SPaMCAST 737 - Ambiguity and Risk, Agile Requirements, Essays and Conversations
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Release Date: 01/08/2023
Software Process and Measurement Cast
This week we continue our exploration of fatalism’s impact on change in organizations (listen to Part 1 in ). Fatalism does not have to be permanent. How that transition away from fatalism can be made varies depending on context. In this installment of the series, we will look at a few approaches to tackling this problem. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley. Jon and I discussed succession planning and why planning needs to be more diverse to support organizational health. Re-read Saturday News! This week we re-read Chapter 20 of Extraordinary . Bob notes that Stephen...
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This week we discuss the Manifesto for Organizational Agility with Jeff Bubolz and Chad Beier. Jeff and Chad developed the manifesto to help organizations get agile and stay agile. Many organizations rush into agile finding early success that turns sour a few months or years down the road. This pattern is indisputable. The Manifesto seeks to highlight the core issues that lead to this pattern (you will also want to listen to the interview with Bob Galen on SPaMCAST 748 due to be posted on 26 March). You can read the Manifesto for Organizational Agility at http://bit.ly/3mOnBaU Chad and...
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Fatalism stops process improvement and agile transformations in their tracks. One of the definitions of fatalism is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. Just accepting the status quo because it is the status quo isn’t pragmatism it is stagnation. We also have a visit from Tony Timbol who brings his To Tell A Story column to the podcast. Sign up for his free newsletter () and get a copy of the ebook on agile requirements we discussed. Re-read Saturday News! Chapter 18 of Extraordinary is titled “Dojo Practice for the Badass Agile Coach.” The coaching...
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This week Nikhil Nandagopal and I talked about building teams. Teams are the heart and soul of software development in all of its many aspects. Nikhil provides pragmatic advice for organizing people into teams. We also discussed the democratization of coding that low-code platforms deliver. Nikhil Nandagopal, a co-founder of Appsmith, leads the development of the company’s product – the first open-source low-code platform for developers. He is a software engineer and entrepreneur with 10 years of experience building apps. Nikhil’s Website: Nikhil’s Profile: Twitter ...
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This week, we take a detour thanks to Extraordinary Badass Agile Coaching. Over the past two chapters, the book has drilled us on recognizing and adapting to situational nuances as a crucial skill for effective coaching. I will admit that my first few years of coaching were formulaic. I did not spend the needed time to understand and address nuances of context or differences in individuals' journeys through life. I do not remember when I learned that roles and situations change the trajectory of coaching, as does the starting point of the person or persons you are coaching. At some point, I...
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This week, Jorgen Hesselberg discusses the efficacy of assessments in helping to guide an agile journey. Assessments are a tool to help coaches coach and to answer the question of where are we in our journey toward being more agile. Jorgen last appeared in SPaMCAST 557 in 2019 (). Jorgen Hesselberg is the author of Unlocking Agility and co-founder of Comparative Agility, a leading agile assessment, and continuous improvement platform. A proven thought leader of numerous successful enterprise transformation efforts since 2009, Jorgen provides strategic guidance, executive counsel, and...
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Planning is an important component of getting work done. Planning is not, however, creating and delivering work. Minimizing the amount of time spent planning but not under planning is almost mind-numbingly difficult. Flow metrics are tools to maximize the value of planning while minimizing the time spent on planning. Over the next few entries in the Software Process and Measurement Blog, we will explore several examples of using flow metrics in planning. We also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast. Susan provides guidance on...
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Today we begin year 17 of the Software Process and Measurement Cast with a presentation that Jeremy Berriault did at IdeaFest 2020. The presentation covered using supply chain concepts in an agile environment. When I originally recorded the session, I felt the idea was interesting but not very useful. But I am a bit of a packrat; I don’t throw anything away. Last week I listened to the presentation again. This time I could see that the idea of using supply chain concepts is a great approach to implementing value chains and mirrors why flow metrics are such a valuable concept. Jeremy was just...
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Today we revisit the topic of empathy as we mark the last show in year 16. As coaches and leaders, we are taught that being empathetic is critical. However, the blanket statement that we need to walk a mile in someone else's shoes is not all rainbows and kittens. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. Jon and I continue our conversation on flow and its importance for teams and leaders. Re-read Saturday News! This week Chapter 11 of looks up. Even if you focus your agile coaching practice on teams you will...
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Luis Gonçalves returns to the Software Process and Measurement Cast to discuss his new book, Product First. We also talked about organizational mastery and change. Become a beta reader of Product First at Luis last joined us on , we discussed OKRs. Luis’s Bio Luis Gonçalves is an Entrepreneur, Best Seller Author, and International Keynote Speaker. When consulting he works exclusively with Entrepreneurs, Founders, and Senior Leaders on the implementation of his game-changing "ADAPT Methodology". By following the "ADAPT Methodology" Executive Leaders will be able to...
info_outlineA funny thing happened on the way to this week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast, I was asked about managing risk in Agile. In preparation for answering the question, I reviewed and updated some of my work on the topic. So instead of flow metrics, we have an essay on risk. That is just the chance you take when you ask me a question. Note -- I have a great question on risk to ask Susan Parente, @techriskmanager, the next time we record.
We also have a visit from Tony Timbol. Tony discusses agile requirements in an installment of his To Tell A Story column. Check out Tony at http://tonytimbol.com/
Re-read Saturday News!
This week we tackle Chapters 8 and 9. These chapters of Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond are titled An Agile Coaching Story, Parts 1 and 2. They are written by Mark Summers of Beliminal and provide great advice on how to prepare and execute coaching events.
Week 9 - Agile Coaching Story, Parts 1 and 2 - https://bit.ly/3jQ2m7a
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 [email protected] or [email protected]
Next SPaMCAST
Luis Gonçalves is back to discuss his new book! Luis and I had a great time talking about shifting from projects to product thinking, organizational mastery, and more!