SPaMCAST 771 - Critical Thinking An Indispensable Defense Science, Evolution and Maturity, Essays and Conversations
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Release Date: 09/03/2023
Cracking Groupthink - Solutions When Balancing Urgency and Importance, SPaMCAST 831
Software Process and Measurement Cast
SPaMCAST 831 features our essay, Cracking Groupthink - Solutions When Balancing Urgency and Importance. Issues occur when groupthink affects the balance between urgency and importance in decision-making. This leads to inefficiencies, risk aversion, and misaligned priorities. The key challenge is that groups tend to perceive urgency and importance differently from individuals, often influenced by psychological and social dynamics such as the diffusion of responsibility, conformity, and shared information bias. There are solutions! We also have a visit from Keis Kostaqi who brings...
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Upcoming Book Club: Mastering Work Intake Announcement
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Jeremy and I will host a 4-session book club to discuss Mastering Work Intake (4 sections => 4 sessions!) beginning October 18th. We are looking forward to a great set of conversations! Join us by registering on Maven. Use the QR code below at or follow the link - Note: We are charging a nominal $1 fee, which Maven requires. Participation in the book club assumes you have (or have access to) a copy of the book and do the reading so you will be prepared.
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Beyond The Framework, A Conversation With Jeremy Berriault, SPaMCAST 830
Software Process and Measurement Cast
SPaMCAST 830 features a conversation with Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy has a new book, “Beyond The Framework: Cultivating Agile Growth.” The back cover states, “Organizations that fail to embrace agility (small a-agiity) risk fading into obscurity.” we discussed the basic assumptions of agile and why business agility differs from adopting any specific agile framework. Buy a copy of the book: Check out Jeremy’s Company website: Master Work Intake! This episode is brought to you by Mastering Work Intake by and myself. Buy a copy and begin to control the flow of...
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Conforming to Mediocrity and Core Hours, Essays and Conversations with Susan Parente, SPaMCAST 829
Software Process and Measurement Cast
In SPaMCAST 829 we will continue to expose the sometimes insidious impact of groupthink. Groupthink can lead a team to accept less challenging work, be misaligned with priorities, and poorly assess urgency and importance. The pressure to conform and maintain agreement can result in suboptimal decision-making, hampering effectiveness. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who will bring her Not A Scrumdmentalist column to the podcast. In this installment, Susan tackles the need for core hours for teams of all types. Master Work Intake! This episode is brought to you by Mastering Work...
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HYPERID Ignites - Arash Parsania's Breakthrough Methodology, A Conversation, SPaMCAST 828
Software Process and Measurement Cast
The SPaMCast 828 spotlights Arash Parsania. We talk about his exciting new methodology, HYPERID. The method builds on and integrates pragmatic ideas from many disciplines to create something new. HYPERID is a flexible hybrid method that fits a wide range of different types of work. Arash Parsania is the creator of HYPERID, a hybrid methodology for project management and product development. He brings over 20 years of experience in project management, consulting, and digital business transformation. His expertise spans Software Engineering, Retail, Travel & Hospitality, Automotive,...
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Cracking Groupthink In Prioritization, Scrum Master - Career or Avocation, Essays and Conversations with Keis Kostaqi, SPaMCAST 827
Software Process and Measurement Cast
In the SPaMCast 827, we will begin cracking groupthink in prioritization with a discussion of urgency vs. importance Evaluating the interplay between urgency and importance is a powerful work intake approach. Teams and project management offices regularly use an Eisenhower Matrix or variant to visualize the relationship between these two factors. The bottom line in this approach is that you should prioritize work that is important and urgent above work that is just urgent. We also have a visit from who brings her You Are Not Alone column to the podcast. Keis and I discuss the...
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Mastering Work Intake Open House Video Trailer
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Mastering Work Intake by and I hit the bookshelves earlier this year. We have also been running cohort-based workshops to help expose and solve this dirty little secret. Two of the questions we have gotten as we have promoted the workshops are: What is a cohort-based workshop? What value will I get if I join? Both are greater questions and we have an answer! Join us for a one-hour open house to explore how to diagnose and solve work intake challenges, the most critical issue facing organizations today. This session will provide an overview of our course designed to help you to...
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AI, ML, and Lifelong Learning - A Great Combination, A Conversation With Richmond Alake, SPaMCAST 825
Software Process and Measurement Cast
The SPaMCAST 825 features our conversation with Richmond Alake. During our conversation, we discussed AI, Machine Learning, and most importantly why being a lifelong learner is important (really important). Need more? We also will discuss what comes next now that AI Chat has been done. Richmond’s bio: Richmond Alake is an AI/ML Practitioner with an academic background in computer vision, robotics, and machine learning. He has worked in software development and machine learning roles since 2016. Richmond has also taught online AI/ML/Data courses and written over 200 technical...
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You Can Never Cross The Same River Twice, Essays and Conversations with Jon M Quigley, SPaMCAST 824
Software Process and Measurement Cast
The SPaMCAST 824 compares the Great Avon Lake Tornado and power outage with the purported death of Agile. Cap that off with many in the industry doubling down on Agile purity to put the blush back on the rose. My upcoming high school reunion suggests you can never cross the same river twice but crossing any river is a challenge.. Also Jon M Quigley and I talk about who is the most important person on a team. This is a counterpoint to my recent conversation with on SPaMCAST 822. They agree but it…depends. Master Work Intake! Mastering Work Intake by and I hit the bookshelves...
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Learning From Data, A Conversation With Kirk Marple, SPaMCAST 823
Software Process and Measurement Cast
The introduction and outro words are abbreviated this week. I will regale you with the tale of the Avon Lake Toronado next. Now I need to find a way of making everything work without electricity and the Internet. I am not sure which is making me crazier. The SPaMCAST 823 features a discussion with Kirk Marple, Technical Founder and CEO at Graphit, by Unstruk Data. What is a technical founder you might ask? No? Well, I did. More importantly, we discussed AI, knowledge graphs, leadership, and how organizations learn as they understand their data. Check out...
info_outlineTo paraphrase Ghostbusters, critical thinking is the indispensable defense science of the next decade. Over the summer we have investigated the concept so we are better positioned to take part in a boisterous world. As decision-makers, the onus is on us to use critical thinking.
Also, Jeremy Berriault joins bringing his QA Corner to the podcast. In this installment, Jeremy discusses the difference between maturity and evolution. Do agile organizations mature or evolve?
Re-Read Saturday News
We have spent the majority of the summer re-reading Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. While I didn't take the book to the beach, I did take it to the porch! As with other re-reads, the content of the book has found its way into my writing and consulting practice. In the case of Made to Stick, several ideas and examples have made their way into my essays on critical thinking. The two themes work well together. As you consider sticky ideas you need a framework to test their veracity.
Buy a copy of the book and then catch up on the logistics of this re-read:
Week 1: Announcement and Logistics - https://bit.ly/46tn5Bz
Week 2: Introduction - https://bit.ly/46CLmp1
Week 3: Simple - https://bit.ly/3PZLWaq
Week 4: Unexpected - https://bit.ly/43zfkaB
Week 5: Concrete - https://bit.ly/3qcn1Gg
Week 6: Credible - https://bit.ly/3Yo9aJo
Week 7: Emotional - https://bit.ly/3QCAQbx
Week 8: Stories - https://bit.ly/3sbk2yp
Week 9: Epilogue - https://bit.ly/3P3jnIh
Week 10: Final Thoughts - https://bit.ly/3z6zJaA
Next SPaMCAST
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 772 features our interview with Ahmed Wasfy. We will discuss the role of the engineering manager and how people learn the role. Being a good engineering manager requires more than a magic wand.