10 Steps to Flow: A Practical Novel for Software Delivery Leaders

Description

Welcome to the Leanpub Launch video for 10 Steps to Flow: A Practical Novel for Software Delivery Leaders https://leanpub.com/10-steps-to-flow by Plamen Balkanski! 0:00 Plamen introduces himself and his background in software delivery across government, telecoms, and finance 0:45 The book's origin as blog posts and the influence of Eli Goldratt's story-format business novels 1:35 How the book serves experienced practitioners who face organisational pushback and need a reminder of better ways 2:20 How the book helps junior practitioners navigate the overwhelming landscape of Agile, Lean, and DevOps methods 2:20 Len's praise for the novel format as a vehicle for conveying real team experiences 3:06 Discussion of the book's opening scene: team excitement, a great idea, and the difficult question that follows 3:53 The value of a shared story for teams — using the novel as a common reference point for conversations 3:53 Plamen reveals this is his first published book despite starting others 4:41 A larger companion book is in progress, with more stories and practices — this novel is the lighter precursor 5:29 Closing remarks and recommendation to pick up 10 Steps to Flow About the Book ​10 Steps to Flow: A Practical Novel for Software Delivery Leaders is your quick and easy to consume, guide to cutting through the chaos and building a resilient, high-performing delivery culture that thrives on clarity, autonomy, and continuous improvement.Told through the relatable journey of Alex, a pragmatic delivery lead, this novel brings modern delivery practices to life, not through dry theory, but through a story that feels real, messy, and deeply human. As Alex guides his team (and later, an entire division) from chaos to flow, you’ll walk through ten practical steps that every Agile, Lean, or DevOps-minded leader should know. About the Author Plamen Balkanski is a seasoned software delivery and product leader with over 20 years of experience helping teams, and entire organisations, work smarter, move faster, and build better systems. He’s led transformations across government, telecom, and finance, including HMRC, the Home Office, and O2, where his work contributed to national award wins. Plamen blends hands-on delivery with coaching, product thinking, and systems design. His approach draws from Kanban, Lean, Team Topologies, and XP, not just in theory, but in the messy real world of multidisciplinary teams, legacy systems, and hard deadlines. Plamen is a certified Lean Stack Coach, Professional Kanban Practitioner, and long-time mentor and judge for MassChallenge, where he supports founders building the next wave of impact-driven businesses. He writes for modern software leaders who care not just about shipping features, but about building healthy, high-performing teams that can sustain delivery over the long term. Follow the author here! https://x.com/plamenb Thank you for watching, please like and leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you! Please Subscribe and Follow! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/leanpub X: https://x.com/leanpub Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanpub Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leanpub Create Your Own Leanpub Book! You can create your own book anytime here: https://leanpub.com/create/book Here's the tutorial showing how to write and publish a Leanpub book in your browser (it's free!): http://help.leanpub.com/en/articles/2932527-getting-started-writing-a-book-in-the-web-browser-writing-mode If you're a Leanpub author and you'd like to submit your own Launch video for us to publish, or if you'd like to record a Launch video with Len, please go here: https://leanpub.com/launch. #books #leanpublishing #selfpublishing #leanpub #writing #leadershipagile #consulting #leadership #softwaredelivery #agilecoaching #devops #teamtopologies #continuousimprovement