DevOps for Unlocking Better Project Management: Lessons from The Phoenix Project

Rarely have I enjoyed reading a book that was recommended to me by a colleague from the IT department with the words: You can learn something from this. Honestly, whenever I’ve been told that I could learn something from an IT guy it was to do with code that has zero application in my job, let alone makes my downtime in the evenings more pleasant.

But there is a first in everything and here is mine when it comes to book recommendations from an IT guy: The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford. Don’t be put off by the words IT, DevOps and Business – it will all make sense when you dive right into the compelling narrative that highlights how DevOps principles can transform struggling organizations.

While the book primarily focuses on IT and operations, its lessons transcend technical teams and offer universal – and more importantly practical - insights into effective project management. Bonus: the authors manage to make it fun and I do enjoy a villain from the marketing department!

For a brief summary of the story, head down to the end of this article. We will extract the key takeaways and translate them into 10 actionable tips for enhancing project management practices.

1. Visualize Work and Eliminate Bottlenecks
2. Prioritize Work with Business Impact in Mind
3. Implement the Three Ways of DevOps
4. Manage Technical Debt Proactively
5. Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration
6. Use Metrics Wisely
7. Cultivate a Culture of Accountability and Empowerment
8. Plan for Resilience and Incident Management
9. Embrace Automation Where Possible
10. Communicate the “Why” Behind Changes

1. Visualize Work and Eliminate Bottlenecks

Insight: In *The Phoenix Project*, the main character, Bill, learns that most organizational chaos stems from invisible workflows and bottlenecks that paralyze progress. Brent – a highly qualified people pleaser who can’t say no – takes on any work, that is thrown at him but is so overwhelmed that he hardly finishes anything in time.

Tip: Don’t be a bottleneck Brent in your organization! If you have a Brent in your organization, protect him at all costs from menial, useless tasks that clog him up. To do so, use tools like Kanban boards to visualize workflows. Identify bottlenecks by monitoring task progress and workload distribution. Ensure critical resources are not overwhelmed by designing processes that distribute tasks effectively. Also ensure that their expertise does not stay in their heads only – enable them to share their wisdom so that others can become just as accomplished.  

2. Prioritize Work with Business Impact in Mind

Insight: The book emphasizes aligning IT and operational priorities with overall business goals. By focusing on business impact, teams can avoid wasting resources on low-value tasks.

Tip: Prioritize projects using frameworks like Cost of Delay (CoD) or Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF). These tools help teams focus on tasks that deliver the most value in the shortest time. Always ask: How does this task contribute to our organization's success?

3. Implement the Three Ways of DevOps

Insight: One of the most fun characters in the book, Erik, who is a bit of a philosopher, introduces "The Three Ways" as the foundational principles of DevOps that guide organizations to success:

- Flow (Systems Thinking): Optimize the flow of work from start to finish by limiting work in progress (WIP). 

- Feedback Loops: Build mechanisms for fast and continuous feedback. 

- Continuous Improvement: Foster experimentation, learning, and improvement. 

Tip: Apply these principles in your project management: 

- Flow: Break projects into smaller, manageable increments and deliver iteratively. Make sure critical information such as what exactly needs to be done, when it needs to be done is and who is responsible for delivering it is clear.

- Feedback Loops: Hold regular regular meetings to gather insights from stakeholders and team members. Or implement a practice where one person is responsible for gathering insights and making them available to the project team.

- Continuous Improvement: Encourage a culture of experimentation and celebrate learning from failures. This requires being able to react fast and evaluate if task and project outcomes are of good quality.

4. Manage Technical Debt Proactively

Insight: The story underscores how neglected technical debt can cripple progress. It is astonishing how hard this hits home: in every organization people know that old tech, buggy software or cumbersome manual processes drag you down into the hell hole of project delays.

Tip: You can understand technical dept as anything, that due to malfunction or outdatedness costs you time and money whenever it is used. Think missing standards, individualized processes or simply age-old spreadsheets instead of automatically updated dashboards. Start by defining what information is needed at the beginning of a project, designing a project plan template or finally automating multi-project data visualization in a centralized dashboard.

5. Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration

Insight: Silos are the enemy of progress. The book demonstrates how breaking down silos between development, operations, and other departments leads to faster and better outcomes. 

Tip: You do not necessarily need to create cross-functional teams, but you need to identify the people who love to talk and are good communicators. Enable them to talk across project teams or departments, let them foster working relationships with their counterparts and share the project goals. Use practices like daily standups and joint planning sessions to ensure alignment.

6. Use Metrics Wisely

Insight: The Phoenix Project highlights the danger of focusing on vanity metrics, like lines of code or hours worked, that do not reflect true progress. Everyone with a dashboard is guilty of this (*raises hand*) and we all know, we are kidding ourselves.  

Tip: Measure what matters. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect business outcomes, such as lead time, time-to-market, or customer satisfaction. Ensure these metrics drive meaningful improvements. 

7. Cultivate a Culture of Accountability and Empowerment

Insight: Bill's transformation as a leader involves delegating authority and trusting his team to make decisions. He realizes that knowing what to do, saying that you are going to do it and then doing it is what makes a good role model.

Tip: Empower teams to own their projects. When teams know the what, why and when of their projects, they can have the autonomy to experiment and make decisions. Balanced with accountability for outcomes, they will strive to be successful. Acknowledge those successes and provide constructive feedback when things go wrong.

8. Plan for Resilience and Incident Management

Insight: The narrative demonstrates how unprepared organizations crumble under pressure when incidents arise. This is when Brent can no longer come to the rescue, it is payday on your technical debt and customers start leaving you for the competition.

Tip: Incorporate resilience into your project plans by: 

- Conducting risk assessments to identify potential failure points. 

- Preparing runbooks or incident response guides. 

- Regularly practicing scenarios to build team confidence and agility during crises. 

9. Embrace Automation Where Possible

Insight: Automating repetitive, error-prone tasks reduces inefficiencies and frees up resources for innovation. Read this as: get rid of your spreadsheet project plan and use proper project planning software.

Tip: Look for areas where automation can streamline workflows, such as task creation, project progression, or project reporting. Invest in tools that reduce manual effort and allow teams to focus on strategic work.

10. Communicate the “Why” Behind Changes

Insight: Resistance to change is a recurring theme in the book, but the key to overcoming it is clear communication of purpose and benefits. And sometimes, the key is to go straight to management and tell them how it really is. It takes courage to speak up and put the finger into the wound, but it speeds up the healing process.  

Tip: When introducing new processes or tools, explain the rationale behind them. Show how these changes will benefit both the team and the organization. Also, acknowledge that changes can be tough and a time of hurt is to be expected. Transparency builds trust and fosters adoption. 

Conclusion

The Phoenix Project offers a wealth of practical wisdom for organizations struggling to manage complexity and chaos. By embracing these lessons—visualizing work, prioritizing by business value, fostering collaboration, and building a culture of continuous improvement—you can transform project management practices and set your organization on a path to success. 

Start small, iterate, and always keep the big picture in mind. As the book demonstrates, even the most chaotic projects can be turned around with the right mindset and approach. And never forget: just because it is about IT does not mean it can’t be a fun read!

Plot Summary of The Phoenix Project

The Phoenix Project follows the story of Bill Palmer, an IT manager at Parts Unlimited, a struggling manufacturing and retail company. Bill is unexpectedly promoted to Vice President of IT Operations just as the company is embarking on a high-stakes project called "The Phoenix Project," a last-ditch effort to save the business. The project is riddled with delays, dysfunction, and mismanagement, putting the company’s future on the line.

As Bill grapples with his new role, he encounters a series of crises: critical system outages, mounting pressure from executives, and an IT team overwhelmed by conflicting priorities. Amid the chaos, Bill meets Erik, a mysterious consultant who introduces him to new ways of thinking about IT and operations. Erik teaches Bill about the importance of visualizing workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and embracing DevOps principles to streamline processes and improve collaboration.

With Erik's guidance, Bill assembles a cross-functional team to tackle the challenges head-on. They identify systemic issues, such as technical debt, poor communication between departments, and over-reliance on key individuals like Brent, a brilliant but overworked engineer. As they implement DevOps practices, the team begins to stabilize operations, improve efficiency, and deliver value more consistently.

Throughout the story, Bill faces resistance from colleagues and executives, including the demanding CEO and the ambitious marketing VP, Sarah, who sees The Phoenix Project as her ticket to success. However, Bill’s persistence and the team’s growing success ultimately win over skeptics.

In the end, The Phoenix Project is delivered successfully, turning Parts Unlimited into a more agile and competitive organization. Along the way, Bill evolves as a leader, learning to delegate, trust his team, and focus on the bigger picture.

The novel ends on a hopeful note, emphasizing the transformative power of DevOps and the importance of aligning IT with business objectives.