Second time but this time on audible
Its fantastic exercise to think "what would you do if you are the main character in this book". ( )

Only for very specific type of professional development, and already quite dated and mediocre as a story. ( )

The writing style of these books really keeps you interested in the topics being discussed. I really enjoyed the audio book and it's the quickest I've got through a book in a while.

I liked the discussion about "complect" systems and the spaghetti of services and teams that organisations can get themselves in to. The 5 ideals are very relatable as well.

The discussion around horizons 1, 2 and 3 and the effect over-focussing on horizon 1 can have on a business was particularly interesting to me. The explanation of core vs context work, with the examples given, was also helpful.

At times, the book went in to great depths to explain certain concepts (like functional programming). If you're familiar with the concept, it can be a bit tedious, but it's understandable why the context is given.

Overall, it helped me recognise a few uncomfortable truths in past and present workplaces. Well worth a read! ( )

This sequel to The Phoenix Project tells the story of the same project from a different perspective. Its not necessary to read both, but you certainly can. Basically The Unicorn Project updates the illustration of the principles of Agile Software Development with what Kim has learned in the last 7 years (a lifetime in software). He also illustrates how a lot of the same principles of flexibility, responsibility, fail-fast, empowered contributors can all lead to success, and how micro-management and manipulation from the executive level can destroy morale and with it productivity and the business.

Its not nearly as dry as a lot of "business" books are because it is all told as a dramatic fictional tale. If you've wondered what this whole "Agile" thing is about or why some folks get so hyped up about "Continuous Deployment" or other such terms, this is a good book to read. If you're trying to convince your boss, or your boss's boss's boss to adopt these practices, and they're terrified that loosening their grip will lead to nothing but failure, give them this book.

All sorts of businesses just learned that the world didn't end when they let employees work from home. Maybe they'll be receptive to a few other changes as well.

In any case, Kim absolutely knows what he's talking about and has figure out how to share his knowledge and his enthusiasm without sounding preachy. ( )

This work is a sequel to Kim’s other novel The Phoenix Project. Although the books fit together, they need not be read together. In other words, both books are self-standing. This work – essentially about dealing with the software industry in an age of constant change – does an even better job than The Phoenix Project at highlighting how businesses can adapt to and thrive in the digital era.

The book is set in an auto-parts company. Parts Unlimited has been a mainstay of industry since World War I, but they are consistently out of step with rising technology and the generation that uses it. The protagonist Maxine and her band of good people (called “the Rebellion”) seek to change Parts Unlimited back to being a pace-setting in its industry. In so doing, Kim provides them as an example of how an industrial-age company can adapt itself to the era of digital technology.

As in any good book, there is drama, and there are evildoers. Like in all good stories, some of the evildoers become redeemed. Being divided into three parts, this book seemed to lag in the third part. The third part mainly tells the story of Maxine and the Rebellion’s successes in the auto-parts industry. Frankly, I don’t much care for the auto-parts industry; I care for the characters in the book more. This section lacked drama amongst the characters and thus did not grip my attention as much as the other two sections.

Still, Kim achieves his primary goal. He illustrates how to adapt digital principles (still of a DevOps ilk, but more general in this book) to modern business management. He does so in a manner that is more entertaining than most management books and that is more in line with Socratic teaching methods of storytelling and dialog. I note that this book is currently on Amazon.com’s best-seller lists. I anticipate it will stay there for a long while. ( )