Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care Is Better Than Yours


Phillip Longman - 2007
    This encouraging change not only has benefited veterans but also provides a blueprint for salvaging America's own deeply troubled healthcare system. "Best Care Anywhere" shows how a government bureaucracy, working with little notice, is setting the standard for best practices and cost reduction while the private sector is lagging in both areas. Author Phillip Longman challenges conventional wisdom by explaining exactly how market forces work to lower quality and raise prices in the healthcare sector, and how U.S. medical practices have a weak basis in science. The book, expanded from a widely praised article in the "Washington Monthly," mixes hard facts with author Philip Longmans' compelling human story of the loss of his wife to cancer. Part manifesto, part moving memoir, "Best Care Anywhere" offers new hope for addressing a major problem of contemporary society that affects all of us.

Agile Estimating and Planning


Mike Cohn - 2005
    In this book, Agile Alliance cofounder Mike Cohn discusses the philosophy of agile estimating and planning and shows you exactly how to get the job done, with real-world examples and case studies.Concepts are clearly illustrated and readers are guided, step by step, toward how to answer the following questions: What will we build? How big will it be? When must it be done? How much can I really complete by then? You will first learn what makes a good plan-and then what makes it agile.Using the techniques in Agile Estimating and Planning , you can stay agile from start to finish, saving time, conserving resources, and accomplishing more. Highlights include:Why conventional prescriptive planning fails and why agile planning works How to estimate feature size using story points and ideal days--and when to use each How and when to re-estimate How to prioritize features using both financial and nonfinancial approaches How to split large features into smaller, more manageable ones How to plan iterations and predict your team's initial rate of progress How to schedule projects that have unusually high uncertainty or schedule-related risk How to estimate projects that will be worked on by multiple teams Agile Estimating and Planning supports any agile, semiagile, or iterative process, including Scrum, XP, Feature-Driven Development, Crystal, Adaptive Software Development, DSDM, Unified Process, and many more. It will be an indispensable resource for every development manager, team leader, and team member.

Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals: How One Doctor's Checklist Can Help Us Change Health Care from the Inside Out


Peter Pronovost - 2010
    Doctors, nurses, and clinicians swear by this code of conduct. Yet, medical errors are made every single day-avoidable mistakes that often cost lives. Inspired by two such mistakes, Dr. Peter Pronovost made it his personal mission to improve patient safety and make preventable deaths a thing of the past, one hospital at a time. Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals shows how Dr. Pronovost started a revolution by creating a simple checklist that standardized a common ICU procedure. His reforms are being implemented in all fifty states and have saved hundreds of lives by cutting hospital-acquired infection rates by 70%. Atul Gawande profiled Dr. Pronovost's reforms in a New Yorker article and his bestselling book The Checklist Manifesto is based upon Dr. Pronovost's success in patient safety. But Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals is the real story: an inspiring, thought-provoking, accessible insider's narrative about how doctors and nurses are improving patient care for all Americans, today.

Beyond The Phoenix Project: The Origins and Evolution Of DevOps (Official Transcript of The Audio Series)


Gene Kim - 2018
    In this transcript of the audio series, Gene Kim and John Willis present a nine-part discussion that includes an oral history of the DevOps movement, as well as discussions around pivotal figures and philosophies that DevOps draws upon, from Goldratt to Deming; from Lean to Safety Culture to Learning Organizations.The book is a great way for listeners to take an even deeper dive into topics relevant to DevOps and leading technology organizations.

The Remedy


Pascal Dennis - 2010
    The book provides practical knowledge for lean champions, managers, and executives driving toward operational excellence enterprise-wide. The story format, and the presentation of this material was excellent, and the avoidance of lean and operational excellence jargon gives the book a wide appeal...it is a pleasure to read.The Sequel to the Influential "Lean" Business Novel Andy & MeThe Remedy is a compelling a business fable that shows how Lean quality improvement business practices--traditionally associated with manufacturing--can dramatically improve the service areas of your business-including design, engineering, sales, marketing and all processes in between.Written by Pascal Dennis, a leading Lean consultant, the story follows Tom Pappas and Rachel Armstrong, senior leaders at a desperate automotive company as they try to implement a Lean management system across an entire platform, the Chloe, a breakthrough green car. The future of the company is at stake. Can Tom and Rachel, supported by Andy Saito, a retired, reclusive Toyota executive, regain the trust and respect of the customer? Can a venerable but dying company implement Lean practices to every part of their business and learn a new, more effective way of managing?Shows you how to use the Lean quality improvement method to fix not just a manufacturing system, but an entire company, including management, design, marketing, and supply chain Written by Pascal Dennis, author of four books on Lean practices and winner of the coveted Shingo Prize for outstanding research contributing to operational excellence Originally developed by Toyota, the Lean approach to quality improvement has gained a worldwide following and helped turn around enumerable struggling businesses

Holy Bible: New Testament: New Life Version


Anonymous - 2014
    The New Life™ Version—used around the world in mission work—is now available as an ebook edition. Containing the complete New Testament text, helpful descriptive subheads throughout, and topical study outlines to further explain the scriptures, this NLV Bible is for everyone. Its limited vocabulary makes it perfect for younger readers, in English-as-a-second-language use, or even for longer-term Christians who just want a fresh perspective on the scriptures. This unique scripture version, originally designed to reach people who did not speak English as their native language, uses a limited vocabulary of 850 words to simply and clearly share God's truth. For example, the term "justified" is rendered "made right with God," and "blaspheme" is rendered "speak against God."  Ideal for seekers, new believers, or even mature Christians who want a new perspective on the Bible.

Epidemiology: An Introduction


Kenneth J. Rothman - 2002
    These areas of knowledge have converged into a modern theory of epidemiology that has been slow to penetrate into textbooks, particularly at the introductory level. Epidemiology: An Introduction closes the gap. It begins with a brief, lucid discussion of causal thinking and causal inference and then takes the reader through the elements of epidemiology, focusing on the measures of disease occurrence and causal effects. With these building blocks in place, the reader learns how to design, analyze and interpret problems that epidemiologists face, including confounding, the role of chance, and the exploration of interactions. All these topics are layered on the foundation of basic principles presented in simple language, with numerous examples and questions for further thought.

Leading Quality: How Great Leaders Deliver High-Quality Software and Accelerate Growth


Ronald Cummings-John - 2019
    You will learn the techniques successful leaders use to make their strategic decisions and you will be given the tools to ensure that your team is in alignment to achieving common goals. Leading Quality is the first book that teaches why quality is important and how to incorporate it within the workspace. Praise for Leading Quality:   “A quality mindset remains key to differentiating your product and your company. Leading Quality offers key lessons to develop this mindset.” - Michael Lopp, author of Managing Humans and VP of Product Engineering at Slack “Leading Quality communicates just how important a focus on quality is within your company and is one of the few titles that actually teaches how to lead quality in a clear yet captivating manner.”  - Shesh Patel, Engineering Manager at The New York Times “Three elements define any successful product: quality, quality, and quality. Leading Quality is a comprehensive and practical guide to embedding quality into the DNA of any product organization.” - Nick Caldwell, CPO at Looker and former VP of Engineering at Reddit

Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won't Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care


Marty Makary - 2012
    Marty Makary is co-developer of the life-saving checklist outlined in Atul Gawande's bestselling The Checklist Manifesto. As a busy surgeon who has worked in many of the best hospitals in the nation, he can testify to the amazing power of modern medicine to cure. But he's also been a witness to a medical culture that routinely leaves surgical sponges inside patients, amputates the wrong limbs, and overdoses children because of sloppy handwriting. Over the last ten years, neither error rates nor costs have come down, despite scientific progress and efforts to curb expenses. Why?To patients, the healthcare system is a black box. Doctors and hospitals are unaccountable, and the lack of transparency leaves both bad doctors and systemic flaws unchecked. Patients need to know more of what healthcare workers know, so they can make informed choices. Accountability in healthcare would expose dangerous doctors, reward good performance, and force positive change nationally, using the power of the free market. Unaccountable is a powerful, no-nonsense, non-partisan diagnosis for healing our hospitals and reforming our broken healthcare system.

A World without Cancer: The Making of a New Cure and the Real Promise of Prevention


Margaret I. Cuomo - 2012
    Margaret I. Cuomo is inspired to seek out new strategies for waging a smarter war on cancer.This year, about 1.6 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and more than 1,500 people will die "per day." We've been asked to accept the disappointing strategy to "manage cancer as a chronic disease." We've allowed pharmaceutical companies to position cancer drugs that extend life by just weeks and may cost $100,000 for a single course of treatment as breakthroughs. Where is the bold leadership that will transform our system from treatment to prevention? Have we forgotten the mission of the National Cancer Act of 1971 to "conquer cancer"?Through an analysis of more than 40 years of medical evidence and interviews with the top cancer researchers, drug company executives, and health policy advisers, Dr. Cuomo reveals intriguing answers to these questions. She shows us how all cancer stakeholders--the pharmaceutical industry, the government, physicians, and concerned Americans--can change the way we view and fight cancer in this country.

The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development


Donald G. Reinertsen - 2009
    He explains why invisible and unmanaged queues are the underlying root cause of poor product development performance. He shows why these queues form and how they undermine the speed, quality, and efficiency in product development.

IoT Inc.: How Your Company Can Use the Internet of Things to Win in the Outcome Economy


Bruce Sinclair - 2017
    They’re in our companies, in our homes, in our pockets. People love these products. But what they love more is what these products do—and for anyone running a business today, outcomes are the key. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the point of connection between products and the results they deliver—it’s where products become software. IoT Inc. explains everything you need to know to position your company within this powerful new network. And once you do, you’ll leave the competition in the dust. Founder and president of today’s leading IoT business consulting firm, Bruce Sinclair has been helping companies develop IoT strategies for a decade—far longer than the term has even existed. This essential guide provides an in-depth look into IoT—how it works and how it is transforming business; methods for seeing your own business, customers, and competitors through the lens of IoT, and a deep dive into how to develop and implement a powerful IoT strategy. IoT isn’t a new business trend. It’s the new way of business. Period. The IoT wave is heading for your industry. You can either meet it head-on, and ride it to success, or you can turn your back and let it swamp you. This is your playbook for transforming your company into a major player in the IoT Outcome economy.

Innovator's Prescription


Clayton M. Christensen - 2008
    . .Our health care system is in critical condition. Each year, fewer Americans can afford it, fewer businesses can provide it, and fewer government programs can promise it for future generations.We need a cure, and we need it now.Harvard Business School's Clayton M. Christensen--whose bestselling The Innovator's Dilemma revolutionized the business world--presents The Innovator's Prescription, a comprehensive analysis of the strategies that will improve health care and make it affordable.Christensen applies the principles of disruptive innovation to the broken health care system with two pioneers in the field--Dr. Jerome Grossman and Dr. Jason Hwang. Together, they examine a range of symptoms and offer proven solutions.YOU'LL DISCOVER HOW"Precision medicine" reduces costs and makes good on the promise of personalized careDisruptive business models improve quality, accessibility, and affordability by changing the way hospitals and doctors workPatient networks enable better treatment of chronic diseasesEmployers can change the roles they play in health care to compete effectively in the era of globalizationInsurance and regulatory reforms stimulate disruption in health care

Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don't, and How to Make Any Change Stick


Jeremy Dean - 2012
    How long should it take before you stop having to force it and start doing it automatically?The surprising answers are found in Making Habits, Breaking Habits, a psychologist's popular examination of one of the most powerful and under-appreciated processes in the mind. Although people like to think that they are in control, much of human behavior occurs without any decision-making or conscious thought.Drawing on hundreds of fascinating studies, psychologist Jeremy Dean busts the myths to finally explain why seemingly easy habits, like eating an apple a day, can be surprisingly difficult to form, and how to take charge of your brain's natural “autopilot” to make any change stick.Witty and intriguing, Making Habits, Breaking Habits shows how behavior is more than just a product of what you think. It is possible to bend your habits to your will—and be happier, more creative, and more productive.

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle


Emily Nagoski - 2019
    Many women in America have experienced it. What’s expected of women and what it’s really like to be a woman in today’s world are two very different things—and women exhaust themselves trying to close the gap between them. How can you “love your body” when every magazine cover has ten diet tips for becoming “your best self”? How do you “lean in” at work when you’re already operating at 110 percent and aren’t recognized for it? How can you live happily and healthily in a sexist world that is constantly telling you you’re too fat, too needy, too noisy, and too selfish?Sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are here to help end the cycle of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead of asking us to ignore the very real obstacles and societal pressures that stand between women and well-being, they explain with compassion and optimism what we’re up against—and show us how to fight back. In these pages you’ll learn• what you can do to complete the biological stress cycle—and return your body to a state of relaxation• how to manage the “monitor” in your brain that regulates the emotion of frustration• how the Bikini Industrial Complex makes it difficult for women to love their bodies—and how to defend yourself against it• why rest, human connection, and befriending your inner critic are keys to recovering and preventing burnoutWith the help of eye-opening science, prescriptive advice, and helpful worksheets and exercises, all women will find something transformative in these pages—and will be empowered to create positive change. Emily and Amelia aren’t here to preach the broad platitudes of expensive self-care or insist that we strive for the impossible goal of “having it all.” Instead, they tell us that we are enough, just as we are—and that wellness, true wellness, is within our reach.