Every engineering team pays a tax. The question is: how much?

In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke spotlight the unspoken, underestimated cost of audit prep, compliance checklists, and spreadsheet-driven project tracking - the administrative tax.

Administrative tax is the accumulation of compliance requirements, audit demands, spreadsheet sprawl, and redundant manual workflows that keep smart people from doing the work they were actually hired to do.

If you’re a CTO or engineering leader aiming to operationalize strategy while scaling cleanly, this episode offers a data-driven roadmap.

Top Takeaways:

• The administrative tax is a significant burden on organizations
• Regulatory pressures have intensified in recent years, impacting operational efficiency
• Perverse incentives can lead to inefficiencies and increased workload
• App managers are often the most affected by administrative tax
• Maintaining a clear inventory is crucial for effective management
• Automation can help alleviate the administrative tax burden
• Organizations need to measure their progress and define what 'good' looks like
• The Cobra effect illustrates how poorly designed incentives can worsen problems
• Effective governance is essential for managing administrative tax
• Smart people in organizations want to improve processes but face limitations

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Internal Tech Emails on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/TechEmails
• Internal Tech Emails post on X about Mark Zuckerberg’s memo about Strategy Tax - https://x.com/TechEmails/status/1944451283236303184

Connect with us:

Duncan Mapes

Jason Ehmke

DevGrid.io

DevGrid on LinkedIn

DevGrid on X