Software Process and Measurement Cast

Interviews, essays, facts, and tips about agile and lean agile development, process improvement, and measurement in delivery of value!

SPaMCAST 773 - Continuous Improvement, Bass Guitars and Learning, Conversations and Essays 09/17/2023

SPaMCAST 772 - New Engineering Managers, Don’t Be A Victim, A Conversation WIth Ahmed Wasfy 09/10/2023

SPaMCAST 771 - Critical Thinking An Indispensable Defense Science, Evolution and Maturity, Essays and Conversations 09/03/2023

SPaMCAST 770 - Dojo, Slow Down For Learning, A Conversation With Jess Brock 08/27/2023

SPaMCAST 770 - Dojo, Slow Down For Learning, A Conversation With Jess Brock This week the Software Process and Measurement Cast 770 features my interview with Jess Brock. Jess and I talked about her new book, (the book is excellent but doesn’t really fit in your pocket), learning, and career pivots. Jess’s talk at Agile 2023 helped me reframe how I conceived of dojos as an intense learning environment, not a transformation technique. Jess’s Bio Jess is a dynamic coach, technologist, and author who has been involved in developing tech products since the mid-2000s. Jess attributes her diverse career experience as one of her greatest strengths because it enables her to coach with sincere empathy and experience. Former agile skeptic, Jess was eventually convinced by a colleague to give agile a try more than a decade ago. Her personal transformation was so impactful that Jess continues to contribute to the broader Agile community to this very day. Most recently Jess has poured her energy into immersive learning dojos as a preferred means of developing long standing skills. She is the proud author of . Website: http://jessbrock.com/ Re-Read Saturday News The epilogue was the end of the original version of ; later additions had extra material added. I am reading from the 26th printing. We will cover the extra material titled, Sticky Advice, next week. Today we'll discuss the Epilogue, without wrapping the book up. It feels wrong :) I read this chapter more deeply knowing that there was more to come. It felt like less of a recap and more of how to use the book. Three items caught my attention during this read. Buy a copy of the book and then catch up on the logistics of this re-read: Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5: - Week 6: - Week 7: - Week 8: - Week 9: - Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 771 we will complete our summer theme on critical thinking. Critical thinking might sound esoteric or academic, however, I think that categorization is both wrong and misses the point. Critical thinking is a survival tool. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault and his Agile Corner. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/27859353

SPaMCAST 768 - Teams, SaaS, Entrepreneurship, A Conversation with Phil Alves 08/13/2023

SPaMCAST 767 - Critical Thinking, Research and Evidence, User Stories, Conversations and Essays 08/06/2023

SPaMCAST 766 - It Is All About Teams, A Conversation With Ben Johnson 07/30/2023

SPaMCAST 766 - It Is All About Teams, A Conversation With Ben Johnson This week the Software Process and Measurement Cast 766 features our interview with Ben Johnson, Founder of Particle41. Ben and I discuss the importance of teams, communication, and dependability. Ben Johnson, founder of Particle41, is a serial Entrepreneur with a track record of success and is an active investor. He is a results-driven leader, skilled in managing high-functioning teams for exceptional outcomes. Ben cultivates collaboration, motivation, and effective communication. As a leader, he aligns team efforts with organizational goals and drives innovation. Ben delivers complex projects with visibility, velocity, and vision and is committed to sharing expertise for the growth of others. Particle41: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrjohnson/ Re-Read Saturday News The third attribute of stickiness is concreteness. I spent most of the past week at Agile 2023 in Orlando, Florida. It was a metaphorical banquet of agile knowledge. I had more hallway conversations than I can count ruminating over presentation topics. The third chapter of reminded me that language is abstract but real life is not. Most readers of the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog have been to conferences, so reflect on how many ideas and concepts you implemented when you returned to the office. I suspect the answer is very few because few were tangible enough to be sticky. Buy a copy of the book and then catch up on the logistics of this re-read: Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5: - Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 767, we will continue our deep dive into critical thinking. We will touch on the need to understand what valid research looks like and perhaps why authority bias makes it hard to recognize. We will also have a conversation with Tony Timbol who brings his To Tell A Story column to the podcast. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/27601455

SPaMCAST 765 - Authority, Meetings and More Meetings, Essays and Conversations 07/23/2023

SPaMCAST 764 - Successful Independent Consulting, A Conversation with Johanna Rothman 07/16/2023

SPaMCAST 764 - Successful Independent Consulting, A Conversation with Johanna Rothman In Software Process and Measurement Cast 764 we feature my conversation with Johanna Rothman. We discussed her new book Successful Independent Consulting. Well, we started there and then hit topics like personal value and the impact of success. This might be the eleventy-first conversation I have had with Johanna, and each time I look forward to our time together with anticipation. They are always like attending a master class. Buy a copy of Successful Independent Consulting. Available everywhere including: Leanpub: Amazon: Johanna’s Bio: Johanna Rothman, known as the “Pragmatic Manager,” offers frank advice for your thorny problems. She helps leaders and teams learn to see simple and reasonable options that might work. Those practical alternatives can help them be more effective with others at work. With those choices, they can choose what—and how—to adapt their product development. With her trademark practicality and humor, Johanna is the author of 19 books, hundreds of articles, and blog posts about many aspects of product development. Her most recent books include Successful Independent Consulting, Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer, and Modern Management Made Easy series. Find her monthly newsletter and blogs at & . Editor's note: If you are not subscribed to Johanna’s newsletter…you should be. Re-Read Saturday News Simple is the first principle of making something sticky. It is also the title of chapter 1 of . There are three areas in this chapter I would like to spend more time with. The formula core + compactness = simple Curse of knowledge Metaphors and analogies As you read the chapter you will see that all three are intertwined; however, each of the three is useful to consider in isolation. Buy a copy of the book and then catch up on the logistics of this re-read: Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 765, we will continue with our summer theme on critical thinking by exploring how experts, experience, and evidence apply to critical thinking. We will also have a visit from the one and only Susan Parente, who brings her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/27478182

SPaMCAST 763 - Using Critical Thinking, Time Is Money, Essays and Conversations 07/09/2023

SPaMCAST 762 - Is AI The End Of Project Management, A Panel With Paul Clapis, Susan Parente, Michael Milutis, and Mark Tolbert 07/02/2023

SPaMCAST 762 - Is AI The End Of Project Management, A Panel With Paul Clapis, Susan Parente, Michael Milutis, and Mark Tolbert In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 762, we host a panel discussion on the impact of AI on project management prospects. The panel of Paul Clapis, Susan Parente, Michael Milutis, and Mark Tolbert state categorically that project administration will be overtaken, but the high-value human side of project management will not be displaced. I am not sure what that means for most people working in the project management space. Listen to the discussion and then look carefully at the work you are doing. Will AI be a boon or a bane for project management? Let the conversation begin. About Paul J. Clapis, Ph.D.: Dr. Clapis has over 30 years of experience managing AI, Machine Learning, and RPA projects for NASA, aerospace, and financial services industries. He also directed the Hughes Advanced Computing Lab at Yale Science Park, where he conducted applied research in AI, Expert Systems, Machine Learning, and Neural Networks. About Susan Parente: Susan is an Engineer/Consultant, speaker, and author with experience managing both software and hardware development. She is proficient in managing complex system implementation for companies seeking to use enterprise business software to improve business process efficiency. Susan is a regular contributor to the Software Process and Measurement podcast. About Michael Milutis: Michael Milutis is an international keynote speaker, instructor, and 25-year veteran of the IT industry who has dedicated his career to helping individuals learn, develop, and compete within a shifting technology landscape. About Mark Tolbert: Mark has over 30 years of experience in I.T., including 27 years at Hewlett-Packard. He successfully managed support programs and projects within HP Services. He is a full-time instructor for PMP Prep classes since November 2007. He is very passionate about project management and believes adopting the best project management practices and skills is crucial to the success of enterprises today. Re-Read Saturday News The votes are in and we have a near tie for the top spot. I decided to re-read by Chip and Dan Heath first. Part of the rationale is that I have two copies of this book and have not read by L. David Marquet – yet. Once we have completed Made to Stick, we will launch ourselves into Leadership Is Language. By then I will have read the book. Buy a copy of the book and then catch up on the logistics of this re-read: Week 1: - https://bit.ly/46tn5Bz Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 763, we will continue with our summer theme on critical thinking by exploring whether sources should matter when considering a topic. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley and his Alpha and Omega of Product Development. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/27347502

SPaMCAST 761 - Logical Fallacies, QA Audit In Agile, Essays and Conversations 06/25/2023

SPaMCAST 760 - Alignment and People, An Interview With Jonathan Hensley 06/18/2023

SPaMCAST 760 - Alignment and People, An Interview With Jonathan Hensley SPaMCAST 760 will feature an interview with Jonathan Hensley, Founder & CEO at EMERGE. Jonathan and I talked about digital transformations and engagement. The core boils down to people and alignment. This was an extremely refreshing interview! Let me know what you think. Jonathon Hensley is co-founder and CEO of Emerge, a digital product consulting firm that works with companies to improve operational agility and customer experience. For more than two decades, Jonathon has helped startups, Fortune 100 brands, technology leaders, large regional health networks, non-profit organizations and more, transform their businesses by turning strategy, user needs and new technologies into valuable digital products and services. Jonathon writes and speaks about his experiences and insights from his career, and regularly hosts in-depth interviews with business leaders and industry insiders. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two boys. (Company) (Company) (Mobile First Podcast) Re-Read Saturday News First things second! Help me pick the next batch of books to be re-read. Pick two books from the poll below or email me at if you have a different suggestion. https://poll.fm/12416734 Back to first things! We completed our re-read of this week. If you have (or ever will have) any input into how teams are formed and maintained you need to read this book at least once. PS - buy a copy because you can’t borrow mine! All of the Team Topologies re-read installments: Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: – Week 4: – Week 5: – Week 6: – Week 7: – Week 8: Choose – Week 9: - Week 10: - Week 11: - Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 761, we will continue our exploration of critical thinking. In this installment, we will examine several of the attributes of critical thinking. We will also have a visit from the QA Corner. Mr. Berriault brings his wisdom to the podcast. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/27185271

SPaMCAST 759 - Defining Critical Thinking, Hierarchy and Scrum Masters, Essays and Conversations 06/11/2023

SPaMCAST 758 - Tribal Knowledge, Team Playbooks, A Conversation With Jeffrey Miller 06/04/2023

SPaMCAST 757 - Intermittent Collaboration, Kanban For One, Essays and Conversations 05/28/2023

SPaMCAST 756 - Change Myths, A Conversation With Paul Gibbons 05/21/2023

SPaMCAST 755 - Engagement, Hierarchy, and Fatalism, Making Mistakes, Essays and Conversations 05/14/2023

SPaMCAST 754 - Facilitation and Transformation, A Conversation With Keis Kostaqi 05/07/2023

SPaMCAST 754 - Facilitation and Transformation, A Conversation With Keis Kostaqi Today I would like to introduce you to the Software Process and Measurement Cast’s newest columnist, Keis Kostaqi. Keis is a scrum master and coach. She will bring a Scrumban flavor to the podcast. Keis has experience with teams with complicated work input patterns. Today we get to know Keis - and get some interesting ideas along the way. Keis Kostaqi is a passionate Agile Coach with years of experience in healthcare, information services, and technology. Currently serving as a Program Manager for the Agile Transformation Team at Northwestern Medicine, she enables individuals and teams to be successful through continual learning and growth and facilitates self-managed continuous improvement. Keis serves at the Greater Illinois Chapter of HIMSS Board of Directors as an Educational Programs Director, where she plans and implements the chapter's programs and educational activities. She is also a Woman in Agile member focused on building mentor-mentee relationships that help the Women in Agile community unlock their full potential. She holds an MBA and is also a Certified Scrum Master and Product Owner. Other interests include traveling, food lover, writing novels, volunteering, and binge-watching TV shows. Contact Information: Re-read Saturday News! This week we re-read Chapter 5 of by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais. Chapter 5 is a powerhouse. This chapter lays out the four fundamental team topologies with examples. I read this chapter twice during my first read of the book and I read it twice this week. We will approach thinking through the re-read over two weeks. This week we start with a little practice identifying the four basic team topologies. Buy a copy and read along! - Previous Installments: Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5: - Week 6: - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 755 will feature an essay on the relationship between team design, flow, and behavior. Organizations passionately espouse the need for increasing productivity and process improvement but rarely tackle the problem of team design. Let's look that scary idea straight in the eye. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who will regale us with wisdom in his Alpha and Omega of product development column. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/26766351

SPaMCAST 753 - Hierarchies and Fatalism, Wall of Confusion, Essays and Conversations 04/30/2023

SPaMCAST 752 - Fast-Growing Companies And Security, A Conversation with Laura Bell Main 04/23/2023

SPaMCAST 752 - Fast-Growing Companies And Security, A Conversation with Laura Bell Main SPaMCAST 752 features our interview with Laura Bell Main. We discuss the confluence of fast-growing companies and security. Maybe I should say collision instead of confluence. Note: Laura provides an incredible amount of wisdom in the interview; however, due to a user error (mine) I lost the first minute of the interview. The abrupt start of the interview means we hit the ground running with very little preamble. Laura Bell Main specializes in securing some of Australia and New Zealand’s fastest-growing organizations. She has over twenty years of experience in software development and information security. It's her mission and passion to bring security into organizations of every shape and size. Laura is the founder and CEO of SafeStack Academy, an online education platform offering flexible, high-quality, and people-focused, secure development training for fast-moving companies, with a focus on building security skills, practices, and culture across the entire engineering team. SafeStack is a value’s driven company on a mission to make cybersecurity accessible for everyone and any organization. “To protect each one of us, we must protect all of us” Connect With Laura Bell Main: mobile.twitter.com/lady_nerd l Re-read Saturday News! Chapter 3 of by Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais is titled Team First Thinking. Using teams to get work done in all walks of life is undeniable. Whether the idea of “team” emerged a century ago or last week is less important. What is important is the knowledge that very little work happens without teams. Team-first thinking makes simple sense. Buy a copy and read along! - Previous Installments: Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: - Week 4: - Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 753 we will return to our discussion of fatalism to examine the relationship between hierarchy, fatalism, and engagement. We will also have a visit from Tony Timbol who will bring his To Tell A Story column to the podcast. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/26624097

SPaMCAST 751 - Privilege and Fatalism, Continuous Improvement, Conversations and Essays 04/16/2023

SPaMCAST 750 - Domains Of Business Agility, A Conversation With Evan Leybourn 04/09/2023

SPaMCAST 749 - Good Work Entry, Combining Scrum Master and Product Owner Roles, Essays, and Conversations 04/02/2023

SPaMCAST 748 - Making Agile Coaching Better, A Conversation with Bob Galen 03/26/2023

SPaMCAST 748 - Making Agile Coaching Better, A Conversation with Bob Galen SPaMCAST 748 features our interview with Bob Galen. Bob and I discuss Extraordinary . With the interview, we wrap up the re-read and then moved on to talk about improving coaching and the agile industrial complex. Bob Galen is an Agile Practitioner, Trainer & Coach based in Cary, NC. In this role, he helps guide companies and teams in their pragmatic adoption and organizational shift towards agile methods of working. Bob has been doing that since the late 1990s, so he’s deeply experienced. He is the Director of Agile Practice at Zenergy Technologies, a leading business agility transformation company. Bob is also President and Head Coach at RGCG a boutique agile coaching firm. Bob regularly speaks at international conferences and professional groups on topics related to agile software development, testing, scaling, and organizational leadership. He is a Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC), Scrum Alliance CAL trainer, and an active member of the Agile & Scrum Alliances. He’s published four agile-centric books: The Three Pillars of Agile Quality and Testing in 2015, Scrum Product Ownership, 3’rd Edition in 2019, Agile Reflections in 2012, and Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching in 2022. He’s also a prolific writer & blogger (at - www.rgalen.com and www.agile-moose.com) and podcaster (at www.meta-cast.com ) Bob may be reached directly at: [email protected] or networking via: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobgalen Re-read Saturday News! This week we conclude our re-read of Extraordinary . Extraordinary Badass Agile Coaching is my new go-to coaching reference. It will be the book I recommend to anyone playing a coaching role in an agile environment. As we know a wide variety of organizational roles such as team leads, Scrum Masters, managers, and of course agile coaches coach. Coaching is dynamic and complex. What would you expect? There are people involved. Bob and his co-authors provide the tools to help a coach go from meh to badass. Buy a copy and upgrade your coaching skills - Previous Installments: Week 20: - Week 19: - Week 18: - Week 17: - Week 16: - Week 15: - Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 749 we will discuss the attributes of good work input/entry. We have discussed patterns and anti-patterns. We explore what makes good work entry, good. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/26343543

SPaMCAST 747 - Combatting Fatalism, Succession Planning, Essays and Conversations 03/19/2023

SPaMCAST 746 - Manifesto for Organizational Agility, A Conversation With Jeff Bubolz And Chad Beier 03/12/2023

SPaMCAST 746 - Manifesto for Organizational Agility, A Conversation With Jeff Bubolz And Chad Beier 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 Jeff’s Bios: Chad is an organizational agility advisor and external change agent with Wisconsin Agility and Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org. He promotes organizational agility and positive pressure for change through speaking, advising, coaching, and training. Jeff is a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org, organizational agility advisor, podcast host, and speaker. Jeff brings storytelling, a broad array of experience, along with a collaborative approach to teaching and speaking. Contact information and More: Wisconsin Agility: Agile Wire Podcast (one of my favorites): Chad Beier: Chad Beier’s Agile Songs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrE4EJKhiUtc3j5aAnRlskg Jeff Bubolz: Re-read Saturday News! Chapter 19 of Extraordinary is titled “ Setting Up a Badass Agile Coaching Community of Practice.” I have strong opinions about Communities of Practice (CoP). They can be a very valuable tool, when done well, for supporting movements within an organization. As Mr. Galen points out, a CoP, is a place for learning and feedback. Done poorly they are invasive and harmful. CoPs will get like-minded people together to learn, support each other, interact, and become a community. Buy a copy and upgrade your coaching skills - Previous Installments: Week 18: - Week 17: - Week 16: - Week 15: - Next SPaMCAST We will continue our exploration of fatalism’s impact on change in organizations (listen to the essay in SPaMCAST 745). Fatalism does not have to be permanent. How that transition away from fatalism can be made varies depending on context. In the next installment in this series, we will look at a few approaches to tackling this problem. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who will bring his Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the podcast. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/26201562

SPaMCAST 745 - Say No To Fatalism, Agile Requirements, Essays and Conversations 03/05/2023

SPaMCAST 744 - Team, Low Code, A Conversation With Nikhil Nandagopal 02/26/2023

SPaMCAST 743 - Diversity, Communication, Essays and Conversations 02/19/2023

SPaMCAST 743 - Diversity, Communication, Essays and Conversations 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 got the point. In this chapter, diversity is an omnibus term used to describe inclusiveness across a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, life experiences, and more. Galen-Personick focuses on four specific areas. Rather than recounting the four, what struck me during this read was the impact privilege has on both delivering and being coached. That’s what I discuss in today’s podcast. Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the podcast. This week we communicated on the topic of communication. Re-read Saturday News! Chapter 16 of Extraordinary is titled Situational Awareness as a Badass Agile Coach. This chapter is written by Rhiannon Galen-Personick and focuses on diversity awareness. The author uses four areas of diversity to help coaches think through their biases, the biases of the people they are coaching, and the biases of the teams around them. This is in an effort to teach all of us to be better coaches and, dare I say, people. Week 15: - A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation, knowledge, and building to establish 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 In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, Nikhil Nandagopal and I talked about building teams. Teams are the heart and soul of software development in all of its many aspects. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/25977900

Software Process and Measurement Cast

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