Platform EngineeringEXAMPLE SCENARIO
Golden paths for a growing engineering organization
This is an illustrative scenario describing how we typically approach this kind of engagement. It does not describe a specific client, and no results are claimed.
Challenge
A common pattern: as headcount grows, each team creates services differently. New services take a long time to reach production, and a small infrastructure team becomes a ticket queue.
Architecture
- Service templates that generate code, CI pipeline and deployment configuration
- Terraform modules for standard resources
- Argo CD for GitOps deployment to every environment
- A developer portal as the front door, listing ownership and docs
Approach
- Interview engineers to find the most painful journeys
- Build one golden path end to end — new service to production
- Measure adoption and feedback, then add the next path
- Migrate existing services opportunistically
Technology
Backstage · Terraform · Argo CD · GitHub Actions
Implementation
- Template repository with built-in observability and security scanning
- Reusable CI workflows
- Environment configuration repositories managed by Argo CD
- Portal catalog populated from service metadata
Intended outcome
The intended result is a self-service path where creating and deploying a new service is routine rather than a project, and the platform team works on a roadmap instead of tickets.
Lessons learned
- Start with the paths, not the portal
- Treat the platform as a product with real users
- Make the golden path the easiest option, not a mandate