The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win

by Gene Kim

I’m not laughing. “What the hell happened in there? How did we get into this position? Does anyone know what’s required from us to support this launch?” “No one has a clue,” he says, shaking his head in disgust. “We haven’t even agreed on how to do the handoff with Development. In the past, they’ve just pointed to a network folder and said, ‘Deploy that.’ There are newborn babies dropped off at church doorsteps with more operating instructions than what they’re giving us.”

He gestures broadly with both arms outstretched, “In the 1980s, this plant was the beneficiary of three incredible scientifically-grounded management movements. You’ve probably heard of them: the Theory of Constraints, Lean production or the Toyota Production System, and Total Quality Management. Although each movement started in different places, they all agree on one thing: wip is the silent killer. Therefore, one of the most critical mechanisms in the management of any plant is job and materials release. Without it, you can’t control wip.”

problems, like dog poop left in the rain, rarely get better just by ignoring them.