Platform as a Product: What, Why, and How?

What is Platform as a Product?

Platform as a Product (PaaP) is an approach where internal platforms are treated as evolving products with defined users (developers, operations teams) and lifecycles.

The platform is more than just a set of tools; it's a tailored solution that addresses business needs, continuously delivering value and aligning with organisational goals. This mindset differentiates platforms from short-term projects and focuses on long-term adaptability.

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Colin Humphreys explains that a platform as a product approach involves treating the platform like an internally recognised product with a brand. It’s designed with users in mind—primarily the app developers—who engage with the platform as part of their daily workflows. If done well, the platform becomes a brand they know and trust for building, shipping, and running applications.

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Why Treat Your Platform as a Product?

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When you build a platform as a product, you focus on creating a service that meets user needs. Your users (internal teams) should be at the centre, driving decisions about features and changes based on feedback.

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The product mindset ensures that the platform can evolve over time. Building for day one is easy, but managing a platform on day 2000 is much harder. A product-driven approach allows for continued adaptability, helping organisations to address changing requirements and scale effectively.

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Organisations often struggle with operational toil and complexity. PaaP encourages building reusable abstractions, helping internal teams focus more on delivering business value rather than reinventing the wheel. It avoids the inefficiency of multiple teams building separate platforms and creates consistency across the organisation.

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Treating your platform as a product democratises its use. Organisations can create a more robust and scalable platform by involving all relevant stakeholders (e.g., security, compliance, networking). This collaborative approach helps remove blockers and accelerates delivery.

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How to Implement Platform as a Product?

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1. Adopt a Product Mindset: Understand that your platform is not a fixed solution but a product that must evolve. Incorporate feedback from users, continuously adapt to their needs, and manage the platform's lifecycle. Recognise the need for product management skills in addition to engineering expertise.

2. Find the Right Abstractions: Not all solutions need to be built in-house. It is important to understand what’s unique to your organisation and leverage existing cloud services for standard, non-unique components. This avoids reinventing the wheel and focuses platform engineering efforts on what truly matters to your business.

3. Embrace Complexity: Real-world platforms are often built on "brownfield" infrastructures—complex systems with layers of legacy applications. PaaP acknowledges this complexity, helping teams integrate new services while maintaining old systems. By delivering a clear, consistent API, you enable both new and legacy resources to work together seamlessly.

4. Think Long-Term: Successful platforms require a long-term vision. What works on day one may not suffice on day 2000. Standardise platform components, organise processes and deliver services that evolve with user needs. Avoid the trap of treating the platform as a project with a fixed end date; it must be continuously maintained and iterated upon to stay relevant.