12 min, 1,445 words
Summary: Choosing the right platform engineering partner is about aligning with your goals, adding measurable value with advanced capabilities like rules-based AI, and acting as a force multiplier for your team.
- The best platform engineering partners have more than just tech expertise – they’re laser-focused on generating quantifiable results and driving value for your business.
- Clear communication, shared operating mindset, and cultural alignment will help ensure a stronger, longer-term business relationship with your platform engineering partner.
- Don’t get dazzled by trendy technologies; find a partner who prioritizes scalability, stability, consistency, minimizing risk, and maximizing ROI.
When you’re selecting a platform engineering partner, you’re not just looking for technical talent—you’re looking for a partner who creates value, aligns with your goals, and acts as a force multiplier for your team. Think of it this way: R&D exists to drive value for you, for your customers, and for your marketplace. It’s not about blindly building software; it’s about creating real business impact that supports your product teams, DevOps teams, and operations teams alike.
But how do you determine who’s right for you?
It starts by looking from the outside in. This isn’t about finding the flashiest solution or the one with the biggest promises. It’s about finding a partner who truly “gets” what you’re trying to build and has the expertise to make the right tech-, process-, and architectural decisions that will deliver the reliable revenue-generating machine you need and want.
Let’s dive into the five critical areas to look for in a potential partner.
1. Assess Technical Expertise
How do you know if a partner truly has the technical expertise to support your goals?
First and foremost, the right platform engineering partner will have a proven record of success that aligns with your needs. Look at their history and ask, “Does their past work demonstrate the type of value I’m looking to create?” This is about looking from the outside in—who will bring the most business value to you in a way that’s easy for you to deliver to the market?
When evaluating expertise, you want to create a scorecard that helps you measure their impact on four key areas:
- Revenue Retention
- Net New Revenue
- Cost Reduction
- Lifetime Total Value
If they can show you how they’ve delivered on these four areas in the past, you’re looking at a solid partner. If they can’t, you risk wasting time and resources. Engineering is about driving value creation through platform engineering–with tools and methods that align with your needs. Look for case studies and proven results that demonstrate these outcomes. Remember, it’s not just about whether they can code; it’s about whether they create measurable value.
To truly support your business goals, your R&D partner should take an active role in guiding your internal platform engineering team and following a systematic approach to value creation. Ask yourself: “What are they doing in terms of AI, machine learning, and automation? Are they using the right technology and frameworks to maximize value creation for you?”
Here are some additional considerations:
- Broad Expertise in Engineering Disciplines: A valuable R&D partner isn’t just skilled in writing code—they bring expertise across the board. This includes product design, frontend and backend engineering, DevOps, training, and knowledge of the latest technology platforms. They need to approach each area with a value-driven mindset.
- A Consistent Playbook for Value Creation: Look for partners who bring consistency to their work. Do they have a structured, standardized approach or “playbook” for value creation? Are they mentoring their own teams to ensure growth and continual improvement? A reliable playbook signals that they’re focused on the bigger picture—building capabilities that create business value.
- A Commitment to Automation and Rules-Based AI: Look for partners who embrace a smart approach to automation, rules-based AI, and machine learning. The right platform engineering partners won’t use AI as a buzzword or try to tack on AI to processes where it doesn’t belong. Instead, true leaders in adopting AI for platform engineering will be able to demonstrate a rigorous thought process and clear use cases for how they’re integrating machine learning and rules-based AI capabilities. When platform engineering partners are using automation and AI the right way, these tools should already be driving ROI by reducing the time and effort required to get the job done. You want a partner who’s always trying to get you to your destination as quickly and safely as possible–not taking you for a ride along the scenic route…
Bottom Line: Your partner’s R&D prowess should directly drive business value in ways that are easily deliverable to the market. If they cannot deliver quantifiable results, you may lose time and opportunities.
2. Ensure Business Alignment
How do you know if a partner understands your business goals and can align with them?
Business alignment goes deeper than technical alignment. This is about a partner’s ability to operate in sync with your company’s strategic framework and long-term goals. They should add consistent value to your developer experience and support your product managers in meeting core objectives. A great way to evaluate this is to look for shared frameworks.
For instance, if you’re running on EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) or following the Rockefeller Habits, you want a partner who uses the same or similar methodologies. This level of alignment makes it easier for both teams to communicate, manage expectations, and create value together.
Ask yourself, “Do they understand how we define and create business value?” If they’re familiar with your framework, communication becomes seamless. If you think in terms of quarterly rocks, for example, and your partner does, too, that compatibility makes for a far smoother collaboration and better alignment with your business strategy.
Bottom Line: A partner with a shared operating mindset enables smoother communication and expectation management, setting the foundation for long-term success.
3. Prioritize Long-Term Scalability and Stability
What should you look for to ensure your platform will remain scalable and reliable over time?
If your goal is to find a long-term platform engineering partner, you need to know if they can scale with you and the demands of your internal platforms. Are they just a tactical resource, or do they have a track record of staying with clients for the long haul? For example, if you’re looking for a 10-year partnership, find out if they’ve maintained other client relationships for that long. Their average engagement length will tell you a lot.
You also want to make sure they’re not just adding “bodies” to projects but truly thinking about how their solutions will scale and support future growth. Are they focused on maximizing lifetime total value, not just extracting short-term revenue?
The best partners recognize that if they maximize value creation for you, they’ll win in the long run, too. That’s the kind of partner you want.
Bottom Line: A partner invested in long-term relationships will prioritize scalability and understand how technical decisions impact future growth.
4. Evaluate Communication and Collaboration
What makes a partner easy to collaborate with, both technically and culturally?
Communication and cultural fit are crucial to a successful partnership. You want a partner who values direct, open communication, ideally in your time zone and native language. It’s one thing to have one or two points of contact at a partner organization, but it’s entirely different if the partner limits your access to the people actually doing the work. If they keep their technical team at a distance, that’s a red flag.
A good partner will prioritize transparency and treat you as an equal collaborator. They’ll ensure that everyone on the project is aligned and that you have direct access to their team when needed. This level of transparency reduces risk and keeps the project on track. Remember, great platform engineers exist all over the world, but if they can’t communicate effectively with you, their value drops significantly. The risk is too high if your partner isn’t fully accessible and transparent.
Bottom Line: Choose a partner who is culturally aligned and prioritizes clear, direct communication with your team.
5. Consider Risk Mitigation and ROI
How do you evaluate if a partner will help reduce risks and increase ROI?
One often overlooked factor is a partner’s approach to consistency and risk management. Mature partners understand that chasing the latest tech trends isn’t always the best way to create lasting value. Instead, they recognize the importance of architectural consistency and avoiding technology fragmentation.
For example, it might be tempting to build each new software component on the “latest and greatest” technology. But if your partner doesn’t take a disciplined approach, it’s a recipe for disaster. A mature partner knows that introducing too many new technologies can create technical debt and fragment your architecture, ultimately reducing your platform’s value.
Ask your potential partners about their approach to consistency. Are they focused on creating a stable, unified architecture that minimizes long-term risks? The best partners are strategic—they’re as invested in your long-term success as you are.
Bottom Line: Look for a partner who prioritizes stability, consistency, and ROI over the allure of trendy technologies. This maturity reflects a partner’s dedication to sustainable growth and minimized risk.
Final Thoughts
When it comes down to it, selecting the right platform engineering partner is like building a winning sports team. You’re not just picking players; you’re choosing the coach, the playbook, the equipment, and the support staff who make it all possible. If your current setup isn’t delivering the value you need, it may be time to bring in new support.
We’ve spent over 25 years helping our clients build platforms that deliver real business impact. If you’re ready to work with a partner who aligns with your goals and is committed to helping you create lasting value, let’s talk!