The World's Best Book Summaries
What’s Conway’s Law? What’s an inverse Conway maneuver, and how can it help your teams succeed? Conway’s Law states that a piece of software’s architecture mimics the structure of the team that produced it. Based on this, software engineers Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais advocate an approach to software development that they call an inverse Conway maneuver. Continue reading to learn about designing tech teams according to Conway’s Law.
How can you keep teams from getting overwhelmed? What’s the “right” amount of work? In Team Topologies, Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais show you how to set up software development teams to work as efficiently as possible. Basing their approach on Conway’s Law, they recommend that you assign teams the right amount of work. Continue reading to learn two strategies for team workload management.
Why does Warren Buffett criticize the Wall Street approach? What are some ways in which Wall Street investment firms mishandle investors’ money? According to Warren Buffett, Wall Street’s business-as-usual practices highlight many areas in which most investment companies don’t serve the interests of the people whose money they steward. Specifically, Buffett highlights the failings of CEO culture, shady accounting, overpriced acquisitions, and the systemic dangers of financial derivatives. Keep reading to learn about Warren Buffett’s criticisms of Wall Street’s practices.
How much authority should a stream-aligned team have? What makes these teams so efficient? When you think of “stream,” think of “flow.” That’s a key aspect of stream-aligned teams. It’s the primary of four team topologies discussed by software engineers and authors Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais. Continue reading for an overview of what stream-aligned teams are designed to do.
Does your organization have enabling teams? What difference do they—or could they—make? In Team Topologies, enabling teams function as helpers that come alongside other teams to keep them running with efficiency and relevance. They stay up to date on the latest technologies and skills, and then they share this knowledge with the teams that need it. Read on to understand the purpose and function of enabling teams.
Does your organization have a team that’s dedicated to infrastructure services? Could your organizational resources be handled more efficiently? In Team Topologies, platform teams are one of the four team types recommended by software engineers Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais. These teams handle underlying organizational functions such as cloud storage and internal security. Keep reading to learn about the purpose and design of platform teams and how they intersect with all aspects of the organization.
Do you run a small business? What types of business networks can help you gain support? Small businesses are hard to keep going if they don’t have enough support. Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler’s book Bold explains how up-and-coming entrepreneurs can attract more people to their businesses by networking. Keep reading to learn how to attract support for small businesses with closed and open networks.
Why does Warren Buffett advise against portfolio diversification? What’s the problem with diversifying your investments? How does diversification hurt your return on investment? Portfolio diversification is a sacred cow in the world of investing. However, the world’s most successful investor, Warren Buffett, scorns the idea of diversifying your portfolio to protect against risk. Keep reading to learn about Warren Buffett, diversification, and why it’s better to have skin in the game.
Do the teams in your organization work well together? Are there protocols in place for smooth interaction? In Team Topologies, software engineers Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais show you how to set up your development teams to work as efficiently as possible. They recommend dividing your workforce into four types of teams, and then they outline three ways these teams can most effectively work together. Keep reading to learn about the three Team Topologies interaction modes.
What is Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler’s book Bold about? What are the main takeaways of the book? Despite having promising ideas, most up-and-coming entrepreneurs struggle to bring their innovations to fruition and make a large-scale impact. In Bold, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler explain that this struggle is even more intense due to today’s technological revolution. Read below for a brief overview of the Bold book by Diamandis and Kotler.