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Platformification
Look It Up
Webster’s Dictionary defines “Platformification” as – OK, you got us. It’s not in Webster’s. Even Microsoft Word gives us the squiggly red line telling us we’re treading on dangerous ground. Wikipedia – no better. We got diverted to some articles about Mario Brothers and other games where characters jump around from platform to platform – not unlike embedded systems designers choosing and then abandoning various combinations of processors, operating system, and peripherals powering their creations.
Intel tried to stick us with the word “Platformization”, and we briefly considered that, but their definition – the combination of several chips into a standardized platform, is too specific. “Platforming” is apparently a long-recognized method for separating petroleum products during refining, so that one was out as well. We decided on “Platformification,” and a quick Google search validated our decision. Our hope, of course, is that Google will list this article among the authorities on Platformification soon enough, with Webster’s and the other Luddites to follow. So, with apologies to both Intel and the English Language – here we go.
Platformification is the polar opposite of “NIH” -- the Not Invented Here syndrome. We’ve all faced NIH in our engineering careers. Some engineers suffer from acute and seemingly incurable NIH. At home, if they want bread for a sandwich, they plant their own grain in the back yard, grind it with their own millstone, take yeast from their own culture… you get the idea. While this purist approach gives the engineer absolute control over the finished product, one has to look at the tradeoffs involved. Use of a commercially-produced flour would definitely reduce the effort involved in baking the bread. While the engineer would give up some control, the quality of flour produced by a company that specializes in that operation might also be higher.
In product design, the make-versus-buy decision is usually shrouded in accounting and finance language – what is the true total cost of building versus buying or licensing from a third party? Do you account for market window revenue lost if building takes longer than buying? (This factor can easily trump all your engineering-related costs, if you’re not careful.)
As engineers and marketers of technology products, however, we need to think from a different perspective. We need to pay particular attention to what value and innovation we bring to the table and how that innovation creates real differentiation in our product. Technology products, you see, are usually not commodities like flour, where consistency, quality, price, and availability are the driving factors. Technology thrives on the magic of product differentiation, and that is where we need to laser-focus our engineering efforts. [more]
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