Software Process And Measurement Cast

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 618 is a conversation about “process” that I had with two great people, Mike King and Beth Leonard, in March of 2020. Just doing the process to check the box for a rating or certification, whether the CMMI, CMMC, Scrum, or any other framework, destroys legitimacy and trust.   Michael King is a technology executive with over seventeen years of experience serving in technology roles supporting the Federal Government.  He currently serves as Halfaker and Associates’ Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer (CIO/CISO), where he leads enterprise IT Strategy with a focus on user experience, the information security program, and the Quality Management System with a focus on improving engineering maturity and customer experience. Prior to this role, he served Halfaker’s CTO and COO, as well as completing a five-year tenure at Lockheed Martin in cybersecurity and critical infrastructure security domains. Michael holds degrees in Computer Engineering (Ba

The Agile Online Summit was created for people who couldn’t attend major conferences. This will be its third year, and the main goal is to bring major level agile speakers to people all over the world as well as spotlight some up and coming agile coaches and trainers.  October 26th to 30th, 2020, Live and recorded too. https://bit.ly/3gNR2Bw 

  The Software Process and Measurement Cast 617 features our essay on rediscovering productivity.  One of the tools I have embraced is Pomodoro. It is a great approach to staying focused and helps unwonkify time in my home office! Also this week, Susan Parente brings her “Not A Scrumdamentalist” column to the Software Process and Measurement Cast! Susan begins a three-part series on grateful leadership.  Grateful leadership is so much more than just saying thank you. In between the essay and Susan’s column, we have a promo for the Agile Online Summit 2020. Re-Read Saturday News  Chapter 15 of Tame your Work Flow, introduces the concept of a MOVE, which stands for Minimal Outcome-Value Effort. Steve and Daniel use the construct to help define an atomic level of value delivery that is both minimalistic and sufficient. MOVE, while not replacing the myriad Mxx acronyms (e.g. minimal viable product or minimal marketable product), it provides a mental model for defining items in your portfolio backlog that is foc

The Agile Online Summit was created for people who couldn’t attend major conferences. This will be its third year, and the main goal is to bring major level agile speakers to people all over the world as well as spotlight some up and coming agile coaches and trainers.  October 26th to 30th, 2020, Live and recorded too. https://bit.ly/3gNR2Bw 

The SPaMCAST 616 features our interview with Tom Henricksen. Tom brings the industry two great events the DevOps and the Agile Online Summits. He is also an active thought leader in the agile community. During his recent visit to the podcast, we talked about the exciting changes to this year’s Agile Online Summit. We also chatted about how creating and scaling the summit has changed how he thinks about the world.  Tom is passionate about fostering learning and sharpening the saw. Tom suggests that tuning your skills and capabilities has never been more important as the economy struggles to get going again. Web: https://agileonlinesummit.com/ Web: myitcareercoach.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhenricksen/ Twitter: @TomHenricksen  Re-Read Saturday News  I find Chapter 14 useful in a book of useful chapters. In this chapter, Steve and Daniel explain the foreshadowed idea of full-kitting and introduce two different versions of kanban boards. Have you bought your copy of  Steve Tendon and Daniel Doi

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 615 features my discussion with Jeff Dalton  Jeff and I discussed the new cybersecurity model, the CMMC, and the need for a hyper-focus on cybersecurity. The use of this new model can not be just another plaque on the wall!   Jeff Dalton is Chief Evangelist at AgileCxO.org, a Research and Development organization that studies agile leadership. He is a technology executive with over 30 years of experience as a CTO, CIO, VP of Product Development, and for that past fifteen years has been CEO of Broadsword and AgileCxO. He is an executive agile coach, agile assessor, and instructor, a regular conference speaker, and author of both "The Agile Performance Holarchy: An Operating System for Agile Leaders" and "The Guide to Scrum and CMMI: Improving Agile Performance with CMMI." In his spare time, Jeff is an instrument-rated pilot and plays bass in a jazz band. He has degrees in music and computer science.  Jeff on Twitter: @CMMIAppraiser @agilecxo  Broadsword Solutions: http

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 614 features our interview with Jennifer Bonine.  Jennifer and I talked AI, the impact of AI on the future of work, and how to re-skill for the next industrial revolution. This is not science fiction, and the future is not as far away as you might think.   Bio Jennifer Bonine is the CEO of AI Appstore, Inc., and was the first female Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) platform tech CEO. AI Appstore specializes in custom subscription technology bundles, leveraging an intelligent platform using a personalized ‘virtual research assistant’ to enhance corporate growth. The company exceeds expectations of integration, testing, delivery, and management with a groundbreaking business model that is fully engaged in the sustainable development goals (“SDGs”) cultivated by the United Nations. Respected as a gifted speaker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Jennifer Bonine addresses the AI industry nationally and internationally, most recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos and

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 613 features our essay on directive and non-directive coaching. DIrective coaches, akin to many athletic coaches, are a hard sell at the team level. Non-directive coaches, akin to mentors, are not always viewed as effective by senior leaders. In reality, it is not cut and dry. Essays in the Directive - Non-directive Series Agile Coaching Techniques: Styles of Coaches -https://bit.ly/2EwFh4X Directive or Non-directive Coaching - https://bit.ly/2Pb364r  Directive or Non-directive Coaching: Why Everyone Needs To Know -https://bit.ly/3hmLf75  In the second spot this week, Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the cast.  We discuss coaching testers. Indirectly we have a discussion about the use of directive and non-directive coaching styles.  You can reach Jeremy at https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Re-Read Saturday News  Today, we re-read Chapter 12, titled Drum-Buffer- Rope Scheduling (DBR). The concept of DBR is critical to using the Theory of Constraints in real-w

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 612 features a conversation with Woody Zuill and Allan Kelly on the topic of being an agile guide. I have felt that the term coach was overused for more than a few years. Woody and Allan put a voice to a topic that I started writing about earlier this summer describing the term 'agile guide'. Over the past 14 years, there have been a number of conversations that changed how I think and work.  This is certainly one of those gestalt moments.   Bios: Allan has pioneered techniques such as Value Poker, Time-Value Profiles and Retrospective Dialogue Sheets. He is the author of seven books including "Continuous Digital", "Little Book of Requirements and User Stories" and his latest book is "Art of Agile Product Ownership." When not writing, Allan consults and coaches, helping companies embrace the agile and digital world, and teams to improve their performance. Links: Me: www.allankelly.net Blog: www.allankelly.net/blog Retrospective cards: www.dialoguesheets.com Twitter: h

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 611 features our conversation with Jeff Smith. Jeff and I talked about his new book, Operational Anti-Patterns with DevOps Solutions. Our conversation branched out to cover DevOps and how writing a book changes your perception of life. The conversation was the most clear-eyed and penetrating conversation on DevOps I have had on the podcast. Jeff challenged all of us to recognize that we can make a difference. Bio: Jeff Smith has been in the technology industry for over 20 years, oscillating between management and individual contributor. Jeff currently serves as the Director of Production Operations for Centro, an advertising software company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Before that he served as the Manager of Site Reliability Engineering at Grubhub. Jeff is passionate about DevOps transformations in organizations large and small, with a particular interest in the psychological aspects of problems in companies. He lives in Chicago with his wife Stephanie and th

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 610 features our essay, An Agile Team In a Waterfall Company – Organizing Around The Product Flow. Focusing on getting features and support for a product to market changes how teams and groups organize to solve business problems.  This is a standalone essay that can be read as part of a larger theme covering the trials faced by an agile team in a waterfall company.  The four separate essays can be found at:  An Agile Team In A Waterfall Company - https://bit.ly/3hXpPy5  Postponing Commitment - https://bit.ly/3dBhCfl  Values, Principles, and Behaviours - https://bit.ly/2ZsoO8t  Organizing Around The Product Flow - https://bit.ly/3k05jhj  We also have a visit from Susan Parente with a discussion that I have named, Agile or Traditional, Pick One!  Many organizations have to make accommodations for mandated classic project management approaches. Susan provides excellent advice for making these types of scenarios work.  Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapters

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 609 features our conversation with Dr. David Rico.  Dave is returning to the Software Process and Measurement Cast to discuss the concept of agile and collaborative contracts. Contracts and agile don’t often work well together. That does not have to be the case! Dr. Rico has been a technical leader in support of NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Army for over 30 years. He has led numerous projects based on Cloud Computing, Lean Thinking, Agile Methods, SOA, Web Services, Six Sigma, FOSS, ISO 9001, CMMI, Baldrige, TQM, Enterprise Architecture, DoDAF, and DoD 5000. He specializes in IT investment analysis, IT portfolio valuation, and IT-enabled change. He has been an international keynote speaker, presented at leading industry conferences, written seven textbooks, published numerous articles, and is a reviewer for multiple systems engineering journals. He is a Certified PMP, CSEP, ACP, CSM, and SAFe Agilist, and teaches at four Washington, DC-area universities.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 608 features our essay, An Agile Team in a Waterfall Company. Teams like this exist, and sometimes even flourish. Our essay explores how that is possible and how teams in this circumstance can help evolve whole organizations. We have a visit from Gene Hughson with his Form Follows Function column. Gene and I talk about how an architect has to avoid bias generated by the expertise that they have spent years developing.    Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapter 5 (this is the beginning of Part 2) of Tame your Work Flow,  The chapter is titled “Where to Focus Improvement Efforts.” Part 2 transitions us from improving wait time and flow efficiency and begins a deep dive into the Theory of Constraints (ToC). Remember to buy a copy of Tame your Work Flow to support the authors and blog!     Week 1: Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/2LWJ3EY Week 2: Prologue (The Story of Herbie) - https://bit.ly/3h4zmTi Week 3: Explicit Mental Models - https://bit.ly/2U

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 607 features our interview with Mark Tolbert and Susan Parente to discuss their new book Hybrid Project Management: Using Agile with Traditional PM Methodologies to Succeed on Modern Projects. Agile hybrids are often pilloried, Mark and Susan make a strong case that hybrids have a place in delivering value. Without hybrids, there are places that can't go!   Mark’s Bio Mark has over 30 years of experience in IT, including 27 years at Hewlett-Packard. He successfully managed support programs and projects within HP Services from 1994 through 2007. The programs and projects included a large e-selling program, a multivendor support program for a large telecommunications company, data center relocation projects, and MDM (mobile device management) programs. Reach out to Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mark-tolbert-pmp-pmi-acp-90b9b38 Susan’s Bio Susan Parente is a project engineer, consultant, speaker, author, professor, and mentor who leads large complex IT software impl

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 606 features our interview with Marco Faella, author of Seriously Good Software: Code that Works, Survives, and Wins. Marco and I discussed quality, craftsmanship, and how being a passionate coder and academic mix.  Marco Faella teaches advanced programming at a major Italian university. His published work includes peer-reviewed research articles, a Java certification manual, and a video course on Java streams.   His contact data is: Homepage: http://wpage.unina.it/m.faella/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/m_faella Book: https://www.manning.com/books/seriously-good-software I have discount codes (just ask!) Re-Read Saturday News  This week we are taking a break from our re-read of Tame your Work Flow to celebrate the 4th of July and my wife’s birthday. We will be back next week.  Remember to buy a copy of Tame your Work Flow to support the authors and blog!   Week 1: Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/2LWJ3EY Week 2: Prologue (The Story of Herbie) - https://b

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 605 features our interview with Jodie Kane.  Jodie and I discussed involving product owners in retrospectives. Jodie suggests the answer should not be cut and dry but rather context-driven. Jodie is a passionate, value-driven servant leader with a unique, energetic style that brings out the best in people and opens space for teams to be self-organizing high performers focused on delivering customer value and getting things done. She has spent a lifetime honing her servant leadership skills, inviting people to work together, and creating space for human engagement to develop innovative, self-organizing, value-driven teams.  Contact Jodie on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodieenglekane/ Re-Read Saturday News  Chapter 3, Flow Efficiency, Little’s Law and Economic Impact, of Tame your Work Flow  is incredibly important for understanding the overall book. In your re-read spend the time needed understanding how the themes noted in the chapter title inter-relate. 

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 604 features a presentation that I did on the need for organizations to lean into processes improvement as the COVID-19 disaster abates (at least for the time being). Continuous improvement can’t be just a slogan during an economic downturn.  We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley with his Alpha and Omega of Product Development Column. Jon and I talked about the definition of quality and whether the concept of quality is a matter of perception. We don’t exactly agree . . . what are your thought? Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapter 2 in our re-read of Tame your Work Flow by Steve Tendon and Daniel Doiron. Chapter 2 continues to explore mental models and focuses on how multitasking robs value from individuals, teams, and organizations.   Remember to buy a copy of Tame your Work Flow to support the authors and blog!   Week 1: Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/2LWJ3EY Week 2: Prologue (The Story of Herbie) - https://bit.ly/3h4zmTi Week 3: Explici

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 603 features my interview with Austin Chadwick. Austin and I talked mobbing, but perhaps more importantly to me, Austin talked about the impact of finding joy in everything you do. The latter was one of those serendipitous discoveries that makes the interviews for the podcast so much fun. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.  Austin’s Bio: Austin is a passionate full-stack developer, agile/technical coach, conference speaker, and podcast/videocast co-host with experience in several roles (e.g. coach, developer, tester, scrum master, business analyst). He loves mob programming and working with people, technology, and teams to discover product development joy and continuous improvement. A few links:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-chadwick-3a58151a4 All Mob Mentality links (podcast, youtube, twitter, etc.): https://trello.com/c/YLvquW9E/133-mob-mentality-show https://youtu.be/OzGlpwPNv0Q https://trello.com/c/w0xFv4sV/119-mob-programming-for-the-intr

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 602 features my interview with Duncan DeVore, the co-author of Reactive Application Development. Duncan and I talked about reactive design patterns, adopting a reactive architecture, and how writing a book changes your outlook on life.  It was a really cool discussion that covered technical and non-technical topics. Note -- I am sorry for missing a week. I did not expect a new laptop (less than a month old) would have its motherboard and SSD fail. I am thankful for backups!  Duncan’s Bio: I specialize in the design and implementation of distributed systems using the tenets of the Reactive Manifesto with Scala, Akka, and the Typesafe stack. I believe in responsible design through functional programming with an abundance of test coverage. I love to code, present, and help others work through the challenges of distributed computing. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncandevore/ Twitter: @IronFish Re-Read Saturday News  Week 2 of the journey through Tame Your Work F

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 601 features my interview with Brian Weaver. Brian is the Founder and CEO of Torch.AI. We covered a wide range of topics, including AI and agile, and the role of leadership in creating an environment where extraordinary results are possible.  Brian serves as CEO of Torch.AI and has more than 20 years of experience leading mission-driven, high growth, technology-focused companies. Torch.AI helps leading organizations leverage artificial intelligence in a unique way via a proprietary enterprise data management software solution. Today, Torch.AI supports clients like H&R Block with fraud detection and mitigation and the U.S. Department of Defense with machine learning-enabled background investigations for all federal employees, supporting the determination of an individual’s trustworthiness and security credentialing.   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briangweaver/ Torch.AI - https://torch.ai/   Re-Read Saturday News  This week we begin our journey through Tam