When I first heard about The Unicorn Project, I was curious how Gene Kim would expand on The Phoenix Project. It amazed me that he took a single thread—the developer’s perspective—and spun it into a whole new story. This follow-up dives deep into the operational side of DevOps, giving readers a front-row seat to the chaos and creativity of software development in a modern enterprise.
The story revolves around Maxine, a brilliant developer thrust into a frustrating bureaucracy after being scapegoated for a payroll outage. Her journey with a group of like-minded rebels, as they push back against the system and work to restore joy and effectiveness to their work, resonated deeply. The themes of overcoming roadblocks, learning through iteration, and focusing on the right work at the right time felt practical and inspiring.
Unlike The Phoenix Project, which leaned more on strategy, this book shifts into the trenches. It’s less about the broad strokes and more about the nuts and bolts of getting it right. The Five Ideals—Locality and Simplicity, Focus, Flow, and Joy, Improvement of Daily Work, Psychological Safety, and Customer Focus—felt like a natural evolution of The Three Ways. They’re ideals I find myself reflecting on as I look for better ways to align development with larger business goals.
What really stuck with me was the emphasis on making mistakes and iterating quickly. The idea of doing hundreds—or even thousands—of releases a day still seems daunting, but it underscores the importance of agility and learning. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about moving forward and improving continuously.
Reading this alongside The Phoenix Project was like seeing two sides of the same coin. While one focused on high-level transformation, the other digs into the operational changes that make it possible. Together, they’ve given me a better understanding of how DevOps can transform not just IT but the entire organization.
If you’ve ever felt the frustration of being a developer trapped in bureaucracy, or if you’re looking for ways to drive digital transformation, The Unicorn Project is a must-read. It’s a story of rebellion, resilience, and reinvention that will leave you thinking about how to bring joy and effectiveness back to your own work.