The Reading List
Here is a suggested reading list from Perry Group. This is a selection of interesting and inspiring reads around modern technology management, digital transformation and the future of work that informs our work and that we recommend.
A Seat at the Table
A book about how IT leaders can secure their seat at the leadership table.
Audible: https://www.audible.ca/search?keywords=a+seat+at+the+table+it+leadership+in+the+age+of+agility&ref=
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Seat-Table-Leadership-Age-Agility/dp/1942788118
The phoenix project
Written as a novel by the authors of the Devops Handbook, a superb and instantly recognizable story of a failing IT department and how a modern approach turned it around.
Audible: https://www.audible.ca/pd/The-Phoenix-Project-Audiobook/B06Y231844
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business/dp/0988262509
Digital Transformation at scale: why the strategy is delivery
Written by the architects of UK’s Government Digital Service, this book is about how they translated and applied approaches employed by modern internet firms, to the government sector.
Audible: not available
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Digital-Transformation-Scale-Strategy-Delivery/dp/1907994785
Brave New Work
A superb non-IT book about how modern businesses are embracing new modes of working, making decisions, assigning decision rights.
Audible: https://www.audible.ca/pd/Brave-New-Work-Audiobook/B07N1VQ68B
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Brave-New-Work-Reinvent-Organization/dp/0525536205/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=brave+new+work&qid=1574813800&s=books&sr=1-1
Good Services
A cool book from Lou Downe from the UK’s Government Digital Service about how to design services that work
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Good-Services-Decoding-Mystery-Service/dp/9063695438
Check out this video ICCS and MSDO where Lou was a guest speaker - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qcwjQOkS7Y
The Service Organization
A companion piece to the Good Services work above written by Kate Tarling. A book about scaling Good Services work across large team and whole organizations.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Service-Organization-Successful-Services-Sustainably/dp/1913019764
Driving digital: the leaders guide to business transformation through technology
A great book to help CIO’s and organizational leadership think about how to lead digital transformation.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/1400238781/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1670815035&sr=8-1
Kill it with fire
A great book which will help you think about how you can deal with legacy computer systems
Measure what matters
A fascinating book about setting Objectives and Key Results - the target setting technique pioneered by Intel and adopted by Google and many other leading organizations.
Audible: https://www.audible.ca/pd/Measure-What-Matters-Audiobook/B07BMHQHCV
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Measure-What-Matters-Google-Foundation/dp/0525536221
IT SAVVy: What top Executives must know to go from pain to gain
A great book from MIT authors about what it takes to be a tech savvy organization.
Audible: not available
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Savvy-What-Executives-Must-Know/dp/1422181014
Some Good Links
What’s a techie - a good short note from Seth Godin on why, as an active professional, you simply cannot choose not to understand how tech works.