The Phoenix Project

A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win 5th Anniversary Edition

By: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford

Narrated by: Chris Ruen

Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Five years after this sleeper hit took on the world of IT and flipped it on its head, the fifth anniversary edition of The Phoenix Project continues to guide IT in the DevOps revolution. In this newly updated and expanded edition of the best-selling The Phoenix Project, co-author Gene Kim includes a new afterword and a deeper delve into the Three Ways as described in The DevOps Handbook.

Bill, an IT manager at Parts Unlimited, has been tasked with taking on a project critical to the future of the business, code named Phoenix Project. But the project is massively over budget and behind schedule. The CEO demands Bill must fix the mess in 90 days, or else Bill’s entire department will be outsourced.

With the help of a prospective board member and his mysterious philosophy of the Three Ways, Bill starts to see that IT work has more in common with manufacturing plant work than he ever imagined. With the clock ticking, Bill must organize work flow, streamline interdepartmental communications, and effectively serve the other business functions at Parts Unlimited.

In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Listeners will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they’ll never view IT the same.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford (P)2015 Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford

Theory and Practice merged

Any additional comments?

I honestly didn't know a book like this could exist. The format really took me by surprise, but luckily, it was a pleasant one. Essentially it follows a newly promoted IT operations manager as he tries to improve the way the IT department works in his company while struggling with all the bureaucratic challenges that come with higher management positions. The really interesting part though, is that the book goes through a lot of sound theoretical concepts and we see how they're applied practically in the business.

It's still more of a novel in that it has a story and interesting characters that you see grow, which really are the driving force behind this book. The story and setting are relatively basic, but that's actually perfect since it's easier to relate to when there's all the theoretical content to get your head around. It's hard to be too critical of the characters, since again, they're mostly there to make a point and generalize the type of people that you encounter in organizations. That being said, there were some characters and events that were a little too unbelievable, which often broke the sense of realism and made you realize that you're reading a fictional story.

This kind of book would be a great source for students to study from since rarely have I seen theory and practice so closely linked in a book. Usually it's a ton of theory pushed down your throat with a sprinkling of real world examples thrown in. There's definitely some leaps and issues that would have to be addressed, but if anything, that would make it more interesting to disseminate. I'm just a bit worried now that someone reading this thinks they can turn their whole company around in three months.

Better than I thought

I am not an IT guy but a blue collar worker. There is a lot of understanding of processes that translate to everything in the business field.

I would recommend this to everyone who is in any business. It gives good examples of work and problem solving.

Take a chance and listen to, or read this book

I have no idea why I liked it.

I am not in business or IT. this couldn't be further from my field or life. but still, somehow the story was compelling enough that I read it for the pure entertainment and really enjoyed it.

Wonderful!

If you work in IT, you MUST read this book! It will save your sanity! Having been in IT for my entire career, it hits closer to home than anything I've read before. It's like "The Goal" by Eli Goldratt for IT!

Must read for IT professionals

The story line in this book has been repeated thousands of time in many organizations around the world. One of the best books I have read on understanding the importance of understanding your resource constraints and how they impact your whole organization from IT to business functions. Gaining alignment and focus on the right projects is the key to driving your business forward. Book also highlights a lot of Agile principals as well. Good read. Easy to relate to the theme of the book.

The most gripping novel I have read in a long time

I have been in the help desk, I have been in IT management, I have been in the upper echelons of management and business ownership.
The ideas put forth in this book are groundbreaking for today's economy and will be the groundwork for the highly agile businesses of the 21st Century.
If you want to make progress in your Enterprise and you are getting blowback from your managers, give them this book.

Amazing for developers

Even if you are not in a management role, this book is phenomenal! As a developer, there is so much to take away and apply to my everyday work. The only negative is that I wish I read this sooner.

Demystifying Devops

Quite accurately describes contemporary IT culture in a way that I'm sure a lot of IT organizations can relate too and a surprisingly entertaining listen.

Oh, the writing...

The book is badly written. No question. Amateurish at best. However, the content is good. Excellent information. If you're in IT in any capacity, it's a must.

something to listen to...

There are some interesting tidbits to glean from this in regards to devops, but overall the story came off to me as a comedy because the whole story was over the top and not really believable. So, this is good for a few cheesy laughs mixed with a little interesting moments.

Didn't really care for the sterotyping developers and anyone not in operations. You can definitely tell this comes from a system admin perspective aka developers are the lazy and throw garbage at operations yada yada yada.

The voice actor was great really enjoyed that part.

An example of Audiobooks being better

This is one of those books where reading it would have been much harder than listening to the audiobook. Listening to it being spoken makes it feel a little bit like just overhearing a conversation from a friend or colleague, which is easier to listen to than read. The book is full of office politics, and overcoming problems in an office, so if that type of thing bothers you it's one to avoid, but if you find office politics amusing - or can enjoy the absurdity of it all then it's a book you'll enjoy

How IT can help the business WIN

An eye opener. A good read, good therapy, a great mindset and a practical guide.

If you are a passionate practitioner of technology to achieve successful business outcomes then read this book.

project management and IT

This is probably one of the best books I've ever listened to. The storytelling is great and helps give you a grounding in IT operations and project management. I whole heartedly recommend this book.

Thoughtful Parallels

This book novelises quite successfully a journey of discovery as an IT Manager raises his sights and game to focus on the organisation not the tool. As one character says 'it is not rocket science' but even the obvious point land in unfamiliar ways and I found myself comparing the story to my own organisation. This has a wider application than just IT. It was a pleasure to consider these ways of thinking in the setting of a pretty good novel ableit that some characters seem broadly drawn. That said - the characters were drawn the way you see your colleagues and the story is told first person. A good read and listen.

biased and contrived story to push the agile agend

biased and contrived story to push the agile agenda. The company involved is disfunctional to the point of being cringe worthy.
if you want to understand agile just read the principles not a long winded story

Good start, but tails off

You start listening to this thinking 'wow, this is like so many large organisations, they've got this spot on' and I think they have. It's brilliant and you can't wait to listen to how they solve the organisation problems so that you can apply some of the lessons in some of the organisations you might work with, Then everything falls into place and they all live happily ever. Perhaps the latter part is over-simplistic. Perhaps I'm just grumpy. I'll let you decide.

A perfect introduction to DevOps

Very well written and naratted.... A great way to explain the problem and then solve it step by step......

Amazing

From large IT into lean principles and devops. What a wonderful book.

Powerful story and messages about triumph in the face of adversity and the application of common sense and team work

Awesome

This should be required reading for anyone working in IT or In a senior business role.

How true

Would you listen to The Phoenix Project again? Why?

I plan on listening to this audiobook regularly to remind me how to turn a horror into a joy. This book probably sums up most IT companies and their bad practices and how to make them right - this book is a reminder of how to do things properly

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eric is the saviour of this book. He makes comparisons to non-IT departments and shows that a department is just a department - and IT is not sacred at all.

What about Chris Ruen’s performance did you like?

Chris Ruen's delivery was excellent. He wasn't just reading. He got into all the characters - it was super.