SPaMCAST 735 - Books We Re-read, An Inexperienced Scrum Master, Essays and Conversations
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Release Date: 12/25/2022
2025 Annual Panel, It’s Like Dodgeball, SPaMCAST 882
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Another trip around the sun! This year's topics are drawn from a talk by Neil Postman: "All technological change is a trade-off. Technology giveth and technology taketh away." - Do we control the risk? “There is a common tendency to think of our technological creations as if they were God-given, as if they were a part of the natural order of things.” - WHY? What will 2026 bring? Our panel today features: Daniel Doiron - Jeremy Willets - Susan Parente - Freddie Clark - - Me 🙂 - Mastering Work Intake sponsors...
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Advice For You 25-Year-Old Self
Software Process and Measurement Cast
What would you tell your 25-year-old self? It is the time of year for celebration and introspection. Why? If not now, then when? Our panel today features: Daniel Doiron - Jeremy Willets - Jon M Quigley - Freddie Clark - Me 🙂 - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic...
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❓Whose Opinions Count When You Change You, A Panel Discussion, SPaMCAST 880
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Involving Others in Personal Change Can Cause Problems. Involving others when changing a team or organization is unassailable. The same isn’t true when changing yourself. Why this matters: Understanding boundaries and what you control is important for owning your own productivity. Our panel today features: Jeremy Berriault - Daniel Doiron - - Me 🙂 - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team...
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💰Process Debt Swamps Platform Teams, A Conversation with Mark Fussell, SPaMCAST 879
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Process Debt Swamps Platform Teams! Over-abstraction slows teams by INCREASING complexity. Why this matters: Profitability is HIGHLY related to productivity. Mark Fussell is the CEO of Diagrid, a cutting-edge company that simplifies building and scaling cloud-native applications. As the co-founder of Dapr (Distributed Application Runtime), Mark has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of modern application development by empowering developers to build resilient, distributed systems with ease. With decades of experience in the software industry, Mark has been a driving...
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🔐AI, the Future of Work, and Cybersecurity, A Conversation with Ephraim Ebstein, SPaMCAST 878
Software Process and Measurement Cast
AI, the Future of Work, and Cybersecurity Are Intertwined! Why it matters: Business processes are being transformed, yielding opportunities and RISKS - leaders should be aware. Bio: Ephraim Ebstein is the CEO and Co-founder of FIT Solutions, LLC. Ephraim is not just another cybersecurity guy-he's a $30M entrepreneur who built two national companies from the ground up, and now helps business leaders turn tech headaches into growth engines. .IG: @kingspear @fitsolutionsllc Web Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing:...
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Jetsons and Pinocchio - Work Life Balance, SPaMCAST 877
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Many firms are bringing everyone back to the office and demanding longer hours. They are conflating effort and productivity. Why this matters: Increasing productivity is NECESSARY for profitability and growth. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - Daniel Doiron - Jeremy Willets - - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. ...
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☠️Constraints and Friction Are Our Friends, SPaMCAST 876
Software Process and Measurement Cast
The Theory Of Constraints: A Real-World Tool Constraints and friction generate interest in process improvement. Why this matters: The lack of friction leads to overuse which is the tragedy of the commons. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - Daniel Doiron - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to...
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☠️Constraints and Friction Are Our Friends, SPaMCAST 876
Software Process and Measurement Cast
The Theory Of Constraints: A Real-World Tool Constraints and friction generate interest in process improvement. Why this matters: The lack of friction leads to overuse which is the tragedy of the commons. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - Daniel Doiron - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to...
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☠️No Dead Careers Here, SPaMCAST 875
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Impressions are NOT facts - No Matter What Your Gut Tells You! Stoic philosophy holds that impressions are not facts and must be tested. Why this matters: It is very easy to jump to conclusions. In some cases, this is harmless, while in others it leads to disaster. The question the panel faces is whether EVERY impression needs to be examined or is there a continuum. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - Jeremy Willets - Jon M Quigley - Daniel Doiron - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing...
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🪈 Dichotomy of Control, Stick with STIC, A Panel Discussion, SPaMCAST 874
Software Process and Measurement Cast
We only have control over ourselves! The dichotomy of control. Why it matters: We have direct control over our thoughts, judgments, and actions, but external events, other people's opinions, and the outcomes of our actions are not directly within our control. When discussing problem statements, Jeremy Berriault stated, “stick with STIC.” The alliteration was great! Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - Jeremy Willets - - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means...
info_outlineOver the years we have explored a wide range of books on Saturdays. Sometimes our re-reads reflect the real world outside software development. For example, in 2018 we re-read Bad Blood, Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou, the story of Theranos and Elizabeth Anne Holmes. This year Ms. Holmes went to prison. While I don’t expect prison sentences for the subjects in the books we read in 2022, I expect the knowledge in the books we tackled to have a broader impact on the world.
In the past year, we have re-read 3.4 books – 40% is the progress on the current book according to Kindle. Links to all of the read entries can be found in the show notes.
I am looking forward to reading and learning with all of you in 2023.
This week we also have a visit from Susan Parente and her Not A Scrumdamentalist column. Susan and I discussed how a newly minted Scrum Master can get up to speed quickly.
A quick advertisement:
Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge, building to establishing a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com
Next SPaMCAST
Every year I host a panel discussion with the columnists and other SPaMcast contributors. We will cap 2022 with a spirited discussion on the importance of engagement. Is it all that its cracked up to be or not?