[Initiative] Call for Contributors - Platforms Whitepaper Update (for completion by Kubecon EU)

[krumware]

Thank you for contributing to The Cloud Native Platform Engineering Community. We are planning several initiatives for the new year (2026) targeting Kubecon EU. This issue is representative of one of these initiatives and requests information from contributors who can dedicate time to developing artifacts and who have demonstrated practical experience related to the initiative's materials.

Initiative: Platform Engineering Whitepaper Update

Description

The Platforms Whitepaper https://cloudnativeplatforms.com/whitepapers/platforms/ has received a tremendous amount of feedback, and is widely referenced and used globally. As platform engineering has evolved, the whitepaper has remained incredibly relevant, but it does need updates.

This initiative will begin with an initial refresh to the Platforms Whitepaper with additions of key new content areas and updates to terminology reflecting recent industry practices (a "Minor" version update, NOT a "Major" version update). It will also kick off a series of regular updates, with each set of updates to be completed in subsequent 90 day timelines as set forth in guidance provided by the CNCF TOC.

This will be a separate initiative from the Platform Maturity Model updates. While there will be overlap, it is not expected (and not recommended) for core contributors to contribute actively to both initiatives simultaneously. Initiative Leads will not be shared across the two initiatives.

Timeline

December 2025 - Determine scoping of updates reasonably possible by Kubecon EU (March 23, 2026)
January 2026 - Begin updates.
March 2026 - Begin and complete reviews of content updates. Begin planning next phase of updates (next initiative). Complete content reviews with CNCF staff and TOC.
March 22, 2026 - Announce the release at Platform Engineering co-located day.

Contributor Acknowledgements

Levels of contribution will be evaluated by TCG Co-Organizers, sponsoring TAG/TAB group leads, and Initiative Leads, and will be reflected accordingly in acknowledgements.

Levels of Contribution / Contributor Expectations.

Initiative Leads - Coordinate and manage the initiative. Involved day to day.
Core Contributor - Provide material/measurable contribution. Participate regularly in discussions. Self-assign and complete work items in a timely manner.
Liason / Supporter - Provide feedback and help coordinate feedback with TAGs, projects, or other groups which may influence or support the resulting material. Provide helpful perspectives from other practices.
General Contributor - Provide meaningful feedback, comments, or other general contributions as time allows.

Call for Contributors

If you are interested in contributing to this initiative, please indicate your expected level of contribution, a very brief statement about your background/experience. Thank you!

[cmcga1125]

Hey everyone,
I'd love the opportunity to contribute to the white paper! I can commit to being involved as a Lead down; just let me know which role you all need most.

My Background:
For over eight years, I’ve been deeply involved in the Kubernetes and cloud-native ecosystem. I previously built platforms for major media brands like CNET, Metacritic, ZDNET, and GameSpot, and I have since applied that experience at Akamai, where I am currently developing our internal developer platform. Additionally, I've had the honor of speaking at KubeCon and have led the Cloud Native Louisville Community Group.

Thanks,
Corey McGalliard

[blixhavn]

Hey! My name is Øystein Blixhavn, and I'd love to contribute to this. I expect to be able to commit to being a core contributor.

Background:
After around seven years as a software developer and consultant, I pivoted to platform engineering in 2021, and have since been instrumental in the construction of three application platforms within the healthtech domain. I've passed the CKA and recently CNPE exams, and I'm very enthusiastic about the socio-technical aspects of platforms, regarding adoption, relationship with developers, sentiment etc.

[ChrisPlank]

Will be looking to align the text on contribution levels/expectations and acknowledgements with the new Initiative Participation and recognition policy just submitted as an issue:: #62

[vanshika622]

Hi everyone. My name is Vanshika Jain

I’d love to contribute to the Platform's Whitepaper update initiative.

I work as a DevOps engineer in Kubernetes, GitOps (Argo CD), Terraform, CI/CD, and AWS. I’m also actively involved in community learning, technical talks, and creating educational content around platform engineering and DevOps practices.

[cyberzed]

Stefan Daugaard Poulsen here, I'd love to help doing the whitepaper update. My engagement level should be able to be at the core contributor level.

My background is roughly 14 years as a software developer, before taking a tenure as a CTO for 5 years that lead to moving into pure platform engineering roles, though the CTO role had quite the flavor of platforming as well. I've been a local CNCF organizer for years now, and I was part of building the CNPA exam besides being a regular member of our meetings ever since I joined the group back at KubeCon Paris. My primary focus in my day to day job is pushing the value of platform as a product, and challenge a wide range of customers when they've more or less rebranded their ops teams into platform engineering.

[juhosyrjanen]

Hi everyone, Juho Syrjänen here! I would as well be very interested in contributing to the white paper as either a core or general contributor.

I have 10+ years of experience evolving from SysAdmin all the way to Platform Engineering, currently managing large-scale Kubernetes platform for the gaming industry. I've been quite active in the local CNCF community events here in Helsinki and Europe, too, and I'm now looking for more ways to give back and contribute.

[dumunari]

Hello everyone, I'd love to contribute to the Whitepaper. I can commit to any level of contribution, just let me know how I can help the most.

I've been working in IT for 10 years, focusing on Platform Engineering for the last 4. I'm currently a Staff Technical Product Manager in the Foundation Platform Area for the fintech Industry, with background as Tech Manager and Principal Engineer in other sectors including banking and a global market leader food & beverage, all leading Platform Engineering initiatives.
I'm also a Golden Kubestronaut, KCNA Exam Developer and acquired CNPA + CNPE certifications, both in Beta. I've also contributed to the Platform Engineering Maturity Model Assessment with some technical improvements and Brazilian Portuguese translation.

[wrkode]

Hello,

My name is William Rizzo, and I'd love to contribute to this White Paper.

My background:
Currently in the role of Strategy Lead in CTO office, I actively help organizations' stakeholders at any level, implement their Platform, Edge and AI initiatives at strategical and tactical level. In this role, I'm confronted with real world challenges that I believe can provide insight for what should be addressed in the upcoming year.

Kind Regards,
William

[abangser]

👋 I believe I have the bandwidth and background to contribute at the Contributor level for this (and offering Reviewer level for the maturity model is either/both are useful).

I have been a member of the original WG Platforms since Sept 2022 which included working on the original paper including final polishing and publishing. I then became a co-lead of the WG Platforms in June 2023 serving for 2 years before rotating. In those roles I saw what it takes to bring together diverse thoughts into a community supported document. I have been building platforms across domains and scales of companies for a number of years in roles as a consultant, end-user, and now vendor, again building a vision for diverse perspectives.

Looking forward to this initiative and helping any way I can!

[patelpayal]

Hello,

I am willing to contribute to whatever is needed for this initiative.

My background:

Since 2016, I have been working on the Kubernetes platform, delivering platform engineering solutions to my team, which encompass CI/CD, routing, and cluster management. My work includes the development of both the redis cluster operator and the node manager operator. I have experience managing/building production-grade Kubernetes clusters in on-premises environments, as well as on AWS EKS and GKE at scale. I have been a KubeCon speaker twice before.

[krumware]

Thank you everyone! I'm sending invitations to a slack channel today and gearing up other collaboration resources. Looking forward to getting this rolling asap.

[dlahn]

Hi, if not too late I'd be happy to be involved.

My name is Dave and I've been working in DevOps/SRE/Platforms for over 10 years. Very happy to contribute it any way I can.