Here are 17 books that Succeeding with OKRs in Agile fans have personally recommended if you like
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I’ve managed projects and programs for over forty years. I’ve seen the effects of both good and bad systems on the people who try to do their best work. These books help managers and teams see their systems. How long does a team need to deliver work that fulfills a good objective? Are there systemic blockages that prevent people from doing a good job? These books represent my philosophy: People want to do a good job. When they have clear objectives and know the principles of flow, they can succeed. That’s how I’ve succeeded in my career. You can, too.
When I read the very first page, I had an “aha!” moment. Singh explains that scaling flow, the flow of work through the teams, is the single most important idea in “scaling” agility. That means each team optimizes for their challenges, not a specific process.
I loved this book because Singh makes the principles of flow easy to understand and apply. That’s the “secret” to scaling agility.
If you are a large organization that has seen the benefits of Agile approaches on teams, you have either attempted to or talked about scaling Agile. Scaling has become synonymous with overburdened and cumbersome frameworks that create more problems than they solve. We need a simpler solution to the problem of scaling Agile. We need to break this problem down to its basic tenet - Optimizing the flow of value to customers. The strategy of Kanban can be applied to do exactly that. In doing so, we can discard the practices proposed by common Agile scaling frameworks and go to…
I’ve managed projects and programs for over forty years. I’ve seen the effects of both good and bad systems on the people who try to do their best work. These books help managers and teams see their systems. How long does a team need to deliver work that fulfills a good objective? Are there systemic blockages that prevent people from doing a good job? These books represent my philosophy: People want to do a good job. When they have clear objectives and know the principles of flow, they can succeed. That’s how I’ve succeeded in my career. You can, too.
I used to wonder why I “always” chose the wrong line—at the gas pump, the grocery store, and airport security. Then, I read this book and learned about Little’s Law. That changed how I saw the world. Instead of always looking for the shortest line, I learned to look for the line with the fastest throughput.
Seeing the world differently matters even more if we want effective product development—especially when the problem requires multiple teams to collaborate. The more collaboration we need across teams, as in a program of work, the more we need to look for throughput.
Read this book, and you, too, will see the world differently.
“When will it be done?” That is probably the first question your customers ask you once you start working on something for them. Think about how many times you have been asked that question. How many times have you ever actually been right? We can debate all we want whether this is a fair question to ask given the tremendous amount of uncertainty in knowledge work, but the truth of the matter is that our customers are going to inquire about completion time whether we like it or not. Which means we need to come up with an accurate way…
I’ve managed projects and programs for over forty years. I’ve seen the effects of both good and bad systems on the people who try to do their best work. These books help managers and teams see their systems. How long does a team need to deliver work that fulfills a good objective? Are there systemic blockages that prevent people from doing a good job? These books represent my philosophy: People want to do a good job. When they have clear objectives and know the principles of flow, they can succeed. That’s how I’ve succeeded in my career. You can, too.
I read the first edition of this book when I was in college after a disastrous “team” project. (We weren’t a team—and we didn’t finish the project.) I was just about ready to quit Computer Science. Then I read this book.
Programming—and all product development—is a human activity. How do people learn to work together, to collaborate, to create teams, and to release useful work? Those are the topics in this book. From egoless programming to personalities such as the Mad Bomber, Weinberg addresses how we could collaborate, from small efforts to large.
Every time I read (or re-read) a Weinberg book, I learn a little more. I bet you will, too.
This landmark 1971 classic is reprinted with a new preface, chapter-by-chapter commentary, and straight-from-the-heart observations on topics that affect the professional life of programmers.
Long regarded as one of the first books to pioneer a people-oriented approach to computing, The Psychology of Computer Programming endures as a penetrating analysis of the intelligence, skill, teamwork, and problem-solving power of the computer programmer.
Finding the chapters strikingly relevant to today's issues in programming, Gerald M. Weinberg adds new insights and highlights the similarities and differences between now and then. Using a conversational style that invites the reader to join him, Weinberg reunites…
I’ve managed projects and programs for over forty years. I’ve seen the effects of both good and bad systems on the people who try to do their best work. These books help managers and teams see their systems. How long does a team need to deliver work that fulfills a good objective? Are there systemic blockages that prevent people from doing a good job? These books represent my philosophy: People want to do a good job. When they have clear objectives and know the principles of flow, they can succeed. That’s how I’ve succeeded in my career. You can, too.
While I always knew there was something else that reflected true organizational efficiency, I didn’t know what it was until I read this book. This book introduced me to the idea of “flow efficiency,” instead of “resource efficiency.”
Too often, managers think the world is more efficient if they slice the work and create handoffs from one expert to the next. But that creates delays and waste in the system. Worse, when we try to “scale” efforts, all those handoffs get larger and larger. Read this book to start seeing the world differently and consider what you can do to create real efficiency in your organization.
I had an epiphany at Amazon, when we ran A/B tests at scale and observed the low success rate: we learned to adjust our intuitions. I recall the denial at Microsoft when I proposed to evaluate features with A/B tests “because over 50% of them failed to improve key metrics at Amazon.” The typical response? We have better program managers. When we started to evaluate ideas at Microsoft, over 2/3 of them failed to improve key metrics, and at Bing, the rate was about 80%. By 2019, most large products at Microsoft were making data-driven decisions with over 100 A/B test treatments launched every workday. I currently teach an A/B Testing class.
This great management book was written by an engineer who clearly explains the rationale for his recommendations.
Andy Grove, former chairman and CEO of Intel, is credited with driving the growth phase of Silicon Valley, was named Time’s Man of the Year, and is credited as the “Father of OKRs.”
One example that I love: a new hire does poor work. His manager says: “He has to make his own mistakes…that’s how he learns!”
Grove writes: “absolutely wrong…the tuition is paid by his customers…[instead of by the manager].” Another gem: “Review rough drafts [you delegated]; don't wait until your subordinates have spent time polishing them into final form before you find out that you have a basic problem with the contents.”
The president of Silicon Valley's Intel Corporation sets forth the three basic ideas of his management philosophy and details numerous specific techniques to increase productivity in the manager's work and that of his colleagues and subordinates
I have worked in the field of machine learning and predictive analytics for many years. Having started out as a technical specialist, I have become increasingly interested in the legal, ethical, and social aspects of these subjects. This is because it is these “soft issues” that often determine how successful these technologies are in practice and if they are viewed as a force for good or evil in wider society. This has led me to write several books focusing on the practical and cultural aspects of these subjects and how best to apply them for the benefit of business, individuals, and wider society.
Many writers have discussed the dangers that artificial intelligence and machine learning represent to our livelihoods, and how clever computers and autonomous robots will supplant us all in the workplace. What I like about this book is that it provides an alternative, and very optimistic, view of how these new technologies are being deployed. The authors present a future based on a partnership, in which artificial intelligence-based tools work in tandem with human workers, enhancing what individuals can do in the workplace rather than replacing them.
AI is radically transforming business. Are you ready?
Look around you. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a futuristic notion. It's here right now--in software that senses what we need, supply chains that "think" in real time, and robots that respond to changes in their environment. Twenty-first-century pioneer companies are already using AI to innovate and grow fast. The bottom line is this: Businesses that understand how to harness AI can surge ahead. Those that neglect it will fall behind. Which side are you on?
In Human + Machine, Accenture leaders Paul R. Daugherty and H. James (Jim) Wilson show…
I love a little humor from romantic trysts or tales of woe of that one love that got away. Divulged conversations and gossip on the therapy couch can be fascinating (massage work relaxes the body and mind). Clients worldwide find choosing their ideal partner a lottery. Inspiration struck me to look more closely at how marriage choices are made through the heart or the mind. We all search for the perfect soul mate. Learning how others met was intriguing by chance or manipulated. Clearly showing, fate did seem to be at play in most cases. I love creating escapism to let your wild romantic dreams be a possibility.
Adored this novel. Set in Dorset within the film industry, this is one story that, if you like a romantic genre, it's endearing. Highlighting every situation in life comes down to stereotypical characters. The drama queen, the hopeless romantic, the dashing hero. It looks at how our self-esteem and parenting affect us so much in terms of communication skills later in life.
When romance is involved, we always think we know best for ourselves and others. The obvious is never on our radar. This demonstrates the ethos of friendships: how the hero we aspire to and fall for can come in many disguises.
For Jane Austen fans, this will intrigue you as you step into the creation of some of her characters within the storyline. It is a relaxing and enjoyable read for romancers amongst us. Lyme Regis may well be deluged with visitors.
'Have not been able to put this novel down! A lovely story brought to life with characters you want to meet. Loved every page.' Reader review
The sparkling follow-up to A Weekend with Mr Darcy from Victoria Connelly - set to become the Richard Curtis of the chick-lit world!
Die-hard romantic, Kay Ashton, uses her inheritance to open a B&B in the seaside town of Lyme Regis and is dumbstruck when the cast and crew of a new production of Persuasion descend, needing a place to stay. Kay can't believe her luck - especially when she realises that heart throb…
At the very beginning of my studies, I asked myself a question that still accompanies me today: “Why are some people successful and others not?” I've always been interested in people who are successful through their own efforts instead of building on the success of previous generations through their heritage. In my search for what distinguishes successful from less successful people, I began to read a variety of relevant books and attend seminars. These books and seminars dealt with the topics of success, personality development, marketing and sales, rhetoric, psychology, and management as well as self-management and personal productivity. To date, I've read several hundred books on these topics and attended a number of seminars.
Brian Tracy stands for professional and personal success.
I have read many of his books and listened to his lectures. In his book Goals, he shows you how to set goals and achieve them. Goal clarity is a prerequisite for all success.
In this book you will learn everything about goal setting and how to achieve goals.
Based on more than 20 years of experience and 40 years of research, this book presents a practical, proven strategy for creating and meeting goals that has been used by more than 1 million people to achieve extraordinary things in life. Author Brian Tracy explains the seven key elements of goal setting and the 12 steps necessary to set and accomplish goals of any size. Using simple language and real-life examples, Tracy shows how to do the crucial work of determining one's strengths, values, and true goals. He explains how to build the self-esteem and confidence necessary for achievement; how…
I have been interested in motivation, productivity, and growth my whole life. I find it fascinating how we all have 24 hours; however, some people can maximize that time to create success while others let it go to waste. It all comes down to mindset. As an entrepreneur, I’ve consumed countless books, courses, and coaching programs to create what I call the “Rockstar Mind.” It has helped me tour the world opening for bands like KISS, write two best-selling books and 3 hit songs, and run two online businesses while supporting my young family during a global pandemic. I’m always looking for the edge to create more impact in my day.
Tim’s stories about Michael Jordan are worth the price of admission alone. What I really love about this book is how Tim breaks down the mindset of a champion – what it takes to overcome the daily challenges that come your way and thrive when the odds are working against you. The audiobook version also has great chapter intros by Tim.
'Tim Grover's teachings completely changed how I approached my professional career, helping me navigate the constant ups and downs that sport at the highest level brings.' Marcus Rashford, MBE From the elite performance coach for Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and many others - and the author of the powerful bestseller Relentless - a no-holds-barred formula for winning that is ideal for business people, athletes and anybody wanting to achieve success.
In Relentless, Tim Grover showed that you need to be tough and ruthless - towards others and yourself - to achieve your goals. Now, in Winning he takes…
I’m a TedX and keynote speaker, leadership expert, and corporate facilitator. I’m also a repeat software founder and CEO. I work extensively with Fortune 1000 and hyperscale organizations to connect leadership and culture directly to organizational outcomes, as well as diversifying C-suites and corporate boardrooms. I’m passionate about guiding leaders to measurable outcomes and helping others learn from failure (yes, it happens to all of us!) Over the years, I’ve learned the key is understanding and embodying your own values so you can build resilience for yourself as an individual, your team, and your organization as a whole. I hope my list of recommended books helps you do just that!
We all need to have our conditioning challenged occasionally, and this book does exactly that.
It takes the idea that success is a straight line and turns it on its head. Rich Christiansen argues that the best goal setting isn’t linear. Instead, he encourages readers to literally zigzag to their goals. His book is important because it teaches leaders how to be nimble, flexible, and resilient.
The zigzag principle is simple, powerful, and offers a totally new way of approaching business (and life).
Have you ever set your sights on the top of a mountain and then started your ascent by heading straight through the trees and up the sheer cliffs? Or driven in your car to the other side of town-as the crow flies? Of course not! Because you instinctively know that, just as a river has to wend its way around obstacles, the best route is never actually a straight line!
In The Zigzag Principle, Rich Christiansen applies a foundational law of nature to business management, entrepreneurship, goal-setting, and life in general as he explores why…
