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 704 - Leadership and Diving For Golf Balls, A Conversation With Stuart Leo 05/22/2022

SPaMCAST 704 - Leadership and Diving For Golf Balls, A Conversation With Stuart Leo In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 704, we talk leadership with Stuart Leo Founder & CEO of Waymaker.io. One of the reasons I enjoy interviews is that I often stumble across great stories. Stuart’s entrepreneurial origin story includes golf balls, icy Tasmanian lakes, and scuba divers -- I will remember this story until I die. Stuart is a global thinker in strategy, systems, and leadership development. As the founder of Waymaker.io he has led the creation of Waymaker’s Leadership Curve - a revolutionary way of building clarity, alignment, and remarkable results for any organization. LinkedIn Company Website Blog Twitter @stuartleo Re-read Saturday News This week’s chapter of opens with a quote from The Dalai Lama linking effective self-discipline with awareness of consequences. The chapter, titled Awareness, speaks to me of redemption. Awareness is a precursor to shedding helplessness and ignites the desire to act. I have spent a large part of my career participating, influencing, and/or leading change. Struggle is a common thread in nearly all of these efforts when entrenched leaders push back against ideas that bubble up from teams or other levels of the organization. Whether from fear or myriad other reasons, there are consequences for everyone involved. Learned helplessness, as noted in Chapter 7, or a dawning awareness that there are other possibilities creates an impetus for change. Whether change creates better processes, products, relationships, or changes in the workforce (that means people leaving) boils down to agency. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: Previous Entries Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5: - Week 6: - Week 7: s - Week 8: - Next SPaMCAST In the SPaMCAST 705 we define the term flow. I listened to a conversation last week. The term flow was used 30ish times in 30 minutes. Each use of the term meant something different. Let's draw a line in the sand to improve communication. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings another fabulous installment of Not A Scrumdamentalist to the podcast. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/23190101

SPaMCAST 703 - Commitment, Humans and Automation, Essays and Conversations 05/15/2022

SPaMCAST 702 - Geek Boss and Leadership, A Conversation With Matthew Stibbe 05/08/2022

SPaMCAST 702 - Geek Boss and Leadership, A Conversation With Matthew Stibbe In SPaMCAST 702, Matthew Stibbe and I talk about the impact of leadership when building a technology-driven business. Mathew shared stories about learning to type, how he has reinvented himself numerous times, and why he blogs at . Note: I have not edited out the parts of the interview just before I welcome Matthew to the podcast. Mr. Stibbe told a couple of very endearing stories that help set the tone for the entire interview. He agreed to allow me to share them. MATTHEW STIBBE is a serial entrepreneur, marketing maven, writer, pilot, and wine enthusiast. But not necessarily in that order. He created marketing strategies, content, and campaigns for clients including Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn, and HP and contributed to Wired, Forbes, and Popular Science. Currently, he is CEO at Articulate Marketing, a UK marketing agency specializing in the technology sector. Also, his geek credentials are strong. Previously, he was founder and CEO at Intelligent Games, a 70-person computer games company where he designed games for LEGO and produced two games based on Dune. Matthew also has his commercial pilots license and an advanced wine diploma. (Have you seen the film Somm? Like that!) At some point in the previous millennium, he studied history at Oxford University. These days, he blogs about modern management at www.geekboss. com, about marketing at www. articulatemarketing.com and wine at www.vincarta.com Re-read Saturday News This week, we talk about Healthy Constraints in . Many years (think decades) ago a friend of mine, Danny Bailus, had a cool mini-bike. He rode it around our neighborhood in Howland, Ohio all summer. It was the third coolest (text me the first two) thing that held my attention that summer. That was until Danny decided that it did not go fast enough and removed the governor from the small engine. He removed the constraint from the system and the engine burned out. His father was not very happy, Danny was not very happy, and I was very happy I was not riding it when it happened. In this chapter, Mr. Benson discusses the difference between healthy and unhealthy constraints. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: Previous Entries Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5: - Week 6: - Week 7: s - Next SPaMCAST We continue on the basics with an essay on Teams and team design. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who will regale us with tales of the Alpha and Omega of Product Development. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/23041184

SPaMCAST 701 - When The Daily Scrum Doesn’t Make Sense, Agile Requirements, Essays and Conversation 05/01/2022

SPaMCAST 700 - AI Today Will Not Be The AI Of Tomorrow, A Discussion With Slater Victoroff 04/24/2022

SPaMCAST 699 - Using AI To Unlock The Potential Of Humanity, A Discussion With Eric Daimler 04/17/2022

SPaMCAST 699 - Using AI To Unlock The Potential Of Humanity, A Discussion With Eric Daimler This week we feature our interview with Eric Daimler, PhD. Eric and I discussed how AI can unlock the potential of humanity. Dr. Eric Daimler is an authority in Artificial Intelligence with over 20 years of experience in the field as an entrepreneur, executive, investor, technologist, and policy advisor. Daimler has co-founded six technology companies that have done pioneering work in fields ranging from software systems to statistical arbitrage. Daimler is the author of the forthcoming book "The Coming Composability: The roadmap for using technology to solve society’s biggest problems." A frequent speaker, lecturer, and commentator, he works to empower communities and citizens to leverage AI for a more sustainable, secure, and prosperous future. As a Presidential Innovation Fellow during the Obama Administration, Daimler helped drive the agenda for U.S. leadership in research, commercialization, and public adoption of AI. He has also served as Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor of Software Engineering in Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science. His academic research focuses on the intersection of Machine Learning, Computational Linguistics, and Network Science (Graph Theory). He has a specialization in public policy and economics, helped launch Carnegie Mellon’s Silicon Valley Campus, and founded its Entrepreneurial Management program. A frequent keynote speaker, he has presented at venues including the engineering schools of MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. Daimler studied at Stanford University, the University of Washington-Seattle, and Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned his PhD in its School of Computer Science. Contact Information Twitter: @ead LinkedIn: Website: Re-read Saturday News Multitasking is the first or second greatest LIE in the modern business world. The best description of multitasking would include thrash, waste, and hubris. The problem is that EVERYONE thinks they are special and can multitask their way to the effective delivery of value. Chapter 3 of blasts away at multitasking (another take on the topic from 2015: Multitasking Yourself Away From Efficiency | Software Process and Measurement ). Multitasking is bad, don’t do it. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: Previous Entries Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: - Week 4: - Upcoming Events: Final Call! Free Webinar When Prioritization Goes Bad April 19, 2022 11 AM EDT to 1230 EDT Next SPaMCAST Next week for SPaMCAST 700 we will feature our interview with Slater Victoroff. Slater presents an alternate definition for AI. Compare and contrast to Dr. Daimler’s definition? /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/22819628

SPaMCAST 698 - Team Leads in Agile Teams, A Conversation WIth Susan Parente 04/10/2022

SPaMCAST 698 - Team Leads in Agile Teams, A Conversation WIth Susan Parente This week Susan Parente and I had an extraordinary conversation about team leads in agile and leadership. In some cases, the role of a team leader is treated as if it were superfluous to requirements in other cases it is a tool to delegate work to people in an effort to subvert self-organization and when organizations get it right the role is a vehicle to unlocking the capabilities of teams. Contact Susan at or on LinkedIn at Re-read Saturday News Week 3 of our re-read of by Jim Benson talks about the thrill of getting things done. People with a lot of WIP look for more work, things they can grab and complete to feel good about themselves. I am as guilty as anyone else. Sometimes when items on my shortlist get stuck instead of breaking the items down into smaller chunks to progress the work I will grab a less valuable task and just do it so I can check something off. Susan Parente, who you just heard from in one of her great “Not A Scrumdamentalist” podcast columns described the same scenario. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: Previous Entries Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Upcoming Events: Free Webinar When Prioritization Goes Bad April 19, 2022 11 AM EDT to 1230 EDT Special Call to Action If you are a team lead I need your help! I believe the TL role is the least understood and least talked about in agile. It is time to change that. I am working on testing a model of TL behaviors in agile. I need examples of REAL TL job descriptions to map into the model. The glittering generalities that you find on the web don’t match what really happens in the real world. I do not need anything sensitive like salary or product details. I will happily share the first cut of the model with anyone that helps and sponsor a virtual meeting to discuss the model with all participants. If you have a TL job description you can share please email me at Next SPaMCAST Next week we will feature our interview with Matthew Stibbe. Matt and I discussed how leadership (or the lack thereof) contributes to projects in wide a range of environments (software and marketing). /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/22742216

SPaMCAST 697 - Cultivating Transformations: A Leader's Guide to Connecting the Soulful and the Practical, A Conversation With Jarenda London 04/03/2022

SPaMCAST 697 - Cultivating Transformations: A Leader's Guide to Connecting the Soulful and the Practical, A Conversation With Jarenda London This week we talked with Jardena London. We discussed her book . Being soulful sounds fluffy, but isn’t. It is critical for delivering lasting change. Jardena is a Business Transformation Consultant, Author, Keynote Speaker, and a Certified Facilitator of Dare to Lead; Brene Brown’s groundbreaking training program for organizations based on creating courageous workplaces. Jardena is also the Founder of [email protected] which is focusing on leading a movement to create workplaces that nourish our souls and exude positive energy. Her recent book, “l” has been described as “the book you buy and carry around with you everywhere.” Her most recent successes have been transforming a large legacy organization into a modern workplace with breakout results. She also speaks at corporate events and on stages worldwide on the positive effects of organizational transformation. Jardena has also served as co-founder and CEO of Rosetta Technology Group since 1997. Websites and Contact Information LinkedIn: Upcoming Events: Free Webinar When Prioritization Goes Bad April 19, 2022 11 AM EDT to 1230 EDT Special Call to Action If you are a team lead I need your help! I believe the TL role is the least understood and least talked about in agile. It is time to change that. I am working on testing a model of TL behaviors in agile. I need examples of REAL TL job descriptions to map into the model. The glittering generalities that you find on the web don’t match what really happens in the real world. I do not need anything sensitive like salary or product details. I will happily share the first cut of the model with anyone that helps and sponsor a virtual meeting to discuss the model with all participants. If you have TL job description you can share please email me at Next SPaMCAST We are finally going to tackle the difference between prioritization and sequencing. Sequencing is the forgotten cousin of prioritization, HOWEVER, just because you know the priority isn’t enough because if you don't get the order right value will be lost. We will also have a visit from Susan “Not A Scrumdamentalist” Parente. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/22662296

SPaMCAST 696 - Why Limit WIP, Re-Read Saturday Introduction, Relative Time, Conversations and Essays 03/27/2022

SPaMCAST 695 - Agile In A Startup, A Conversation With Julianna Lamb 03/20/2022

SPaMCAST 694 - The Team Lead Role In Agile, Time, Essays and Conversations 03/13/2022

SPaMCAST 693 - Driving Value With AI, An Interview With Prateek Joshi 03/06/2022

SPaMCAST 692 - Continuous Improvement Versus Process Improvement, Agile Requirements, Essays and Conversation 02/27/2022

SPaMCAST 691 - AI and Estimation, The End Of Software Estimators, An Interview with Kevin McKeel 02/20/2022

SPaMCAST 691 - AI and Estimation, The End Of Software Estimators, An Interview with Kevin McKeel In SPaMCAST 69, Kevin McKeel talks about using neurolinguistics to aid in software estimation tools. Is this the end of the world for the software estimating profession or the beginning of a golden age? Probably both, listen and draw your own conclusions. Kevin’s Bio Mr. Kevin McKeel has over 25 years of experience in software cost estimation. He is a CCEA and SAFe Architect and received the prestigious 2021 Technical Achievement of the Year award from ICEAA related to the research of automated software sizing using AI and NLP. Mr. McKeel holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (Finance, ‘89) from James Madison University and a Master’s in Business Administration (Decision Systems, ’92) from The George Washington University. LinkedIn Website: Re-Read Saturday News Week 8 of our re-read of concludes our read of Chapter 5 addressing the ‘Why Conversation’. This week we spent time tackling the concepts of joint design and urging organizations to train team leads in decision making. They are not second class citizens My experiment of the week: Last week I proposed the experiment of creating a position-interest chart during the week. I actually used the technique to help frame an essay for the Software Process and Measurement Podcast within 12 hours of proposing the experiment. I also used the ideas in the approach to reframing several discussions (looking for the positions behind stated positions) during the week. This week I will try to find a scenario to apply the concepts of joint design (no eggs will be harmed). Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5 - Week 6 - Week 7 - Week 8 - Next SPaMCAST What would you call a person with little training, a lot of responsibility, and little to no real authority? This is not a Dad Joke. I suggest the answer is often a team lead. Also, Mr. Tony Timbol is back to talk about user stories in his To Tell A Story column. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/22190225

SPaMCAST 690 - I Don’t Want To Be Measured, QA Strategies and Agile, Essays and Conversations 02/13/2022

SPaMCAST 689 - AI and Process Improvement, A Conversation With Prabhjot Singh 02/06/2022

SPaMCAST 689 - AI and Process Improvement, A Conversation With Prabhjot Singh Prabhjot Singh and I talk about AI using AI to improve the flow of work and the delivery of value. AI, however you define it, is in your future. You need to be ready! Mr. Singh’s bio: Prabhjot Singh is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple for-profit, social enterprise, and non-profit ventures. He serves as President and CEO of Pyze, the most recent company he founded to enable the world’s largest enterprises to improve business operations through AI-driven Process Intelligence and Analytics. He has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and product management. He previously co-founded Pixatel Systems, a social enterprise that utilizes mobile computing to deploy apps and e-Learning solutions to millions of users. LinkedIn: Twitter: Company Website: https://www.pyze.com/ Re-Read Saturday News Week 6 of our re-read of continues on Chapter 4: The Fear Conversation. We discussed two of the three major concepts in Chapter 4 last week, but we did not consider the fear conversation and more specifically the fear chart. Many years ago I worked with a manager, Rich Hisrich at BancSystems/EDS. I was the QA manager at the site. It was through my interaction with RIch that I learned the value of whiteboards and visualization. The fear chart is a visualization tool I can see having great value. My experiment of the week: I am going to double down and commit to creating a fear chart. Whether an opportunity for a fear conversation presents itself, we shall see. Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5 - Week 6 - Next SPaMCAST Next week we continue an essay refining how we are using Flow Metrics in 2022 to … manage flow (surprise) rather than micromanaging tasks or kidding ourselves with relative sizing techniques. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault and his QA Corner. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/22041158

SPaMCAST 688 - Flow Metrics Not Velocity, TIme and Work Entry - Complexity, Essays and Conversations 01/30/2022

SPaMCAST 688 - Flow Metrics Not Velocity, TIme and Work Entry - Complexity, Essays and Conversations Continuous improvement through inspecting and adapting is a core tenant of an agile mindset, which dovetails well with every executive’s need to deliver the most value possible. Measurement is an important tool to help teams and organizations ask the right questions at the right time. Flow metrics, not burndowns and velocity, need to be a big part of any IT organization's approach to measurement. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. Jon discusses the complicated relationship between time, work entry, and promises. Have you checked out The Open Transformation Playbooks Martin Foster discussed last week? If not, you are missing something important. The Open Transformation Playbooks is an initiative to build an open, remixable, body of knowledge for agile organizational transformation. Re-Read Saturday News Week 5 of our re-read of tackles Chapter 4: The Fear Conversation. Fear has a significant impact on what we think and how we behave. The changes that fear drives don’t stop at the individual, the behavior changes ripple through organizations. My experiment of the week: Update on last week’s experiment. I was able to use some of the ideas from the trust conversation this week. I actually used the statement, “the story I am telling myself is . . .” in a real conversation twice. The first time it felt contrived; it is much easier to state something as fact than to admit it might not be true. For both conversations, I had created a conversation analysis sheet to record the conversation. I need conversation analysis practice. Also, both conversations would have gone better with a copy of the trust ladder close at hand. This week’s experiment. I would like to try to generate a fear chart and have a fear conversation. I am still considering what type of job aids will be most useful. Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5 - Next SPaMCAST Next week Prabhjot Singh and I talk about AI. If you are a developer or entrepreneur, AI (however you define it) is in your future. You need to be ready! Mr. Singh is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple for-profit, social enterprise, and non-profit ventures. He serves as President and CEO of Pyze. Continuous improvement through inspecting and adapting is a core tenant of an agile mindset, which dovetails well with every executive’s need to deliver the most value possible. Measurement is an important tool to help teams and organizations ask the right questions at the right time. Flow metrics, not burndowns and velocity, need to be a big part of any IT organization's approach to measurement. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. Jon discusses the complicated relationship between time, work entry, and promises. Have you checked out The Open Transformation Playbooks Martin Foster discussed last week? If not, you are missing something important. The Open Transformation Playbooks is an initiative to build an open, remixable, body of knowledge for agile organizational transformation. Re-Read Saturday News Week 5 of our re-read of tackles Chapter 4: The Fear Conversation. Fear has a significant impact on what we think and how we behave. The changes that fear drives don’t stop at the individual, the behavior changes ripple through organizations. My experiment of the week: Update on last week’s experiment. I was able to use some of the ideas from the trust conversation this week. I actually used the statement, “the story I am telling myself is . . .” in a real conversation twice. The first time it felt contrived; it is much easier to state something as fact than to admit it might not be true. For both conversations, I had created a conversation analysis sheet to record the conversation. I need conversation analysis practice. Also, both conversations would have gone better with a copy of the trust ladder close at hand. This week’s experiment. I would like to try to generate a fear chart and have a fear conversation. I am still considering what type of job aids will be most useful. Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Week 4: - Week 5 - Next SPaMCAST Next week Prabhjot Singh and I talk about AI. If you are a developer or entrepreneur, AI (however you define it) is in your future. You need to be ready! Mr. Singh is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple for-profit, social enterprise, and non-profit ventures. He serves as President and CEO of Pyze. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/21953933

SPaMCAST 687 - 2021 Business Agility Report, No Cats Were Actually Thrown, A Conversation with Martin Foster 01/23/2022

SPaMCAST 687 - 2021 Business Agility Report, No Cats Were Actually Thrown, A Conversation with Martin Foster Today we begin Year 16 with an interview, discussion, conversation -- call it what you like -- with Martin Foster. We covered a ton of ground, including whether the goal of any organization should be to be more agile and the 2021 Business Agility Report. During one segment we discussed the statement, “the impediments are the path.” A wonderful and thought-provoking start to Year 16! ANNOUNCING: The Open Transformation Playbooks: A (very new) initiative to build an open, remixable, body of knowledge for agile organizational transformation. To accompany this episode Martin and TeamForm have launched the first tranche of content. Martin’s Contact Information: 2021 Business Agility Report: TeamForm: Email: LinkedIn: Martin’s Bio Martin is a senior consultant at TeamForm. His passion is working with organizations that are transforming themselves to cross-functional team structures, with all the nuances, benefits, and challenges that this brings. With his past experience as a product owner and engineer, he enjoys bringing data into the people conversation. Re-Read Saturday News Week 4 of our re-read of tackles Chapter 3: The Trust Conversation. Trust is a requirement for people to work together toward a common goal. Misters Squirrel and Fredrick define trust as aligned stories. My experiment of the week: First an update on my experiment from last week. I found that I need to create a job aid for conversational analysis in order to practice the R’s from Chapter 2. I must admit that not preparing for conversational analysis creates a scenario where I am looking back and trying to remember conversations, which makes them more susceptible to bias. This week I am going to create a job aid for trust conversations, then find two or three scenarios to practice. Practice will include the R’s from Chapter 2. Week 1: - Week 2: - Week 3: - Week 4: - Next SPaMCAST Next week our first essay of Year 16 with thoughts on flow metrics and why focusing on flow is powerful, important, and causes people to run around like their hair is on fire. Hopefully, we can dampen the blaze down a bit. /episode/index/show/spamcast/id/21865217