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The Phoenix Project™ DevOps in Action

Booking options

Price on Enquiry

Highlights

Delivered Online or In-Person
Delivered at your location
UK & International Requests Considered
Full day
All levels

Description

Based on the bestselling DevOps novel. One day. A team in crisis. Your challenge to turn it around. The Phoenix Project™ is an immersive business simulation based on the globally celebrated DevOps book of the same name.

Teams step into the shoes of Parts Unlimited, a company under pressure and must apply DevOps principles of collaboration, integration and communication to rescue a critical IT transformation project before it's too late.

This is one of the most engaging and impactful team learning experiences available for DevOps adoption. It creates a shared language, a shared experience and shared momentum in a single day.

Delivered by ITSM Hub's expert facilitators at your premises or via virtual classroom.

Why experiential learning?

DevOps isn't a framework or a toolset, it's a culture. And culture can't be taught from a slide deck. It has to be experienced. The Phoenix Project™ simulation puts teams in a realistic, high-pressure scenario where they feel the dysfunction of siloed working, then discover through doing how collaboration, integration and communication transform outcomes. The shift from chaos to flow is something participants experience, not just hear about.

About the simulation

Developed by GamingWorks, global leaders in serious business simulations - The Phoenix Project™ is based on the popular DevOps book by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford.

The scenario: Parts Unlimited is in trouble. Newspaper reports reveal poor financial performance. An IT-enabled business transformation - The Phoenix Project has been introduced as the solution to save the company and restore competitiveness. The VP of IT Operations is tasked with leading the project to success. But there are huge backlogs of issues, competing priorities and constant pressure from internal business partners with new demands and external developments no one can control.

Participants take on roles across the Parts Unlimited organisation, Retail Operations, Human Resources, Finance, IT Operations and the IT Development team. Working in three rounds, teams must complete IT projects, resolve IT issues and deliver The Phoenix Project on time all while applying DevOps principles of collaboration, integration and communication.

The simulation is facilitated with structured reflection between rounds, helping participants surface insights, agree on improvements and connect the experience directly to their own organisation.

What will your team experience and learn?

Core outcomes include:

Understanding the practicalities of DevOps, not just the theory, but how it actually plays out under pressure

Applying DevOps principles of collaboration, integration and communication in a realistic business scenario

Finding the right balance between SLA commitments and IT project delivery

Experiencing how a collaborative DevOps culture creates measurable business value

Increasing efficiency and effectiveness across the IT department

Improving flow within and between teams reducing bottlenecks and unplanned work

Building the skills and mindset to operate in a fully integrated DevOps environment

Helping internal business partners understand their role in making IT projects more successful

How does this connect to your DevOps training?

The Phoenix Project™ simulation is the perfect complement to DevOps certification training. We can run it as a standalone team workshop, or schedule it as a third day immediately following your DevOps certification course bringing all the concepts to life while they're still fresh and giving teams an immediate shared experience to build on.

Who should attend?

This simulation is designed for anyone involved in DevOps adoption, IT delivery or IT/business collaboration. It's especially powerful for:

Software development and IT operations teams adopting or scaling DevOps

IT Service Management teams integrating with DevOps delivery

IT leaders and managers driving cultural change

Mixed teams across IT Operations, Development and the business

Teams who have completed DevOps certification and want to put it into practice

Any team experiencing friction between Dev, Ops and business stakeholders

No prerequisites. No prior DevOps experience is required.

Delivery options

Onsite	Our facilitator comes to your premises for a face-to-face session
Virtual classroom	Delivered online with our expert facilitator on dates and times that suit your team
Duration	1 day
Group size	Flexible - contact us for recommendations based on your team size

About GamingWorks

The Phoenix Project™ simulation is developed by GamingWorks, a global leader in serious business simulations. GamingWorks designs and deploys experiential learning solutions used by organisations worldwide, covering DevOps, ITSM, Agile, project management and team development, delivered through a network of 350+ trained facilitators globally, including ITSM Hub in Australia and New Zealand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we run this after our DevOps training?
Yes, this is one of the most effective configurations. We can schedule the simulation as a third day following DevOps certification training, giving participants an immediate opportunity to apply their new knowledge together as a team.
Does the team need to have read The Phoenix Project book?
No. Familiarity with the book adds context and enjoyment, but is not required. The simulation is fully self-contained and accessible to all participants.
Is there an exam or certification?
No. This is a practical workshop, not an examination. The value is in the shared team experience and the takeaways participants bring back to their workplace.