The PostgreSQL imperative
In today’s fast-paced business world, data is everything, and PostgreSQL is a key player. It’s the world’s best open-source database, trusted by companies big and small to run critical systems—like banking platforms, online stores, and even AI tools. It’s strong, flexible, and backed by a huge community that keeps it cutting-edge making it the database of choice for organizations seeking both stability and innovation.
Right now, businesses rely on modern ways of working: DevOps to speed things up, microservices to break apps into small, smart pieces, multi-cloud setups to spread work across different clouds, hybrid cloud designs to mix private and public systems, and security-first thinking to keep everything safe.
PostgreSQL fits perfectly into this world, but many companies don’t get its full value. Think of it as the factory in The Phoenix Project —a place with amazing potential but often bogged down by confusion and missed chances. The technology is top-notch, yet the results—faster growth, lower costs, stronger systems—aren’t always there.
Why? It’s not your team’s fault. Your Application Architects, Database Architects, DBAs, and Security Professionals know their stuff. The real issue is how they approach their work. Most training focuses on technical skills—like writing perfect SQL, tuning performance, or setting up backups. That’s important, but it misses the bigger picture: how to connect those skills to business goals, handle modern tools like microservices, or plan for multi-cloud growth. For senior leaders, this gap means projects take longer, costs creep up, and competitors pull ahead in a market where data rules.
The root cause of this disconnect isn't a lack of technical expertise—PostgreSQL professionals are among the most skilled in the industry. Rather, it's the need of a unified methodological framework that bridges technical excellence with strategic thinking.
Here’s the exciting news: you can turn this around. Just like Bill Palmer in The Phoenix Project took his chaotic factory and made it a winner, you can lift your PostgreSQL system to new heights. The secret? Train your team in three powerful ideas: Design Thinking, Systems Thinking, and the Japanese Shuhari approach. These methods mix technical know-how with modern practices, helping your team build systems that deliver real business wins.
Let’s explore how this works and why it’s a game-changer.
The challenge: Good skills, big gaps
Picture your PostgreSQL setup as the factory of ‘Parts Unlimited’ in The Phoenix Project. It’s got power, but it’s not running smoothly. Here’s what’s happening:
- A database design looks great on paper but can’t keep up with microservices, where apps need fast, flexible data.
- Speed fixes help a hybrid cloud app today but break when it moves to a multi-cloud setup tomorrow.
- Security rules lock down data tight—too tight—slowing down DevOps teams who need to move fast.
- Plans for growth don’t stretch to handle extra users or new clouds, leaving the system stuck.
- Your team shines at fixing crashes—like a multi-cloud outage—but struggles to plan ahead for growth or new ideas.
These aren’t small problems. They happen because your team has great technical skills but not the right tools to think bigger. They know how to use PostgreSQL’s features—like fast searches or safe backups—but they’re not trained to see how those features fit into DevOps workflows, microservices apps, or hybrid cloud designs. They solve today’s issues without preparing for tomorrow’s needs.
Database teams often operate in silos, focused on technical metrics rather than business outcomes. Application architects, database administrators, and security professionals frequently work with different priorities and perspectives, leading to suboptimal solutions and missed opportunities.
This creates real trouble for your business:
- Slower delivery
Database development becomes a bottleneck rather than an enabler of business innovation. Database delays hold up new features, frustrating customers, and teams.
- Higher costs
Short-term technical decisions lead to long-term maintenance and scalability challenges. For example, Quick fixes—like patching a multi-cloud glitch—turn into expensive rework later.
- Missed innovation opportunities
Technical teams fail to leverage PostgreSQL's full capabilities to drive business transformation. PostgreSQL can do amazing things—like handle complex data in microservices—but those strengths stay unused.
- Security and compliance risks
Disconnected approaches to database security create vulnerabilities and compliance gaps. Security gaps pop up when DevOps moves fast and safety rules lag behind.
- Talent retention challenges
Top PostgreSQL professionals seek environments where they can apply their skills in more meaningful ways. Your best people get bored fixing the same old problems and leave for jobs where they can grow.
In The Phoenix Project, Brent was a hero at emergencies but couldn’t get ahead of the chaos. If your team’s in the same boat—great at reacting, weak at planning, without a better way to work, your PostgreSQL system stays a cost, not a strength. Let’s change that.
The solution: A fresh way to work
What if your PostgreSQL team could build systems that make users happy, grow with multi-cloud demands, and speed up DevOps—all while keeping security strong? What if they could anticipate business needs rather than merely responding to them? That’s not a dream—it’s possible with three smart ideas:
- Design Thinking: Put people first to solve the right problems.
- Systems Thinking: Look at the whole picture to make better plans.
- Shuhari: Help your team grow from learners to leaders.
These aren’t just fancy words—they’re practical tools that fit today’s world. They help your team use PostgreSQL with modern practices like DevOps (fast teamwork), microservices (small, smart apps), multi-cloud (spreading work across clouds), hybrid cloud (mixing private and public setups), and security by design (safety from the start). Together, these ideas turn your team into a powerhouse, delivering systems that save money, boost growth, and keep you ahead. Let’s break them down and see how they shine.
Design Thinking: Solving problems for people
In The Phoenix Project, Brent spent his days fixing urgent messes because no one stopped to ask, What do we really need?. Design Thinking fixes that by focusing on people—users, developers, business teams.
It’s a five-step process that’s easy to follow:
- Listen
Talk to people—like DevOps teams pushing code or customers using an app—to find out what’s hard for them. In traditional database projects, technical requirements often take precedence over user needs. Design Thinking flips this paradigm.
- Define
Turn fuzzy ideas—like make it faster—into clear targets, like speed up sales in a hybrid cloud app, or transform vague requirements like improve performance into specific, actionable problem statements such as reduce checkout process latency for peak holiday shopping periods.
- Brainstorm
Come up with lots of ideas—like new ways to use PostgreSQL for microservices or multi-cloud tricks. Encourage thinking beyond conventional database patterns to explore innovative architectures, query strategies, and integration approaches.
- Prototype
Build quick versions—like a secure login system for DevOps—to see what works fast. These aren't production-ready systems but rather focused experiments designed to validate specific aspects of the proposed solution.
- Test
Show it to users, get their thoughts, and tweak it until it’s perfect. Ensure that technical solutions actually solve the intended business problems before significant resources are invested in full implementation.
A finance company wanted to update its PostgreSQL system for microservices. They started by listening to traders, who needed quick data, and DevOps teams, who needed fast updates. They set a goal: Make risk checks instant in a hybrid cloud without slowing trades. They brainstormed ideas—like using PostgreSQL’s replication to split data smartly—then tested a small version in their DevOps pipeline. After feedback from traders, they polished it further.The result? A system that’s fast, secure by design, and fits microservices perfectly—saving time and winning trust.
For your team: Application Architects build data plans that work with microservices. DBAs make sure multi-cloud setups run smoothly. Security Pros design safety rules that don’t slow DevOps down.
Payoff: You get features out faster, and everyone’s happier—customers, teams, and leaders.
Systems Thinking: Connecting the dots
Dr. Erik in The Phoenix Project said: Improve how you work, not just what you do. Systems Thinking does that by looking at everything together—PostgreSQL, apps, clouds, and business goals. It’s about understanding how it all fits:
- Links
Systems Thinking emphasises that the connections between components often matter more than the components themselves. In PostgreSQL environments, this means understanding how database design decisions ripple through application architecture, infrastructure, security posture, and business processes.
- Feedback loops
A faster system gets more users, which lets you improve it more. Systems contain both reinforcing loops (where changes amplify over time) and balancing loops (where changes are dampened). PostgreSQL teams trained in Systems Thinking can identify and leverage these loops.
- Emergence
Catch problems—like a hybrid cloud hiccup—before they hit. Complex systems exhibit emergent properties that can't be predicted by analysing individual components. In PostgreSQL environments, this might manifest as unexpected performance patterns under load or unforeseen security vulnerabilities when systems interact.
- Leverage points
Fix patterns—like how security works across clouds—instead of one-off issues. Systems Thinking helps identify high-leverage points where small changes can produce significant results.
A logistics company had a PostgreSQL app that kept crashing in a multi-cloud setup. Instead of just fixing the database, they looked at the whole system—database speed, network links, and app design. They found slow data pulls were clogging things up across clouds. By tweaking the database and the network together, they cut downtime and saved money. Now, DBAs plan for hybrid cloud growth, Architects design for microservices scale, and Security Pros protect the full chain—from code to cloud.
Payoff: You get a system that’s strong, grows easily, and avoids big headaches. It’s ready for multi-cloud demands and keeps DevOps running smoothly.
SHU-HA-RI: Growing into experts
Shu (守) - Follow, Ha (破) - Break, Ri (離) - Transcend
While Design Thinking and Systems Thinking provide frameworks for approaching problems, Shuhari offers a model for professional development and learning progression. Originating in Japanese martial arts, Shuhari describes three stages of mastery that apply remarkably well to PostgreSQL professional development.
In the context of PostgreSQL teams, Shuhari—meaning follow, adapt, lead—is about helping your team grow, just like Bill’s crew in The Phoenix Project went from chaos to control. It has three steps:
- Follow
Learn the basics—like PostgreSQL’s rules for security or replication in DevOps. In this initial stage, PostgreSQL professionals learn established patterns, best practices, and fundamental techniques. They follow instructions precisely, building a solid foundation of technical knowledge. At this stage, innovation is limited, but consistency and reliability are high. Junior DBAs and developers typically operate at this level, focusing on correctly implementing known solutions.
- Adapt
Change those basics for today—like tweaking backups for a multi-cloud app. As professionals gain experience, they enter the Ha stage, where they begin to question established patterns and adapt them to specific contexts. They understand not just what to do, but why certain approaches work in different situations.
- Lead
Create new ideas—like a self-fixing system for hybrid cloud challenges. In the final stage, professionals internalize principles so deeply that they can innovate naturally, creating new approaches that extend beyond established patterns like contributing to the PostgreSQL ecosystem through extensions or core contributions. Senior architects and PostgreSQL experts operate at this level, driving innovation while maintaining a connection to fundamental principles.
A DBA started by learning PostgreSQL’s guides (Follow), like how to copy data safely. Then, they adjusted it for a microservices app moving across clouds (Adapt), testing new ways to keep it fast. Finally, they built an auto-fixing setup that spots multi-cloud issues and fixes them (Lead). Architects now design cloud-smart systems, Security professionals add safety from the start—like zero-trust rules—and everyone teaches the next group.
Payoff: Your team doesn’t just keep up—they get ahead, building solutions that stand out and fit modern needs.
The big win: Results that shine
When these ideas work together, your PostgreSQL system becomes a star:
- Design Thinking makes apps people love—like a healthcare system that’s easy for doctors in a microservices setup.
- Systems Thinking builds strength—like patient records that grow across hybrid clouds.
- Shuhari grows experts—like a DBA whose automation speeds up DevOps.
A healthcare company trained its PostgreSQL team this way. They needed a patient system that worked with microservices and a hybrid cloud. Using Design Thinking, they listened to doctors and defined a goal: “Make records fast and safe.” Systems Thinking helped them plan for multi-cloud growth and link the database to apps and networks. With Shuhari, they mastered PostgreSQL, adapted it for DevOps speed, and created a self-checking system. The result? A secure-by-design setup that handles busy days, cuts costs, and keeps data safe—all rolled out fast with DevOps.
The gains:
- Speed: Faster releases with DevOps pipelines.
- Savings: Fewer cloud problems, less rework.
- Growth: Ready for microservices and multi-cloud scale.
- Safety: Security built in, no gaps.
- Team pride: Talent stays because they’re doing exciting, modern work.
This isn’t just a database—it’s a business boost that keeps you ahead.
Your next step: Start the change
Senior leaders, this is your Phoenix Project moment. Don’t let your PostgreSQL teams be left in silos and the system limp along—turn it into a winner:
- Try it: Pick one team and train them on a project—like a microservices app or a hybrid cloud setup.
- Track it: Check the results—faster work, stronger systems, happier teams.
- Grow it: Bring this training to all your PostgreSQL roles—Architects, DBAs, Security Pros.
This isn’t about more tools—it’s about better thinking. Invest in your team to master DevOps speed, microservices flexibility, and cloud growth with security from the start. As Dr. Erik told Bill, It’s about improving how we work.
Your PostgreSQL system can rise—delivering faster wins, lower costs, and a real edge in today’s world. Let’s get started and make it happen!
