[ahpearce]

I'm not really following your criticisms on The Phoenix Project... Can you elaborate?

[madhadron]

I didn't attempt to make a detailed criticism. Basically, it's the naive application of Goldratt's "The Goal" to IT. People have been trying to model IT processes on manufacturing for decades. Still doesn't work. The opinion of several engineers that I respect very highly who suffered from the author's consulting services makes me discount his work entirely.

If you read farther in Goldratt, the sequels to "The Goal", he refines the notion of constraints in very interesting ways that leave the factory floor. I don't think the author of the Phoenix Project ever got that.

[devdas]

Goldratt is excellent for optimising processes with well defined goals.

This is ofen true in business software.

If you want to optimise a learning process, The Principles of Product Development Flow is more relevant.

The two books (The Goal vs The Principles of Product Development Flow) give very different, seemingly opposite advice.

[codesuki]

Would you mind expanding on how your friends suffered? What went wrong etc. Sounds interesting.

[madhadron]

I haven't done a detailed debrief with them, so I can pass on an opinion and experience that I respect, but I can't expand without conjecturing.