A reading club with a view to the future

516 Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim: Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations

“Accelerate” explores the key factors that contribute to high-performing technology organizations and provides insights on how to build and scale successful teams and practices in the digital age.

Duration: 04 hours
58 minutes
Read on Audible
Previous book
Next book
BCS516

Summary

"Accelerate" presents the findings of a multi-year research project called the State of DevOps, which analyzed data from thousands of organizations worldwide. The book identifies four key metrics that indicate high performance in technology organizations: delivery lead time, deployment frequency, change failure rate, and time to restore service. It explores the practices, processes, and cultural aspects that contribute to improved performance and outlines strategies for building and scaling high-performing teams. The book emphasizes the importance of automation, continuous delivery, and a culture of learning and experimentation in achieving sustainable success.

About

  1. Title: "Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations" 
  2. Authors: Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim 
  3. Publishing Year: 2018 
  4. Publisher: IT Revolution Press 
  5. Length in Hours: 4 hrs and 58 mins

5 main ideas

  1. The importance of adopting DevOps principles: Integrating development and operations teams and fostering collaboration leads to faster delivery, higher quality, and greater business outcomes.
  2. The four key metrics of high performance: Delivery lead time, deployment frequency, change failure rate, and time to restore service are crucial indicators of success in technology organizations.
  3. The role of automation and continuous delivery: Automating repetitive tasks and enabling frequent, reliable deployments accelerates delivery and reduces errors.
  4. The significance of a learning culture: Encouraging experimentation, fostering psychological safety, and supporting learning and professional development contribute to continuous improvement and innovation.
  5. Scaling practices for organizational success: Implementing effective leadership, creating cross-functional teams, and leveraging technology platforms and architecture enable scaling high-performance practices across the organization.

5 funny quotes

  1. "Want to achieve high performance? Start by turning up the 'Deployment Frequency' dial to eleven!" - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  2. "In the race to success, don't forget to stop and smell the automated test results." - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  3. "Breaking news: Continuous Delivery leads to continuous celebrations! Bring out the party hats and deploy with gusto!" - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  4. "Remember, it's not just about the code, it's also about the coffee. Keep your developers fueled for high-performance coding!" - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  5. "If you're feeling the need for speed, it's time to ditch the manual processes and embrace automation. Zoom zoom!" - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim

5 thought-provoking quotes​

  1. "High performers not only deliver faster, they also deliver better, with higher levels of reliability, stability, and security." - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  2. "Automation is not a silver bullet, but manual work is like running in quicksand." - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  3. "The road to high performance is paved with small, frequent deployments." - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  4. "A culture of blamelessness and learning is essential to enable experimentation and innovation." - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
  5. "Leadership that fosters collaboration, empowers teams, and enables psychological safety is the bedrock of high-performing organizations." - Nicole Forsgren PhD, Jez Humble, Gene Kim

5 dilemmas

  1. Balancing speed and stability: How can organizations achieve fast delivery without compromising reliability and security?
  2. Managing technical debt: How should teams prioritize and address accumulated technical debt while maintaining momentum?
  3. Cultural transformation: How can organizations shift from traditional siloed structures to a collaborative and learning-oriented culture?
  4. The human factor: How can organizations nurture psychological safety and create an environment that encourages innovation and risk-taking?
  5. Scaling practices: How can organizations successfully scale high-performing practices and principles across larger teams and complex systems?

5 examples

  1. Google: The technology giant known for its high-performing engineering culture and adoption of DevOps practices.
  2. Netflix: The streaming platform renowned for its rapid deployments, continuous delivery, and culture of innovation.
  3. Amazon: The e-commerce giant that has mastered scalable technology infrastructure and high-velocity software delivery.
  4. Spotify: The music streaming service that emphasizes autonomous teams, experimentation, and continuous improvement in its engineering practices.
  5. Etsy: The online marketplace known for its strong focus on continuous delivery, frequent deployments, and empowering its engineering teams.

Referenced books

  1. "The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses" by Eric Ries.
  2. "Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow" by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais.
  3. "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox.
  4. "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us" by Daniel H. Pink.
  5. "The Art of Agile Development" by James Shore and Shane Warden.

Share a quote

"Remember, it's not just about the code, it's also about the coffee. Keep your developers fueled for high-performance coding!"

Curated audiobooks for your lifelong learning and inspiration.

Become a NextBook Insider

Join our community to access exclusive content, comment on stories, participate in giveaways, and more.

Close