Build­ing a Prod­uct-Led Mind­set for Plat­forms Engineering

The Problem

# Enhancing Product Strategy to Meet Evolving Business Demands

A major technology company's platforms engineering team struggled to position itself as a trusted advisor to internal business units during a period of rapid digital transformation. Limited product management maturity and poor visibility into offerings made it difficult to consistently deliver value and align services with evolving business needs. Propeller was brought in to assess the current state, streamline the product portfolio, and establish a product-led strategy to enhance customer focus and operational efficiency.

Our Approach

# Creating a Roadmap for Product Management Maturity

Propeller conducted a thorough current-state evaluation of the tools and services managed by the platforms engineering team, focusing on internal "customers." This involved interviews with 33 product owners and a detailed review of existing documentation. Through this evaluation, 341 active products and services were cataloged, and 99 core offerings were selected for a product health pilot.

An adaptable scorecard was created to assess how well each product aligned with organizational priorities and product management best practices. The scorecard identified key risks and opportunities, which informed the creation of a custom maturity model for guiding future growth. Additionally, Propeller developed a "product management in a box" toolkit and built an intranet site to lay the foundation for a Product Management Center of Excellence (CoE).

# Services Provided

• Actionable Recommendations
• Business & Operating Model Strategy
• Maturity Model Evaluation
• Product Management

Value Delivered

# A Unified Portfolio and a Roadmap to Maturity

The platforms engineering team emerged with a clear "build, operationalize, optimize" strategy for developing a customer-oriented, product-led value proposition. For the first time, they had a unified view of their entire product portfolio, enabling them to address data gaps and assess product health. This new visibility allowed them to evaluate alignment with organizational priorities better and measure progress against a custom maturity model.