Posts Tagged ‘SoftwareDelivery’
[RivieraDev2025] Dhruv Kumar – Platform Engineering + AI: The Next-Gen DevOps
At Riviera DEV 2025, Dhruv Kumar delivered an engaging presentation on platform engineering, a discipline reshaping software delivery by addressing modern development challenges. Stepping in for Silva Devi, Dhruv, a senior product manager at CloudBees, explored how platform engineering, augmented by artificial intelligence, streamlines workflows, enhances developer productivity, and mitigates the complexities of cloud-native environments. His talk illuminated the transformative potential of internal developer platforms (IDPs) and AI-driven automation, offering a vision for a more efficient and secure software development lifecycle (SDLC).
The Challenges of Modern Software Development
Dhruv began by highlighting the evolving responsibilities of developers, who now spend only about 11% of their time coding, according to a survey by software.com. The remaining time is consumed by non-coding tasks such as testing, deployment, and managing security vulnerabilities. The shift-left movement, while intended to empower developers by integrating testing and deployment earlier in the process, often burdens them with tasks outside their core expertise. This is compounded by the transition to cloud environments, which introduces complex microservices architectures and distributed systems, creating navigation challenges and integration headaches.
Additionally, the rise of AI has accelerated software development, increasing code volume and tool proliferation, while supply chain attacks exploit these complexities, demanding constant vigilance from developers. Dhruv emphasized that these challenges—fragmented workflows, heightened security risks, and tool overload—necessitate a new approach to streamline processes and empower teams.
Platform Engineering: A Unified Approach
Platform engineering emerges as a solution to these issues, providing a cohesive framework for software delivery. Dhruv defined it as the discipline of designing toolchains and workflows that enable self-service capabilities for engineering teams in the cloud-native era. Central to this is the concept of an internal developer platform (IDP), which integrates tools and processes across the SDLC, from coding to deployment. By establishing a common SDLC model and vocabulary, platform engineering ensures that stakeholders—developers, QA, and security teams—share a unified understanding, reducing miscommunication and enhancing actionability.
Dhruv highlighted three pillars of effective platform engineering: a standardized SDLC model, secure best practices embedded in workflows, and the freedom for developers to use familiar tools. This last point, supported by a Forbes study from September 2023, underscores that happier developers, using tools they prefer, complete tasks 10% faster. By fostering collaboration and reducing context-switching, platform engineering creates an environment where developers can focus on innovation rather than operational overhead.
AI as a Catalyst for Optimization
Artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in amplifying platform engineering’s impact. Dhruv explained that AI’s value lies not in generating code but in filtering noise and optimizing practices. By leveraging a robust SDLC data model, AI can provide actionable insights, provided it is fed high-quality data. For instance, AI-driven testing can prioritize time-intensive issues, streamline QA processes, and run only relevant tests based on code changes, reducing costs and feedback cycles. Dhruv cited examples like AI agents identifying vulnerabilities in code components or assessing risks in production ecosystems, automating fixes where appropriate.
He also introduced the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard that enables applications to provide context to large language models, enhancing AI’s ability to deliver precise recommendations. From troubleshooting CI/CD pipelines to onboarding new developers, AI, when integrated with platform engineering, empowers teams to address bottlenecks and scale efficiently in a cloud-native world.
Empowering Developers and Securing the Future
Dhruv concluded by emphasizing that platform engineering, bolstered by AI, re-engages all actors in the software delivery process, from developers to leadership. By normalizing data across tools and providing metrics like DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment), IDPs offer visibility into bottlenecks and investment opportunities. This holistic approach not only secures the tech stack against supply chain attacks but also fosters a culture of productivity and developer satisfaction.
He encouraged attendees to explore CloudBees’ platform, which exemplifies these principles by breaking free from traditional platform limitations. Dhruv’s call to action urged developers to adopt platform engineering practices, leverage AI for optimization, and provide feedback to refine these evolving methodologies, ensuring a future where software delivery is both efficient and resilient.
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[DevoxxPL2022] Data Driven Secure DevOps – Deliver Better Software, Faster! • Raveesh Dwivedi
Raveesh Dwivedi, a digital transformation expert from HCL Technologies, captivated the Devoxx Poland 2022 audience with a compelling exploration of data-driven secure DevOps. With over a decade of experience at HCL, Raveesh shared insights on how value stream management (VSM) can transform software delivery, aligning IT efforts with business objectives. His presentation emphasized eliminating inefficiencies, enhancing governance, and leveraging data to deliver high-quality software swiftly. Through a blend of strategic insights and a practical demonstration, Raveesh showcased how HCL Accelerate, a VSM platform, empowers organizations to optimize their development pipelines.
The Imperative of Value Stream Management
Raveesh opened by highlighting a common frustration: business stakeholders often perceive IT as a bottleneck, blaming developers for delays. He introduced value stream management as a solution to bridge this gap, emphasizing its role in mapping the entire software delivery process from ideation to production. By analyzing a hypothetical 46-week delivery cycle, Raveesh revealed that 80% of the time—approximately 38 weeks—was spent waiting in queues due to resource constraints or poor prioritization. This inefficiency, he argued, could cost businesses millions, using a $200,000-per-week feature as an example. VSM addresses this by identifying bottlenecks and quantifying the cost of delays, enabling better decision-making and prioritization.
Raveesh explained that VSM goes beyond traditional DevOps automation, which focuses on continuous integration, testing, and delivery. It incorporates the creative aspects of agile development, such as ideation and planning, ensuring a holistic view of the delivery pipeline. By aligning IT processes with business value, VSM fosters a cultural shift toward business agility, where decisions prioritize urgency and impact. Raveesh’s narrative underscored the need for organizations to move beyond siloed automation and embrace a system-wide approach to software delivery.
Leveraging HCL Accelerate for Optimization
Central to Raveesh’s presentation was HCL Accelerate, a VSM platform designed to visualize, govern, and optimize DevOps pipelines. He described how Accelerate integrates with existing tools, pulling data into a centralized data lake via RESTful APIs and pre-built plugins. This integration enables real-time tracking of work items as they move from planning to deployment, providing visibility into bottlenecks, such as prolonged testing phases. Raveesh demonstrated how Accelerate’s dashboards display metrics like cycle time, throughput, and DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment) indicators, tailored to roles like developers, DevOps teams, and transformation leaders.
The platform’s strength lies in its ability to automate governance and release management. For instance, it can update change requests automatically upon deployment, ensuring compliance and traceability. Raveesh showcased a demo featuring a loan processing value stream, where work items appeared as dots moving through phases like development, testing, and deployment. Red dots highlighted anomalies, such as delays, detected through AI/ML capabilities. This real-time visibility allows teams to address issues proactively, ensuring quality and reducing time-to-market.
Enhancing Security and Quality
Security and quality were pivotal themes in Raveesh’s talk. He emphasized that HCL Accelerate integrates security scanning and risk assessments into the pipeline, surfacing results to all stakeholders. Quality gates, configurable within the platform, ensure that only robust code reaches production. Raveesh illustrated this with examples of deployment frequency and build stability metrics, which help teams maintain high standards. By providing actionable insights, Accelerate empowers developers to focus on delivering value while mitigating risks, aligning with the broader goal of secure DevOps.
Cultural Transformation through Data
Raveesh concluded by advocating for a cultural shift toward data-driven decision-making. He argued that while automation is foundational, the creative and collaborative aspects of DevOps—such as cross-functional planning and stakeholder alignment—are equally critical. HCL Accelerate facilitates this by offering role-based access to contextualized data, enabling teams to prioritize features based on business value. Raveesh’s vision of DevOps as a bridge between IT and business resonated, urging organizations to adopt VSM to achieve faster, more reliable software delivery. His invitation to visit HCL’s booth for further discussion reflected his commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue.