Cheat sheet & self-check

Pick an answer to see if you got it, and why.

1. Q1. What makes technical debt persuasive to product owners and managers?

   1. ACalling it 'bad code'
   2. BIts measurable cost: incidents, on-call hours, slower delivery, risk from end-of-life versions
   3. CA longer list of items
   4. DRewriting everything
   Show answer

   B. Debt competes with features for time; it wins when its cost is expressed in the same terms as the features' value.

   From lesson 04 · Technical debt versus feature delivery

2. Q2. Why do many teams prefer a steady share of capacity over occasional 'debt sprints'?

   1. ADebt sprints are illegal
   2. BA steady share keeps debt from piling up, avoids negotiating every time, and keeps delivery predictable
   3. CIt's easier to hide debt work
   4. DDebt never needs dedicated time
   Show answer

   B. Debt sprints tend to be cancelled when deadlines loom; a standing allocation is agreed once and protected.

   From lesson 04 · Technical debt versus feature delivery

3. Q3. Which input is most often forgotten in platform roadmaps, and later causes fire drills?

   1. ANew features
   2. BMandatory work with fixed dates: Kubernetes version end of support, deprecated APIs, certificate and contract expiries
   3. CTeam lunches
   4. DDashboard colours
   Show answer

   B. Dated work doesn't move; if it isn't planned, it interrupts everything else when the date arrives.

   From lesson 05 · Building a platform roadmap

4. Q4. Why phrase roadmap items as outcomes rather than features?

   1. AIt sounds better
   2. BOutcomes (e.g. 'new service to production in under a day') say why the work matters and let the team choose the best way there
   3. CFeatures are not allowed
   4. DOutcomes need no measurement
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   B. An outcome keeps the roadmap honest: you can check whether it was achieved, not just whether something shipped.

   From lesson 05 · Building a platform roadmap

5. Q5. What is a golden path?

   1. AA mandatory framework
   2. BA supported, well-documented default way to build and run a service (template, pipeline, deployment, monitoring) that works on day one
   3. CA premium support tier
   4. DA network route
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   B. Golden paths make the recommended way the easiest way; teams may leave them, but most don't need to.

   From lesson 06 · Platform as a product: self-service and golden paths

6. Q6. How do guard-rails differ from gates?

   1. AThey're the same
   2. BGuard-rails enforce rules automatically (policies, quotas) so teams move without waiting; gates need a human approval for each change
   3. CGates are faster
   4. DGuard-rails are optional suggestions
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   B. Automated guard-rails give safety at the speed of self-service; humans review only the exceptions.

   From lesson 06 · Platform as a product: self-service and golden paths

7. Q7. Why start platform adoption with a pilot team?

   1. ATo avoid other teams
   2. BA willing team with a real problem gives fast feedback, a working example and a credible success story others trust more than the platform team's claims
   3. CPilots are cheaper
   4. DIt's required by policy
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   B. Peer evidence persuades better than presentations; the pilot also finds the platform's rough edges before the wider rollout.

   From lesson 07 · Driving platform adoption

8. Q8. A team refuses to migrate because 'our current setup works'. What is the most useful response?

   1. AEscalate immediately
   2. BFind out what they'd lose and what pain they do have, then offer help with the migration and something they gain right away
   3. CIgnore them
   4. DTurn off their setup
   Show answer

   B. Resistance usually has reasons: effort, risk, missing features. Address those, and make the switch cheaper than staying.

   From lesson 07 · Driving platform adoption