This week’s post will be short, but it covers two books I think all engineers should read. These aren’t textbooks telling you how to write code but fictional stories with situations you will have experienced. Both books are from award-winning CTO Gene Kim.

The Phoenix Project

This book, released in 2013, tells the story of a fictional IT project in a struggling automotive company. The book will introduce you to the three DevOps principles and how the characters use them to bring the project back on track.

I came across this book while working in Capgemini; our practice lead added it to the recommended reading list and allowed us to expense it. One to never turn down a freebie, I ordered it. It was shipped to my hotel the next day, and I read it from cover to cover over the next two days, and it’s been on my recommendation list ever since.

Purchase The Phoenix Project on Amazon

The Unicorn Project

The Unicorn Project, released in 2019, is a sequel to The Phoniex Project, set in the same company. This time, the focus is on software development and the effects that technical debt and complexity can have on a project.

After reading his previous book, I was already following Gene Kim, so I jumped on it as soon as it came out. This time in Audible format. With seven years working as an engineer, I have faced the situations discussed here, which made this book super relatable. I recommend reading The Phoenix Project first, as that gives you a lot of the back story of why the project is in trouble a second time.

Purchase The Unicorn Project on Amazon

This series of books is always my default recommendation for someone looking to learn more about how software and projects work. If you do pick them up, I would like to know your thoughts, and I’m always on the lookout for even more recommendations if you have any.