Platform engineering means removing repeated friction without pretending every team works the same way.
I start by looking at the teams that raise the most support tickets against the platform. The useful signal is not only the ticket count. It is the shape of the repeated request. Are teams asking for the same permission change? The same pipeline fix? The same unclear deployment step?
Those patterns belong in the backlog, but they need honest labels. If a request cannot be completed without new headcount or a larger design change, it should be marked as deferred rather than quietly promised. Calling everything planned only creates disappointment later.
The next step is to review the list with the teams that use the platform. A platform backlog built away from users becomes another internal wishlist. The teams closest to the friction can usually tell which improvement would save real time and which one only looks tidy from the platform side.
To me, platform work is not about making a perfect internal product. It is about reducing the repeated work that stops delivery teams from moving safely.