Get the book

“Sooner Safer Happier nails the point that many leaders miss—transformation in itself is not a worthy goal, it is a vehicle for optimizing business outcomes. This book provides an indispensable guide for leaders who wish to run truly agile organizations. It leaves no stone left unturned. Smart, Berend, Ogilvie, and Rohrer address the leadership challenges, cultural barriers, and antipatterns that prevent too many organizations from realizing their potential in today’s complex environment. They offer specific and immediately useful techniques for driving business results and a culture that reinforces continuous improve- ment long-term. Sooner Safer Happier is a must-read for any business leader looking to succeed in the digital age.”

“What [Jon] has achieved and created to help others succeed is nothing short of exceptional . . .These stories are hard won, practical, and real. You’ll read this book and leave with actionable ideas and a fresh perspective to find your own path of change for your organization and yourself, delivering better value sooner, safer, and happier.”

“It is a real pleasure to read a book that doesn’t assume ‘Agile is the solution, now what is your problem?’ This is a realistic approach to adopting (or not adopting) agile in your organization. The theory is sound; the practice is exten- sive. I strongly recommend this book.”

“It’s difficult to overstate Jon Smart’s impact on business and technology leadership. His philosophy of BVSSH has rapidly been adopted by so many organizations, showing how effective, persuasive, and logical his arguments are. I think this book will be viewed as an important contribution to the organizational learning literature. His and his co-authors’ observations and lessons succinctly summarize and teach what decades of books have failed to do.”

“How I wish I had been lucky enough to have read this book a few years ago when embarking on my own attempt to deliver Value Sooner Safer Happier in the internal audit function at Barclays. . . .This book is not just a great hand- book to draw from to assist you on your journey, it is also a great read!“

“Sooner Safer Happier covers business agility learnings thoroughly. Jon is some- one you’d actually want to work with to implement it, and if you’re honest, someone you’d need to credit if you’ve made any significant headway these past five years. Compelling.”

“There are many books on WHAT was done and WHAT excellent firms do in their quest for success. They often tell you WHAT you should do. This gem of guidance is destined to become the manual on HOW to deliver better value, sooner, safer, and happier through engaging customers, colleagues, leaders, and importantly boards!”

“How many times do we hear the word Agile being misused in today’s corporate world? Jonathan’s excellent book provides us all with a very practical guide on how to embrace agility in an ever increasingly digital, chaotic, and challenging world where the path to delivering outcomes is uncertain.”

“There are lots of books on organizational agility. But few are as comprehensive or thought-provoking as Jon Smart’s tour de force, Soon Safer Happier. Jon has worked on the frontlines of the agile movement for almost thirty years, and he does a superb job of integrating his direct experience with the theories of organizational change. If you want to improve how your organization works, read this book!”

“Sooner Safer Happier is a must-read for leaders who have recognized the need to connect the cultural and the technological aspects of digital transformation. Jon Smart has established a critical set of patterns and antipatterns that are indispensable for an outcome-based shift from projects and waterfalls to prod- ucts and innovation.”

“A true business-wide perspective on Digital Transformation and the need for whole business agility.”

“If you are involved in the journey toward a safer, faster, happier organization that produces value at every step, this should be required reading. The ‘patterns and antipatterns’ approach means that you can easily spot where things may go wrong, and will have at hand some proven patterns to fix it. This is as close to a field guide as I have seen, and speaks of real and practical experience.”

“This book is a treasure trove for anyone involved or interested in the theory and practice of business agility. Jon Smart and co-authors give a compelling ‘Why?’ for the need to change and clear, practical antipatterns and corresponding patterns of success. A game-changer for our organization and I’m confident for others’ too.”

“[Sooner Safer Happier] describes a set of patterns and antipatterns—with a great set of skills—to help you understand what is happening to stop teams delivering SSH and why it may be happening.”

“Jon provides an authoritative and engaging description of how to set teams up to build great things, and ultimately delivers a handbook for overall orga- nizational effectiveness and successful transformation that I will keep close.”

“I can’t recommend this book enough. BVSSH is kind of a ‘meta framework’— flexible yet explainable, realistic yet capable of step changes in effectiveness. Jon is a master coach and guide. Read, read again, and share.”

"This book is an absolute must-read for business leaders responsible for leading transformational change. Having seen Jon, Zsolt, Myles, and Simon in action, I find an amazing amount of valuable experience—not just information—is packed into this single resource. This book will be especially valuable for soft-ware leaders who want to make their delivery process more effective.”

“Talking to Jon and his team has disrupted our thinking on business agility. We've changed from a traditional organization which IT is seen as a cost-cen- ter, to IT being a driving force, enabling true enterprise-wide cooperation. The concept of delivering Better Value Sooner Safer Happier has been the basis for our journey, which, among many things, puts the focus on leader- ship, and that really resonated with my personal experience. It’s a must-read book if you want to stay relevant in your market and run a forward-thinking organization.”

“Most organizations would say they have a solid strategy, and some are pur- suing new ways of working to achieve that strategy; however, often not in an optimal way. BVSSH is the unlock for organizations, and this book gives the practical guidance to WIN.”

“Most organizations would say they have a solid strategy, and some are pur- suing new ways of working to achieve that strategy; however, often not in an optimal way. BVSSH is the unlock for organizations, and this book gives the practical guidance to WIN.”