Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

DX
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Engineering Enablement by Abi Noda

This is a weekly podcast focused on developer productivity and the teams and leaders dedicated to improving it. Topics include in-depth interviews with Platform and DevEx teams, as well as the latest research and approaches on measuring developer productivity. The EE podcast is hosted by Abi Noda, the founder and CEO of DX (getdx.com) and published researcher focused on developing measurement methods to help organizations improve developer experience and productivity.

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

    MAR 7

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

    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 LinkedInFor A deeper look into how our Engineers and Data Scientists build a world of belonging, check out The Airbnb Tech BlogDiscussion 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

    33 min
  2. You have developer productivity metrics. Now what?

    FEB 22

    You have developer productivity metrics. Now what?

    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 4Laura’s developer productivity metrics courseDiscussion 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

    39 min
  3. Leveraging sentiment data, driving org-wide action, and executive engagement

    JAN 31

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

    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 LinkedInMeasuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4Ask Your Developer by Jeff Lawson, former CEO of TwilioDiscussion 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

    25 min
  4. Rethinking developer experience at T-Mobile: DevEx vs devprod, exec buy-in, and developer self-service

    JAN 22

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

    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 LinkedInMeasuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4Listen 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

    32 min
  5. DX Core 4: 2024 benchmarks

    JAN 8

    DX Core 4: 2024 benchmarks

    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 benchmarksMeasuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4Developer experience index (DXI)Will Larson’s article on the Core 4 and power of benchmarking dataDiscussion 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

    28 min
  6. DX Core 4: Framework overview, key design principles, and practical applications

    12/12/2024

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

    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 4Laura’s developer productivity metrics courseDiscussion 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

    37 min
  7. SPACE framework, PRs per engineer, AI research

    11/26/2024

    SPACE framework, PRs per engineer, AI research

    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 LinkedInThe SPACE of Developer Productivity: There's More to It Than You ThinkMeasuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4DevEx in actionDORA, 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

    32 min
  8. CTO buy-in, measuring sentiment, and customer focus

    11/12/2024

    CTO buy-in, measuring sentiment, and customer focus

    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 LinkedInMeasuring developer productivity with the DX Core 4Discussion 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.

    58 min
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    About

    This is a weekly podcast focused on developer productivity and the teams and leaders dedicated to improving it. Topics include in-depth interviews with Platform and DevEx teams, as well as the latest research and approaches on measuring developer productivity. The EE podcast is hosted by Abi Noda, the founder and CEO of DX (getdx.com) and published researcher focused on developing measurement methods to help organizations improve developer experience and productivity.

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