Project to Product

In the Age of Software, will your business dominate and maintain relevance—or will it become a digital relic? "If you want to get rid of obsolete practices and succeed with the new digital, read this book." —Carlota Perez, author of Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital "Mik provides a great articulation of the importance of focussing on the work not the workers, on the value stream network, and on lessons learned on what to avoid." —Jon Smart, author of Sooner Safer Happier "A major contribution to the theory of management in the age of software.” —Carliss Baldwin, coauthor of Design Rules, Volume 1: The Power of Modularity As tech giants and startups disrupt every market, those who master large-scale software delivery will define the economic landscape of the 21st century, just as the masters of mass production defined the landscape in the 20th. Unfortunately, business and technology leaders are woefully ill-equipped to solve the problems posed by digital transformation. At the current rate of disruption, half of S&P 500 companies will be replaced in the next ten years. A new approach is needed. In Project to Product, Value Stream Network pioneer and technology business leader Dr. Mik Kersten introduces the Flow Framework—a new way of seeing, measuring, and managing software delivery. The Flow Framework will enable your company's evolution from project-oriented dinosaur to product-centric innovator that thrives in the Age of Software. If you're driving your organization's transformation at any level, this is the book for you. "[Project to Product] that gives technology leaders a framework to enable the change necessary for companies to remain relevant." —Dominica DeGrandis, author of Making Work Visible

Dr. Mik Kersten started his career as a Research Scientist at Xerox PARC where he created the first aspect-oriented development environment. He then pioneered the integration of development tools with Agile and DevOps as part of his Computer Science PhD at the University of British Columbia. Founding Tasktop out of that research, Mik has written over one million lines of open-source code that is still in use today, and he has brought seven successful open-source and commercial products to market. Mik's experiences working with some of the largest digital transformations in the world has led him to identify the critical disconnect between business leaders and technologists. Since that time, Mik has been working on creating new tools and a new framework for connecting software value stream networks and enabling the shift from project to product. Mik lives with his family in Vancouver, Canada, and travels globally, sharing his vision for transforming how software is built.

Table of Contents List of Illustrations Foreword by Gene Kim Introduction:The Turning Point PART I: THE FLOW FRAMEWORK Chapter 1The Age of Software Chapter 2From Project to Product Chapter 3Introducing the Flow Framework PART II: VALUE STREAM METRICS Chapter 4Capturing the Flow Metrics Chapter 5Connecting to Business Results Chapter 6Tracking Disruptions PART III: VALUE STREAM NETWORKS Chapter 7The Ground Truth of Enterprise Toolchains Chapter 8Specialized Tools and the Value Stream Chapter 9Value Stream Management Conclusion:Beyond the Turning Point RESOURCES Glossary Notes Index Acknowledgments About the Author