Operations Quote by Gene Kim
““If you think IT Operations has nothing to learn from Plant Operations, you’re wrong. Dead wrong,” he says. “Your job as VP of IT Operations is to ensure the fast, predictable, and uninterrupted flow of planned work that delivers value to the business while minimizing the impact and disruption of unplanned work, so you can provide stable, predictable, and secure IT service.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Interview on IT Operations, 2020
IT Ops must adopt plant‑style discipline: predictability, flow, and minimizing disruptions to deliver stable service.
In simple terms: IT Ops should be predictable and stable like a plant.
Key Takeaway
Apply lean, flow‑focused practices to IT.
Themes
operations
predictability
flow
service stability
Mood
analytical
pragmatic
Type
leadership
process improvement
When to use this quote
- IT service delivery
- project planning
- incident management
Key Concepts
lean management
systems thinking
continuous improvement
Questions to Reflect On
- How can IT teams balance predictability with innovation?
- What plant‑operation practices translate best to IT?
A Different Perspective
May overlook unique IT complexities and cultural resistance.
![“Bill Baker, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, quipped that we used to treat servers like pets: “You name them and when they get sick, you nurse them back to health. [Now] servers are [treated] like cattle. You number them and when they get sick, you shoot them.” quote by Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e7b/gene-kim-2268_health_bill-baker-a-distinguished-engineer-at-m_187582.jpg)
