Continuous learning is a big part of what we do at Box UK. Our team is always looking for new thoughts on industry innovations and process improvements, as well as classic takes on the fundamentals of digital and software development.
Another thing we love to do is share what we’ve learned, with regular tech talks, external speaking engagements and dedicated Slack rooms all helping to spread the word.
To mark World Book Day 2020 then, we asked our team to do what they do best and share with us their favourite industry reads both new and old. Drawing from our own well-stocked internal library and beyond the list features a host of useful, insightful and interesting books, covering a range of topics from development practices to task management.
Take a look through and see what inspires…
Digital / Development
Rolling Rocks Downhill | Clarke Ching
Why we love it
“Incredibly well written and lots of fun to read, it explains some of the core concepts behind delivering software quicker and more effectively, in the form of a novel.”
Domain Modelling Made Functional | Scott Wlaschin
Why we love it
“This book is both an excellent introduction to Domain Driven Design and Domain Modelling as well as a nice introduction to the F# programming language. It made me think about modelling and programming in a new way.”
Design For Real Life | Eric Meyer, Sara Wachter-Boettcher
Why we love it
“By showing how small decisions can cause harm, this book shows the importance of compassion for end-users in software development.”
Accessibility For Everyone | Laura Kalbag
Why we love it
“A clear guide to the impact accessible design has on us all.”
Project and Product Management
The Phoenix Project | Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford
Why we love it
“Another great read in the format of a novel that teaches you fundamental truths on how to deliver projects more effectively. It contains numerous ‘lightbulb’ moments that help explain difficult concepts through examples better than any textbook could.”
“Very rarely is a technical book so enjoyable to read. Makes some really excellent technical points on how to best run an IT project in the format of a novel which makes it pleasurable to read.”
“Easy to read as it’s a novel and not as dry as some books. It goes through a fictional company’s journey of how they used to work, describing all the bad processes that they used to use, and how it evolved into a more efficient, less stressful and better place to work.”
Team Topologies | Matthew Skelton, Manual Pais
Why we love it
“It’s helped improve my understanding of how best to structure teams for high quality and fast delivery.”
The Bottleneck Rules | Clarke Ching
Why we love it
“This book has offered the most advice per minute than anything I’ve read before. It’s a book that offers practical advice in context and then leaves you with a simple theory that you will find helpful forever.
Wherever there is a frustration or inefficiency, often there is a bottleneck. Most of the time we deal with these bottlenecks in ways that can exacerbate the problem or move the problem elsewhere. Concentrating on moving processes around the bottleneck can help resolve these problems and allow you to increase efficiency and scale.
Warning: After reading this book you will see bottlenecks everywhere.”
“This quick read changed the way I look at bottlenecks.”
“Very short but to the point book showing how to spot where the real problem is with work activities, but this also applies to daily life about how to get things done and why some things take so long to do that shouldn’t.”
Shape Up | Ryan Singer
Why we love it
“It really cuts through some of the pain points of an agile process and provides some interesting ways of running projects that focus on creativity and productivity.”
User Story Mapping | Jeff Patton
Why we love it
“No matter how many times I read this book, I still find an amazing piece of advice. It starts quite simply with a technique and workshop idea that is useful in product development. If that’s all you get from this book then that is reason enough to praise it. However, it goes so much further. It’s not a one-off event of mapping, it goes into team structures, techniques to resolve common problems and so much more that you will need across the lifetime of a product.
Read this book, read it again and then read it some more.”
Sprint | Jake Knapp
Why we love it
“A great look at how Google quickly generate and validate ideas to problems.”
General Business
Disciplined Entrepreneurship | Bill Aulet
Why we love it
“This book shows how to strike the balance between the hustle of starting up, and the discipline of doing things for a reason.”
The Checklist Manifesto | Atul Gawande
Why we love it
“Gawande illustrates how breaking down complexity into simple, repeatable steps can make anything – including brain surgery and landing planes – less daunting and more manageable.”
“This book shows how even very experienced people can miss things and how checklists add a level of confidence in these situations, and even in day-to-day activities like leaving the house in the morning. Checklists take little time to go through and add so many benefits.”
Mamba Mentality | Kobe Bryant
Why we love it
“How a global sporting icon prepared physically and mentally to excel in his area, and how to wring every last drop out of your talent.”
Now it’s over to you. Have you read any of the books on our list, and what did you think of them? Have we missed any crucial industry reads? Get in touch via LinkedIn and Twitter to continue the discussion!
