author and researcher Gene Kim for a wide-ranging conversation on the evolution of DevOps, developer experience, and the systems thinking behind organizational performance. Gene shares insights from his latest work on socio-technical systems, the role of developer platforms, and how AI is reshaping the shape of engineering teams. We also explore the coordination challenges facing modern organizations, the limits of tooling, and the deeper principles that unite DevOps, lean, and platform engineering. Mentions and links: Phoenix Project Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System Wiring the Winning Organization ETLS Vegas Find Gene on LinkedIn Discussion points: (0:00) Introduction (2:12) The evolving landscape of developer experience (10:34) Option Value theory, and how GenAI helps developers (13:45) The aim of developer experience work (19:59) The significance of layer three changes (23:23) Framing developer experience (32:12) GenAI’s part in ‘the death of the stubborn developer” (36:05) GenAI’s implications on the workforce (38:05) Where Gene’s work is heading…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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Getting Airbnb’s Platform team to drive more impact: Reorganizing, defining strategy, and metrics 32:58

hace 6 weeks32:58

32:58

In this episode, Airbnb Developer Productivity leader Anna Sulkina shares the story of how her team transformed itself and became more impactful within the organization. She starts by describing how the team previously operated, where teams were delivering but felt they needed more clarity and alignment across teams. Then, the conversation digs into the key changes they made, including reorganizing the team, clarifying team roles, defining strategy, and improving their measurement systems. Mentions and links Follow Anna on LinkedIn For A deeper look into how our Engineers and Data Scientists build a world of belonging, check out The Airbnb Tech Blog Discussion points: (0:00) Intro (1:40) Skills that make a great developer productivity leader (4:36) Challenges in how the team operated previously (10:49) Changing the platform org’s focus and structure (16:04) Clarifying roles for EM’s, PM’s, and tech leads (20:22) How Airbnb defined its infrastructure org’s strategy (28:23) Improvements they’ve seen to developer experience satisfaction (32:13) The evolution of Airbnb’s developer experience survey…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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You have developer productivity metrics. Now what? 39:09

hace 8 weeks39:09

39:09

Many teams struggle to use developer productivity data effectively because they don’t know how to use it to decide what to do next. We know that data is here to help us improve, but how do you know where to look? And even then, what do you actually do to put the wheels of change in motion? Listen to this conversation with Abi Noda and Laura Tacho (CEO and CTO at DX) about data-driven management and how to take a structured, analytical approach to using data for improvement. Mentions and Links: Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 Laura’s developer productivity metrics course Discussion points: (0:00) Intro (2:07) The challenge we’re seeing (6:53) Overview on using data (8:58) Use cases for data-engineering organizations (15:57) Use cases for data - engineering systems teams (21:38) Two types of metrics - Diagnostics and Improvement (38:09) Summary…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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Leveraging sentiment data, driving org-wide action, and executive engagement 24:33

hace 11 weeks24:33

24:33

In this episode, David Betts, leader of Twilio’s developer platform team, shares how Twilio leverages developer sentiment data to drive platform engineering initiatives, optimize Kubernetes adoption, and demonstrate ROI for leadership. David details Twilio’s journey from traditional metrics to sentiment-driven insights, the innovative tools his teams have built to streamline CI/CD workflows, and the strategies they use to align platform investments with organizational goals. Mentions and links: Find David on LinkedIn Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 Ask Your Developer by Jeff Lawson, former CEO of Twilio Discussion points: (0:00) Introduction (0:49) Twilio's developer platform team (2:03) Twilio's approach to release engineering and CD (4:10) How they use sentiment data and telemetry metrics (7:27) Comparing sentiment data and telemetry metrics (10:25) How to take action on sentiment data (13:16) What resonates with execs (15:44) Proving DX value: sentiment, efficiency, and ROI (19:15) Balancing quarterly and real-time developer feedback…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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Rethinking developer experience at T-Mobile: DevEx vs devprod, exec buy-in, and developer self-service 31:56

hace 13 weeks31:56

31:56

Chris Chandler is a Senior Member of the Technical Staff for Developer Productivity at T-Mobile. Chris has led several major initiatives to improve developer experience including their internal developer portal, Starter Kits (a patented developer platform that predates Backstage), and Workforce Transformation Bootcamps for onboarding developers faster. Mentions and links: Follow Chris on LinkedIn Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 Listen to Decoder with Nilay Patel. Discussion points: (0:47) From developer experience to developer productivity (7:03) Getting executive buy-in for developer productivity initiatives (13:54) What Chris’s team is responsible for (17:02) How they’ve built relationships with other teams (20:57) How they built and got funding for Dev Console and Starter Kits (27:23) Homegrown solution vs Backstage…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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DX Core 4: 2024 benchmarks 28:20

hace 15 weeks28:20

28:20

In this episode, Abi and Laura dive into the 2024 DX Core 4 benchmarks, sharing insights across data from 500+ companies. They discuss what these benchmarks mean for engineering leaders, how to interpret key metrics like the Developer Experience Index, and offer advice on how to best use benchmarking data in your organization. Mentions and Links: DX core 4 benchmarks Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 Developer experience index (DXI) Will Larson’s article on the Core 4 and power of benchmarking data Discussion points: (0:42) What benchmarks are for (3:44) Overview of the DX Core 4 benchmarks (6:07) PR throughput data (11:05) Key insights related to startups and mobile teams (14:54) Change fail rate data (19:42) How to best use benchmarking data…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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DX Core 4: Framework overview, key design principles, and practical applications 36:59

hace 18 weeks36:59

36:59

In this episode, Abi and Laura introduce the DX Core 4, a new framework designed to simplify how organizations measure developer productivity. They discuss the evolution of productivity metrics, comparing Core 4 with frameworks like DORA, SPACE, and DevEx, and emphasize its focus on speed, effectiveness, quality, and impact. They explore why each metric was chosen, the importance of balancing productivity measures with developer experience, and how Core 4 can help engineering leaders align productivity goals with broader business objectives. Mentions and Links: Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 Laura’s developer productivity metrics course Discussion Points: (2:42) Introduction to the DX Core 4 (3:42) Identifying the Core 4's target audience and key stakeholders (4:38) Origins and purpose (9:20) Building executive alignment (14:15) Tying metrics to business value through output-oriented measures (24:45) Defining impact (32:42) Choosing between DORA, SPACE, and Core 4 frameworks…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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SPACE framework, PRs per engineer, AI research 32:14

hace 21 weeks32:14

32:14

In this episode, Brian Houck, Applied Scientist, Developer Productivity at Microsoft, covers SPACE, DORA, and some specific metrics the developer productivity research team is finding useful. The conversation starts by comparing DORA and SPACE. Brian explains why activity metrics were included in the SPACE framework, then dives into one metric in particular: pull request throughput. Brian also describes another metric Microsoft is finding useful, and gives a preview into where his research is heading. Mentions and links Connect with Brian on LinkedIn The SPACE of Developer Productivity: There's More to It Than You Think Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 DevEx in action DORA, SPACE, and DevEx: Which framework should you use? Discussion points (0:48) SPACE framework's growth and adoption (3:47) Comparing DORA and SPACE (6:30) SPACE misconceptions and common implementation challenges (9:34) Whether PR throughput is useful (15:13) Real-world example of using PR throughput (21:33) Talking about metrics like PR throughput internally (24:39) Where Brian’s research is heading…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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CTO buy-in, measuring sentiment, and customer focus 58:04

hace 23 weeks58:04

58:04

Click here to view the episode transcript. In this episode, Snowflake’s Gilad Turbahn, Head of Developer Productivity, and Amy Yuan, Director of Engineering, dive into how they elevated developer productivity to a top company priority. They discuss the pivotal role of Snowflake’s CTO, who personally invested over half his time to guide the initiative, and how leadership's hands-on involvement secured buy-in across teams. The conversation also explores the importance of collaboration between engineering and product management, and how measuring user sentiment helped them deliver meaningful, long-lasting improvements. Mentions and links Connect with Gilad and Amy on LinkedIn Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 Discussion Points (0:48) The need for a shift at Snowflake (3:59) Leadership involvement and prioritization of developer productivity (8:56) The partnership between engineering and product managers (20:01) From feature factory to customer outcome-focused development (27:36) Shifting measurement focus to user sentiment and customer outcomes (39:13) Gaining buy-in for sentiment metrics and tying them to business impact (51:11) How Snowflake’s CTO and volunteers accelerated developer productivity improvements.…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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Platform team challenges, realigning on DevEx, and change management 34:21

hace 25 weeks34:21

34:21

Click here to view the episode transcript. In this episode, Emanuel Mueller Ramos, Head of Developer Experience at Skyscanner, discusses the evolution of his team as they transitioned from focusing on frameworks and middleware to becoming a customer-centric, impact-driven organization. Emanuel details the strategies he used to gain stakeholder buy-in, why it's crucial to rethink traditional productivity metrics, and how they made a cultural shift to prioritize developer happiness and effectiveness. This conversation highlights the steps necessary to build a developer experience function that delivers meaningful impact. Mentions and links: Follow Emanuel on LinkedIn Measuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4 Discussion points: (1:14) The beginning of Skyscanner's developer productivity division (3:53) Gaining stakeholder buy-in and refocusing the teams (5:57) Redefining success metrics for developer productivity (8:57) Pitching the developer experience focus to leadership (17:26) Moving from frameworks to feedback loops (20:45) Fostering a customer-centric culture (23:20) Defining the collaboration between platform and developer experience teams (26:41) Choosing the right metrics for developer experience success (31:31) Risks and challenges ahead…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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Exploring Developer Productivity with AI: Insights from Airbnb, GitHub, and Jumio 35:25

hace 40 weeks35:25

35:25

Click here to view the episode transcript. In this week's episode, Abi is joined by industry leaders Idan Gazit from GitHub, Anna Sulkina from Airbnb, and Alix Melchy from Jumio. Together, they discuss the impact of GenAI tools on developer productivity, exploring challenges in measurement and enhancement. They delve into AI's evolving role in engineering, from overcoming friction points to exploring real-world applications and the future of technology. Gain insights into how AI-driven chat assistants are reshaping workflows and the vision for coding. Links: How to measure GenAI adoption and impact Timestamps: (2:58) Challenges of Measuring AI Productivity (6:02) Use cases for GenAI within the Airbnb developer organization (10:26) GitHub’s process for developing and testing new GenAI tools for developers (12:42) Driving GenAI adoption strategies at Airbnb (14:20) Research impact and productivity gains with GenAI tools at Airbnb (17:03) Copilot use cases surveyed among Jumio's developers (18:46) Challenges measuring impact of AI products at GitHub (21:33) Biggest gains of GenAI usage at Airbnb (24:19) Future opportunities in GenAI (30:31) Challenges in GenAI for developers…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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How SiriusXM revamped their platform and developer experience | Jared Wolinsky 40:58

hace 44 weeks40:58

40:58

Click here to view the episode transcript. In this week's episode, Abi welcomes Jared Wolinsky, Vice President of Platform Engineering at SiriusXM, to delve into the inner workings of platform engineering at SiriusXM. Jared sheds light on their innovative approach to prioritizing projects, emphasizing alignment with overarching business goals. They explore how these strategies boost developer speed and drive technological advancement within the organization. Links: When is the right time to establish a DevProd team report Timestamps: (1:39) SiriusXM's major rebuild (4:46) Challenges of building a platform during a major product revamp (7:22) Navigating trade-offs (10:06) Defining the ideal developer journey at SiriusXM (17:28) Navigating the path to a user-centric developer experience (23:05) Collaborating with leadership to iterate and gain approval (25:05) Balancing enablement and platform (28:28) Implementing a data-driven prioritization framework (34:29) Aligning projects with business goals…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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Developer Experience at American Express | Michelle Swartz (American Express) 45:00

hace 46 weeks45:00

45:00

Click here to view the episode transcript'. In this episode, Michelle Swartz, Vice president of Developer Enablement American Express, shares insights on improving developer experience. She discusses the creation of an onboarding bootcamp and the development of the AmEx Way Library for better knowledge management. Michelle explains how AmEx balances standardization and flexibility with the concept of Paved Roads. She also highlights the importance of measuring success, fostering community, and elevating the company's tech credibility. Mentions and links GenAI Guide Timestamps (5:45) Challenges of advocating for DevEx in non-tech companies (7:43) Importance of senior leadership buy-in for DevEx (9:58) Genesis of the DevEx organization and Jedi Council (12:12) Transition to a dedicated DevEx function (13:17) Formalizing investment in DevEx (18:02) Initial efforts and learning in improving DevEx (19:25) Using sentiment surveys to prioritize DevEx areas (27:26) Addressing knowledge management challenges (29:49) Balancing standardization and freedom in DevEx (36:21) Implementing Paved Roads: evolution vs. revolution…

Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

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DORA, SPACE, and DevEx: Choosing the right framework | Laura Tacho + Abi Noda 39:35

hace 48 weeks39:35