Baselining Ideas for Improvement, Who Is Most Important, Essays and Conversations with Susan Parente, SPaMCAST 820
Software Process and Measurement Cast
Release Date: 07/21/2024
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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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...
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Dry riverbeds or flash floods - flow matters! Why it matters: Understanding how value is created and moves through an organization is critical. The problem is that the concept is complicated. Freddie Clark stated, “measuring flow is a two-dimensional measure of a three-dimensional problem.” Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - Freddie Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-clark/ - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it...
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The work has to get done, be miserable, or find JOY in it – it’s your choice. Why it matters: It is hard to motivate yourself and your team if you do not find joy in the work you do day in and day out. Our panel finds a joyful path: Jeremy Berriault - Jon M Quigley - - 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...
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Pushing cooked spaghetti uphill…is exhausting. Why it matters: It is hard to make change happen if leaders provide lip service to the cause. It is impossible if they actively oppose change. So what are you going to do? Panelists include: Jeremy Berriault - - Jon M Quigley - - 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...
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Habits, doing work without thinking, are the death of process improvement. Why it matters: When your brain goes on autopilot, it is easy to miss subtle changes and problems in product flow. Is it ever ok to stop thinking? Panelists include: Jeremy Berriault - - 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. ...
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And we are back! The SPaMCAST 869 features a conversation on whether AI means the death of the specialist. Why it matters: AI tools and agents are becoming a core feature in the workplace of nearly all forward-facing organizations. To keep up, employees need to see the future and take action. Panelists include: Jeremy Beeriault - - - SusanParente - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and...
info_outlineSoftware Process and Measurement Cast
And we are back! The SPaMCAST 869 features a conversation on whether AI means the death of the specialist. Why it matters: AI tools and agents are becoming a core feature in the workplace of nearly all forward-facing organizations. To keep up, employees need to see the future and take action. Panelists include: Jeremy Beeriault - - - SusanParente - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and...
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The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: Another year has flown by, and 2025 is near. The SPaMCAST 844 features our year-end panel discussion. This year,...
info_outlineThe Software Process and Measurement Cast 820 continues the story of Innovatech. In this installment, Emma “sells” baselining the flow to generate ideas for improvement and a starting point. The story of Innovatech is an allegory for how a data-driven improvement initiative can be bootstrapped with courage and perseverance.
We also have a visit from Susan Parente whose “Not a Scrumdamentalist” column delivers insights and advice. Susan and I discussed who the most important person on a team is and who isn’t.
Learn To Tame Your Work Intake Beast!
Work Intake Summer Camp is in session! Like a swimming pool, there is always time to join the fun. Jeremy Willets and I are celebrating summer in the northern hemisphere with a summer camp. We’ll look at the primary causes of work intake problems… and how to solve them! Join us for an entertaining and informative LinkedIn Live event. The next weekly session begins at 12:30 EDT on July 24th (LinkedIn).
Each session will:
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Define one work intake problem per session,
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Identify how to recognize the problem,
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Offer a pragmatic approach to tackling the issue, and
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At least one scary story of work entry gone wrong (this is summer camp)
We would like you to register at our Maven page https://bit.ly/3HEsKK7 so we can remind you when the session goes live. If you register we also have a Work Intake Problem Worksheet that we use in our workshops that we will email. However, if you’d rather not register on Maven you can set a reminder on LinkedIn (Session 6%%%). In either case, we will announce when the sessions go live on LinkedIn.
Replay Week 2: Need Outstrips Demand
Replay Week 4: Project Thinking v Product Thinking
Replay Week 5:
Share the invitation with others, wear sunscreen, and be kind to your fellow campers!
Re-read Saturday News
Chapter 8, of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow, titled Enjoying Solitude and Other People, discusses the impact of people on optimal experience and flow. The author grounds the chapter by reminding us that the quality of life depends on how we experience work and relationships with others. Chapter 7 wrestled with the work portion of the equation and Chapter 8 the people part. The two are highly intertwined.
Logistics note: Including this week, we anticipate completing this re-read in 4 weeks. Are there recommendations for the next book in the Re-read series?
Buy a copy and read along – https://amzn.to/4b5kPmb
Week 1: Preface and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3WLjFHU
Week 2: Happiness – https://bit.ly/4dUSpNg
Week 3: Consciousness – https://bit.ly/4bEu3pN
Week 4: Enjoyment and The Quality of Life – https://bit.ly/4eeknDQ
Week 5: The Conditions Of Flow
Week 6: The Body In Flow
Week 7: The Flow Of Thought
Week 8: Work As Flow
Next SPaMCAST
The Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Alex Natskovich. We will talk about finding value in unstructured data, transitioning from developer to entrepreneur, and agile.