The Bibles of strategic planning and software
Created by Rob Tyrie
What are the "Bibles" of strategic planning in software companies that have had a huge impact on the way the industry is shaped and it changes now?
I always say show me a professional’s library and I’ll explain their psyche. Books are like thought explosions and when you apply them to things like LLMS you really do get a focused amount of information that tends not to be general and the pablum people complain about when they do silly, simplistic prompts.
I’m a book guy... I use books and textbooks especially to guide and plan the growth of software companies and software programs inside insurance and banking companies. I like to have a bookshelf of what I’ll call the “Bibles”. These books to me are reference texts that are rich in ideas and structures that are useful every day to create better things. I have Bibles for marketing, for sales, for product management, for professional services l, for software development, for API development, which is quite different from general software, etc. Books and books and books.
The Approach
Here’s something that I did on Perplexity to just tease out some of the best of the best along with my thinking. I created a prompt that had serious nudges towards some of my predilections. For instance, when I think about strategy I always add a soft-skills book by Stephen Covey called the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People… because it is the book that I give the most in the world to people starting in their careers or people lost in their careers. If you don’t have a personal strategy like the Seven Habits... you’re basically lost all the time in my opinion. I always ask people what their guiding books are and sometimes they’ll include things like The Seven Habits, but there are other ones that I’ve been turned onto by academics and practitioners, like the works of Clayton Christensen which always have proofs in his labs, Peter Senge, who reminded me that I studied cybernetics and who informed me how to explain systems-design to people. There are others of course, like The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius or Sun Tzu’s Ancient Art of War that are close at hand on many.a strategist’s desks.
The Method
What follows this the generation with editing from me of what the zeitgeist of the internet and a series of LLMS consider useful books that are Bibles of strategy as I define them. My professional opinion is because I have used these books and their derivatives - I know the authors. It is a good list to start on if you are interested in strategy from any aspect. Give me a ring when you’ve read the books and we’ll discuss them. I’d love to do that.
…. (You can tell it’s generated because I left the markdown in place to clearly show it is generated… If you don’t know what markdown is... Use Perplexity to figure that out I’ll leave that as a lesson for the students)
The Experiment
Here goes Perplexity.AI — — — ->>>
…… 🤖🧠…….
Strategic planning in software companies is a dynamic and multifaceted domain that has evolved significantly over the years. The "Bibles" of strategic planning in this industry are not just books but seminal works that have shaped thinking, practices, and the very fabric of how software companies operate and innovate. These works often blend insights from major consultancies, academic research, and thought leadership in technology and management. Below are some of the most influential works and concepts that have had a profound impact on the strategic planning landscape in software companies, reflecting modern approaches and the contributions of leading thinkers and institutions.
### Agile Methodologies
**"Agile Software Development with Scrum" by Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle**
- This book introduced the Scrum framework, a pivotal part of Agile methodologies, which revolutionized software development by emphasizing flexibility, collaboration, and customer feedback.
**"Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit" by Mary and Tom Poppendieck**
- The Poppendiecks adapted lean manufacturing principles to software development, focusing on eliminating waste, optimizing the whole system, and delivering value to the customer.
### Digital Transformation
**"Leading Digital: Turning Technology into Business Transformation" by George Westerman, Didier Bonnet, and Andrew McAfee**
- Published by Harvard Business Review Press, this book provides insights into how companies can leverage digital technologies to achieve transformative business outcomes.
### Innovation Strategies
**"The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton M. Christensen**
- Christensen's work on disruptive innovation has been instrumental in shaping strategic thinking in not just software companies but across industries. It highlights the challenges established companies face when dealing with disruptive technologies.
### Strategic Foresight and Sense-Making
**"The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization" by Peter Senge**
- Senge's concept of the learning organization, which includes systems thinking and building shared vision, has influenced strategic planning by emphasizing adaptability and continuous learning.
**"Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters" by Richard Rumelt**
- Rumelt's work is a critical examination of what constitutes a good strategy, emphasizing clarity, coherence, and taking decisive action to tackle challenges.
### Cynefin Framework
**"Cynefin - Weaving Sense-Making into the Fabric of Our World" by Dave Snowden**
- Although not a book, Snowden's Cynefin framework has been influential in strategic planning and decision-making, especially in dealing with complex and adaptive systems. It helps organizations categorize problems and apply appropriate strategies.
### Contributions from Major Consultancies and Think Tanks
- Reports and whitepapers from **McKinsey & Company**, **Boston Consulting Group (BCG)**, and **Bain & Company** often set trends in strategic thinking and are considered must-reads for leaders in the software industry.
- **Gartner** and **Forrester** provide research and analysis that guide software companies in technology investments and strategic planning.
### Academic Contributions
- **MIT Sloan Management Review** and **Harvard Business Review** are essential sources for cutting-edge research and thought leadership in strategy and management.
- **The Economist** and its technology quarterly, **Babbage**, offer insights into how global trends and economic factors influence strategic planning in the tech industry.
These works and sources collectively represent a comprehensive foundation for strategic planning in software companies. They blend the practical insights of Agile and lean methodologies, the forward-looking perspectives of digital transformation and innovation strategies, and the nuanced understanding of complex systems offered by strategic foresight and sense-making frameworks.
Sources & Further Reading
Citations:
[1] What is Strategic Foresight and How Does It Work? - EDHEC Online https://online.edhec.edu/en/blog/what-is-strategic-foresight-and-how-does-it-work/
[2] The world's top companies are using strategic foresight https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/06/the-world-s-top-companies-are-using-strategic-foresight-you-should-too/
[3] The Impact Of Agile Methodologies On Code Quality - Smashing Magazine https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2023/05/impact-agile-methodologies-code-quality/
[4] How Digital Transformation impacts Software Development? - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-digital-transformation-impacts-software-development
[5] Strategic Foresight in Practice: The Ultimate Guide - ITONICS https://www.itonics-innovation.com/strategic-foresight-guide
[6] Embracing Agile - Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2016/05/embracing-agile
[7] The Impact of Agile Methods on the Software Projects Implementation ... https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=124307
[8] What Is Digital Transformation? Definition & Software Applications https://www.alphasoftware.com/blog/what-is-digital-transformation
[9] What is digital transformation? | The Enterprisers Project https://enterprisersproject.com/what-is-digital-transformation
[10] What is Digital Transformation & Why is it Important? - Accenture https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/digital-transformation-index
[11] Impact of the Evolving Digital Transformation on the Technology ... https://www.bostondigital.com/insights/impact-evolving-digital-transformation-technology-industry
[12] 9 Foresight Methodologies Successful Companies Use to Stay Ahead https://www.futuresplatform.com/blog/9-foresight-methodologies-successful-companies-use-stay-ahead
[13] [PDF] The Impact of Agile Methods on Software Project Management https://eljabiri1.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/agilityprojectmanagemnt.pdf
[14] Bringing True Strategic Foresight Back to Business https://hbr.org/2024/01/bringing-true-strategic-foresight-back-to-business
[15] How Digital Transformation Impacts Software Development | PTC https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/alm/how-digital-transformation-impacts-software-development
[16] Strategic Foresight - Kalypso https://kalypso.com/services/strategy-operations-consulting/foresight
[17] The Impact of Agile Methodology on Project Success, with a Moderating ... https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/21/10698
[18] 19 Examples of Digital Transformation Companies - Yenlo https://www.yenlo.com/blogs/examples-digital-transformation-companies/
[19] Real-World Impact and Tools for Agile Project Management - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/agile-software-development-real-world-k1iac
[20] Six Strategies to Encourage Innovation in Software Development https://www.turing.com/blog/innovation-in-software-development/
This experiment was created and executed by Rob Tyrie A writer, a programmer and an analyst with 40 years of experience in creating mostly useful software and some really awful stuff too. His work has been in front of millions of people in some way shape or form. He spends a lot of time with brand companies like Progressive Insurance, Allstate, AIG and others and was the former Global lead for insurance at Salesforce.com. He’s had a career in enabling software companies to grow and distribute their results mechanisms and genius into large companies at speed.
To relax, I like to read, go figure, I like to exercise and hang out with my friends and family. I also like to travel which takes me back to reading which is my form of virtual travel what I can’t get on a plane training or automobile to get around
I am the founder of a virtual think tank called The Grey Swan Guild, a community of 10,000 supporters, members, makers, doers, thinkers, ideators and more. We get things done. see our results at: www.greyswanguild.org.🦢💛
