I just finished reading “The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win”
I have to say, this book is the first time I’ve really understood what DevOps really is. I’ve been to a dozen talks and seen the term at least a thousand times over the last few years. It seems as if its the trendy thing to tack on to your session, where everyone defines “DevOps” their own way, as if its their home brew flavour. I needed context.
What IS Devops?
Simply put, DevOps can be described as:
‘an approach to Application Delivery that applies Lean principles to accelerate feedback and improve time to market.’
Which means that every technique, process and tool used following the above could be called as being within DevOps.
The Phoenix Project
The Phoenix Project follows “Bill” on his journey to discovering how Lean Manufacturing principles and practices can be applied to software development and operations. From the Theory of Constraints to the Three Ways to Improve Quality this book, provides you the foundation knowledge to explore how you can guide your business towards a value-driven operation. Surprisingly the story itself is well written, with a solid set of characters and a world we all can relate. I found myself reading non-stop, biting my nails as the inevitable disaster occurs, and cheering as the team conquers their challenges. This book follows the same fomulae as “The Goal” using an engaging story to deliver knowledge. The Phoenix Project gets it perfectly. I’ve never read a book designed to educate principles and practices so quickly in my life.
The Phoenix Project is the essential read for anyone looking to implement DevOps in their organization.
After reading The Phoenix Project I strongly suggest following it up with the The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, & Security in Technology Organizations, authored by the same team.
ProTip: Give your boss The Phoenix Project while you research the details in the DevOps Handbook. Your boss will learn the foundation and context, giving you the executive sponsorship you need to deploy DevOps in your business.
The Phoenix Project gives you the “What and Why,” while the “DevOps Handbook” lets you know “how,” with a very healthy source of appendices and references, over 100 sources across the industry.
Together, these two books gives you the context and guidance on implementing DevOps in your business.
