The Platform Owner’s Guidebook
Amazon Best Seller & Finalist 2021 Australian Business Book AWARDS.
Order the paperback here to receive a personalised copy.
The Platform Owner's Guidebook: How industry experts unlock value from enterprise software, is the new book from executive technology advisor Shane Williams. You'll likely know him from his podcast, Platform Diaries, and his decades of work guiding organisations through the complexity of platform implementation.
This book is for you if:
· You are under pressure from stakeholders to deliver results faster and increase the value from your platform.
· You worry that platform investments are expensive but offer limited returns.
· You are the owner or custodian of a platform and are wondering where to start.
The Platform Owner's Guidebook shows you how to maximise the value of your platform. You’ll discover how to build capability around your investment – the secret sauce that turns expensive licenses into exponential value.
Based on a framework Shane developed over twenty years working client side, the book explores the platform owner's journey with plenty of stories – the good, the bad and the ugly. It's full of real-world observations and applications from an author who deeply understands the challenges of platforms.
Book
What readers are saying…
“The Platform Owner’s Guidebook brings to light the key elements that are critical in launching, managing, and evolving a company’s platform and business capabilities. Shane does an incredible job of outlining the areas companies need to focus on to mature capabilities within their organization and deliver real value to their business.”
“Thank you for writing this book! I read constantly and have never seen or heard of a book that focuses on the platform owner. Hell, I’ve never even heard the label Platform Owner, and I think this is what makes the book so damned valuable.
It seems every business book I read is from the perspective of the consultant, product owner, CEO, founder, or developer – and never from the owner of the Platform. It’s a much-needed point of view.
The challenges, opportunities and benefits of owning a platform are really different from Product Owners.
Thank you for writing the book that’s missing from my bookshelf and giving us such incredible insight into the goals and motivations of the Platform Owner so I, as a Consulting Partner, can better align with them.”
“I couldn’t put it down, really great read! I think what people will gain is the practical application of theory. It’s not just a book of what to do right, but also what can happen if you don’t. What stood out for me was that each topic explains the problem and the theory of how to solve it – often with an easily understood model. This is made real through stories with the added value of lessons learned. It is a killer combination that makes the book really relatable.”
“Businesses too often lose momentum (and interest) at the implementation or rationalise stage of platform investment. Consistently keeping sight of, addressing and leveraging all six domains of Shane’s model for Platform Capability Maturity is essential to amplify the ROI.
Shane’s writing style, use of examples, stories, tips and models, and thought-provoking questions make this a very practical and useful guidebook. His reminder to recognise the role of culture and subculture in your platform strategy, and learning how to guide it, is essential.”
“So, you have contracted for, or inherited ownership of, one of the big application platforms like Workday or Salesforce and now have the challenge of getting the promised business value for your organisation.
Whatever stage you’re at, Shane Williams has some great advice for you in his new book, The Platform Owner’s Guidebook. He combines years of experience with appropriate research and distils both into pragmatic advice on achieving this value.
I particularly like Shane’s focus on team development to grow a sustainable organisation. Reading this book will be time well invested.”