LLMs and Generative AI in the enterprise.
Inspire, develop, and guide a winning organization.
Understand the unique values and behaviors of a successful organization.
Create visible workflows to achieve well-architected software.
Understand and use meaningful data to measure success.
Integrate and automate quality, security, and compliance into daily work.
An on-demand learning experience from the people who brought you The Phoenix Project, Team Topologies, Accelerate, and more.
Learn how to enhance collaboration and performance in large-scale organizations through Flow Engineering
Learn how making work visible, value stream management, and flow metrics can affect change in your organization.
Clarify team interactions for fast flow using simple sense-making approaches and tools.
Multiple award-winning CTO, researcher, and bestselling author Gene Kim hosts enterprise technology and business leaders.
In the first part of this two-part episode of The Idealcast, Gene Kim speaks with Dr. Ron Westrum, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Eastern Michigan University.
In the first episode of Season 2 of The Idealcast, Gene Kim speaks with Admiral John Richardson, who served as Chief of Naval Operations for four years.
Exploring the impact of GenAI in our organizations & creating business impact through technology leadership.
DevOps best practices, case studies, organizational change, ways of working, and the latest thinking affecting business and technology leadership.
The debate over in-office versus remote work misses a fundamental truth: high-performing teams succeed based on how they’re organized, not where they sit.
Leaders can help their organizations move from the danger zone to the winning zone by changing how they wire their organization’s social circuitry.
The values and philosophies that frame the processes, procedures, and practices of DevOps.
This post presents the four key metrics to measure software delivery performance.
March 25, 2025
We are thrilled to announce the publication of the Spring 2025 volume of the Enterprise Technology Leadership Journal. This latest issue arrives at a pivotal moment in tech leadership, as organizations worldwide grapple with the transformative potential of AI while continuing to pursue fundamental improvements in how they deliver value to customers and stakeholders, all while controlling costs and risk.
The Spring 2025 edition features six compelling papers from industry leaders and practitioners who are actively shaping the future of enterprise technology leadership. Each contribution offers a unique perspective on addressing complex challenges through innovative approaches, practical methodologies, and forward-thinking strategies.
In our lead article, authors Andrew Biehn (US Navy), Gene Kim (IT Revolution), Luke Burton (Apple), Steve Holt (Boeing), Jay Long (Parlay), and Michael Snyder (Rancher) take readers on an enlightening journey through the complexities of defense acquisition in the US Department of Defense.
Through a creative narrative structure inspired by the classic “The Defence of Duffer’s Drift,” the authors follow Colonel Frank Kafka through six revealing “dreams” that illuminate the challenges and opportunities in modernizing government procurement and delivery processes. This paper offers invaluable lessons for any leader managing large-scale technology implementations, regardless of industry.
The authors artfully connect Kafka’s journey to essential principles for defense innovation leaders: working with stakeholders early, navigating funding landscapes, turning stakeholders into champions, embracing comprehensive testing, and leading with strategic vision. These insights extend far beyond defense applications, offering wisdom for any complex enterprise initiative.
Debbie Brey (Project & Team), Jennifer Fawcett (Lean/Agile Leader), Dr. Suzette Johnson (Northrop Grumman), and Robin Yeman (Leidos) explore how AI capabilities can enhance Industrial DevOps practices for building and maintaining critical cyber-physical systems.
The authors present an AI-enabled operating model that integrates AI pipelines with Industrial DevOps principles to improve problem-solving, adaptability, and system resilience. With practical guidance for leaders and teams, this paper demonstrates how AI can function as a force multiplier across the value stream—from system design to operations and maintenance.
Particularly valuable are the industry-specific examples and patterns that show AI’s potential in ground communications, monitoring and telemetry, navigation, and digital twin simulation. The paper concludes with actionable steps organizations can take to begin their AI integration journey.
Brian Moore (RTX) offers a fascinating perspective by applying the constructal law of physics—which describes how flow systems evolve to provide easier access to their currents—to product development. Moore argues that this physical principle governs enterprise value streams just as it governs river basins, circulatory systems, and airport designs.
The paper introduces three key imperatives derived from constructal theory: support freedom, embrace hierarchy, and pursue beauty. Moore demonstrates how these principles can deepen our understanding of existing product development frameworks like SAFe, Industrial DevOps, and the principles outlined in works by Donald Reinertsen, Gene Kim, and Dr. Steven J. Spear.
By connecting product development flow with physical principles, Moore provides a scientific foundation for improving organizational structures and processes—offering a powerful lens through which to view enterprise transformation efforts.
Christine Hudson and Ronica Roth of The Welcome Elephant present a practical approach to cultural transformation that focuses on what leaders can directly influence: behaviors and language in meetings. The authors introduce the “Practice Makes Culture Change Loop,” a repeatable process for identifying, implementing, and reinforcing small behavioral changes that accumulate to create meaningful cultural shifts.
Through illustrative examples—such as improving business value communication and active listening—Hudson and Roth demonstrate how these targeted practices can address larger cultural challenges like delivery speed, transparency, and psychological safety. Their approach is grounded in research on value flow, organizational change, habit formation, and facilitation techniques.
This paper is particularly valuable for its actionable, low-risk method that allows leaders to begin cultural transformation immediately, without requiring massive restructuring or resource allocation.
Gayathri Shriram (TCS) and Mark Anning (Openreach) provide a treasure trove of practical AI/LLM prompts for product managers and owners. Through the story of a fictional product owner named Steve, the authors demonstrate how well-crafted prompts can enhance productivity and effectiveness throughout the product life cycle.
The paper is organized around the key phases of product development—discover, define, develop, and deliver—with specific prompts for tasks like brainstorming ideas, creating OKRs, developing requirements, writing user stories, and analyzing customer feedback. Each prompt is accompanied by a sample response, illustrating the potential value AI can bring to the product management function.
What sets this paper apart is its focus on practical application rather than theoretical possibilities. The authors share prompts they’ve personally tested and refined, making this an immediately useful resource for product teams looking to leverage AI in their daily work.
Stephen Fishman and Matt McLarty (Boomi, coauthors of Unbundling the Enterprise) examine the challenges of applying modern architectural approaches within the constraints of public sector organizations. The authors identify the fundamental operating model problems that hinder public sector innovation and efficiency, highlighting how the inability to retire legacy systems creates an unsustainable accumulation of technical debt.
Drawing on insights from their book Unbundling the Enterprise, Fishman and McLarty argue that API-based optionality is even more crucial in public sector contexts than in private enterprises. They share strategies for success based on the experiences of leaders like Mia Jordan, including aligning with executive priorities, connecting optionality to mission goals, and partnering with financial executives on sustainable funding models.
This paper offers a refreshing perspective on public sector transformation, focusing on pragmatic approaches that acknowledge institutional constraints while still driving meaningful progress.
The Spring 2025 Enterprise Technology Leadership Journal represents a wealth of knowledge and experience from practitioners who are actively tackling some of the most challenging problems in enterprise technology. Whether you’re interested in improving product development flow, integrating AI into your operations, transforming organizational culture, or navigating complex institutional constraints, this issue offers valuable insights and practical guidance.
The journal is available as a free download at ITRevolution.com/Resources. It is sponsored by Heroku. We encourage you to share this resource with your colleagues and broader professional network as we collectively work to advance the practice of technology leadership.
Managing Editor at IT Revolution working on publishing books and guidance papers for the modern business leader. I also oversee the production of the IT Revolution blog, combining the best of responsible, human-centered content with the assistance of AI tools.
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