Software Process And Measurement Cast

Software Process and Measurement Cast 482 features our interview with Natalie Warnert.  We talked about diversity of voice, thoughts and ideas and Women in Agile.  Developing ideas and solving problems is reason for software development, project management, process improvement, business systems analysis -- just about everything in life is about solving problems.  Diversity helps us to generate better ideas and decisions.   Bio Natalie Warnert is the primary founder of the Women in Agile initiative, which enables, empowers, and expands the distribution of new and diverse ideas in the agile and technology communities worldwide. She is a frequent speaker on business and agile topics including product strategy, user experience, and emotional intelligence. Her strategy focuses on actions you can implement tomorrow for immediate impact that track toward longer-term vision and outcomes. Natalie also brings unparalleled humor to all her engagements (or so she thinks). Natalie is passionate about guiding companies as

SPaMCAST 481 will feature our essay on the Life Cycle of A User Story.  A user story - a brief, simple requirement statement from the user’s perspective - tends to follow a loose life cycle.  That life often begins even before the word ‘user story’ gets mentioned and typically by people that don’t understand (or care to understand) the concept of a user story. We zoom in from 40,000 ft down to user stories in 500 or so words!   Read other entries on user stories by following this link: https://tcagley.wordpress.com/?s=user+story The second column this week is from Kim Pries, the Software Sensei, Kim discusses using the Extended Backus-Naur Form as a tool to extract information out of nebulous text. Last but not least, Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the cast.  In this entry, Jeremy discusses why QAs/testers should be given space to manage their own workflow. Jeremy has recently moved the QA Corner to https://qacorner.blog/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackled Chapter 14 of Actionable Agile Metr

SPaMCAST 480 features our interview with Paul Gibbons.  Paul and I had a wide-ranging discussion that began with his wonderful book The Science of Successful Organization Change (Buy a copy now and then enjoy the re-read we held on the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog), and led us to the broader conversation: that change is hard but it is even harder if we fall prey to magical thinking. Pau’s bio: Paul Gibbons is an author, speaker, and consultant. His “beat” is helping business leaders use science and philosophy to make better strategic decisions, implement change, innovate, change culture, and create workplaces where talent flourishes. His most recent book, The Science of Organizational Change has been hailed as “the most important book on change in fifteen years.” Between writing projects, he consults, coaches, and speaks with businesses such as Microsoft, Google, HSBC, KPMG, and Comcast. Paul’s Website:  www.paulgibbons.net Email: Paul@paulgibbons.net Facebook – Paul Gibbons (author) Twitter -

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 479 has three columns. The first column features a recent essay on the difference between a coach and a mentor in the form of a simple checklist. Which do you need? Check out the other three entries in this theme on the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog. Our second column features Steve Tendon who brings his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban to the cast (buy a copy here). Chapter 20 and 21 are extremely important to understanding and applying the TameFlow approach, therefore, we are spending time with the author to get to the heart of the concepts. Anchoring the cast is Jon M Quigley returning with his column, Alpha and Omega of Product Development. Jon and I discussed why employee engagement is more than an academic topic. Advertisement Thanks for all of your best wishes on the launch of Tom Cagley & Associates.  Our goal is to work with organizations and teams to unl

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 478 features our interview with Evan Leybourn.  Evan is back to discuss his new venture, The Business Agility Institute. Agile is not just for software anymore! Bio Evan is the Founder and CEO of the Business Agility Institute; an international membership body to both champion and supports the next-generation of organizations. Companies that are agile, innovative and dynamic - perfectly designed to thrive in today’s unpredictable markets. We connect leaders across industries and regions to share their experiences and insights with each other. Our flagship event, the Business Agility Conference will run in New York from March 14th. Evan is also the author of Directing the Agile Organisation and will soon be publishing his next book on #noprojects. Business Agility Institute: http://businessagility.institute/ Business Agility Conference: http://businessagilityconference.com/ Directing the Agile Organisation: http://amzn.to/2D7SStK   Re-Read Saturday News This week we t

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 477 features our essay on silence.  Silence is a powerful tool to guide conversations and mine information from the stream of consciousness that flows around us. If silence was just a tool to improve our connections with people and to improve listening, it would be worth practicing. But, silence is also a tool to peer deeper into our minds. Silence improves relaxation and helps individuals to focus.  Trust me the podcast is not 30 minutes of silence! We will also have a column from Kim Pries, the Software Sensi.  Kim brings us part one of his essay, Muddling Through.  The essay is based on the article, “The Science of "Muddling Through" by Charles E. Lindblom.  The article was originally published in 1959 but has an important message that resonates now. Gene Hughson of Form Follows Function anchors the cast.  He discusses his great article, “What Makes a Monolith Monolithic?” Gene suggests that the problem with the term “monolith” is that, while it’s a powerfully evoc

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 476 features our interview with Kyle Siemens.  Kyle is CEO at Brightest. We discussed the case for certifications. The whole concept of certifications is a lightning rod for the excesses of agile and the Agile (big A) industry.  Mr. Siemens makes a strong argument for certification when done properly. Kyle’s Bio Kyle Siemens is an energetic, loyal and hard-working Canadian from Winnipeg, Manitoba. After completing my Bachelor's degree at the University of Manitoba in German literature and mathematics, I moved to Berlin in 2006 with a DAAD scholarship and got my Masters in communication and languages. After working several years at various agencies (running campaigns for national and international brands), I stumbled upon an incredible path by chance, which led me to where I am today - Online Marketing Volunteer of the TMMi Foundation and CEO of a global ISTQB exam provider called Brightest: www.brightest.org. Reach out to Kyle on LinkedIn Re-Read Saturday News This w

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 475 features the majority of the SPaMCAST Crew in a round robin discussion.  The recording session covered three topics; however, today we tackle the first topic: Whether agile can be used in other parts of the business.  We will return to the next two topics in February!  Six people with strong opinions. It is a pretty amazing discussion. Voices you often hear on the SPaMCAST include this cast of incredible minds: Gene Hughson (Architecture) Jeremy Berriault (Quality Assurance) Kim Pries (Software Development) Steve Tendon (Lean and Kanban) Jon M Quigley (Product Development) - not on this week’s cast Steven Adams (Agile Practitioner) Re-Read Saturday News This week we take a break from our re-read of Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability: An Introduction by Daniel S. Vacanti. Remember to buy your copy today and read along, and we will be back next week! Dead Tree Book https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/098643633X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creat

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 474 features our interview with Tom Henricksen.  Tom recently organized and executed the Agile Online Summit that I participated in.  We get the behind the scene story about how the Summit came together and how it enhanced the Agile community! Tom’s Bio Tom Henricksen is a speaker and career coach who leads others to turn their dreams into plans. Throughout Tom’s career, he has learned firsthand how hard it can be to find a good career match. As a result of his trials, he’s created a simple process designed to help find a career that inspires passion, encourages optimal performance, and results in profit. Website: http://myitcareercoach.com/ Online Agile Summit: https://www.agileonlinesummit.com/ Twitter: @TomHenricksen Facebook: Facebook profile LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhenricksen Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 9 of Daniel S. Vacanti’s Actionable  Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability: An Introduction (buy a copy today) is titled, “Flow Debt.”  

SPaMCAST 473 features our essay on 6 Important Flow Metrics!  Getting the most value out of a process is important to any leader.  Balancing getting the most value with getting value sooner complicates the discussion.  In some cases, getting some value sooner is worth more than the same value delivered later.  Guiding the delivery of value is more complicated than a rank ordering a list of user stories and then magically hoping that everything will happen in the most effective and efficient manner possible.  Measurement is an important tool to help teams and organizations ask the right questions.  The 6 flow metrics provide process transparency into organizations that leverage continuous flow, scrumban, and/or Scrum as the basis for their Agile implementations. We will also complete our discussion of part 3 (3 of 3) of chapter 20 of Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban  (buy a copy here). Re-Read Saturday News This week,  we

SPaMCAST 472 features our interview with Mike Harris.  We discussed his new book, The Business Value of Software. We discussed the definition of value and why value matters! In reality, software development, enhancements, and maintenance that don’t deliver value are a waste. Therefore it behooves all of us to understand value, how to recognize it, and how to measure it! Mike’s Bio Michael Harris brings a wide range of perspectives on IT, specifically in the area of delivering business value, to this book.  His international career has taken him from production management, through R&D, project management and academia to consulting before planting him firmly in charge of a large software engineering group for a public company.  It has been over ten years since he decided that he liked one of his former vendors so much that he would buy the company; and last year, he decided it was time to change the name of the company to reflect his passion.  In 2016, the David Consulting Group became DCG Software Value.

SPaMCAST 471 features our essay on the top 20 transformation killers.  Each transformation killer is a big deal, but if you combine two or more you are in big trouble. That said, forewarned is forearmed . . .hopefully? In the second spot, this week is Jeremy Berriault and the QA Corner!  Jeremy and I discussed involving testers in requirements.  The ultimate in shifting “left.”     In the third spot, Gene Hughson completes the cast by bringing a discussion of a recent missive, Systems Thinking Complicates Things.  Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock and more! Re-Read Saturday News This week,  we tackle Chapter 6 of Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability: An Introduction by Daniel S. Vacanti. Chapter 6 is titled, Interpreting CFDs.  Learning to read CFDs provides teams and individuals with a huge amount of information through data visualization.  Chapter six continues to build on flow metrics, data visualization and Little’s Law.  Buy your copy today and read along! Catch up on the all the installments

SPaMCAST 470 features the return of Ben Linders. Ben and I discussed his new book, What Drives Quality.  Quality is something we all want and is required by our customers and clients BUT determining how we get quality is not easy!  We explored the definition of quality, who owns quality and what teams can do to deliver quality.  If you are into excellence in value delivery, this interview will inform and delight you.   Ben’s Bio: Ben Linders is an Independent Consultant in Agile, Lean, Quality, and Continuous Improvement, based in The Netherlands. Author of Getting Value out of Agile Retrospectives, Waardevolle Agile Retrospectives, What Drives Quality and Continuous Improvement. Ben is the creator of the Agile Self-assessment Game. As an adviser, coach and trainer he helps organizations with deploying effective software development and management practices. He focuses on continuous improvement, collaboration and communication, and professional development, to deliver business value to customers. Ben is an

SPaMCAST 469 features our essay on consensus decision-making.  Consensus decision-making is one of the most prevalent decision-making tools in organizations today. But, consensus decision-making has its plusses and minuses. We came to a consensus and decided to discuss the topic. Our second column this week is from Kim Pries (The Software Sensei).  Kim revisits the topic of cognitive biases.  Biases can blind us unless we are vigilant. Kim’s advice is to ask for data rather than just allowing our biases to decide for us. Our third column is via Steve Tendon, who will bring us part 2 (2 of 3) of our discussion of chapter 20 of Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban  (buy a copy here). Upcoming Appearances Metricas 2017 I will be keynoting on Agile leadership and delivering one my favorite presentations, Function Points and Pokémon Go 29 November 2017 Sao Paulo, Brazil ⇒ Register e-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter

SPaMCAST 468 features the return of Johanna Rothman. Johanna and I discussed her new book, Create Your Successful Agile Project: Collaborate, Measure, Estimate, Deliver.  (Buy your copy today and support Johanna and the SPaMCAST).  Johanna provides incredibly useful and pragmatic insights for delivering value to your customers and stakeholders! Johanna Rothman, known as the “Pragmatic Manager,” provides frank advice for your tough product development problems. Johanna is the author of more than ten books, including: Create Your Successful Agile Project: Collaborate, Measure, Estimate, Deliver Agile and Lean Program Management: Scaling Collaboration Across the Organization Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects, 2nd ed Diving for Hidden Treasures: Finding the Value in Your Project Portfolio (with Jutta Eckstein) Predicting the Unpredictable: Pragmatic Approaches to Estimating Project Schedule or Cost See more of Johanna’s writing on http://www.jrothman.com, and http:/

SPaMCAST 467 features our essay on value. Value is the most talked about and least understood concept in Agile. In terms of software development, enhancements, and maintenance, the value of a piece of work is the worth of the outcome that results from doing the work. In the second position is Jeremy Berriault and the QA Corner!  Jeremy discusses testing in difficult situations. Are there differences? Jeremy has the answers! Gene Hughson completes the cast by bringing a discussion of a recent missive, Management, Simple and Wrong – Semantics, Systems, and Self-Correction.  This entry at  Form Follows Function even includes a reference to Snidely Whiplash! Upcoming Appearances Metricas 2017 I will be keynoting on Agile leadership and then delivering one my favorites, Function Points and Pokémon Go 29 November 2017 Sao Paulo, Brazil ⇒ Register Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 3 of Actionable Agile Metrics for Predictability: An Introduction by Daniel S. Vacanti. Chapter 3 is titled An Introdu

SPaMCAST 466 features our interview with Ross Smith.  Ross and I discussed legacy application modernization.  Legacy application modernization delivers quantitative and qualitative value to organizations. Modernization can breath new life into old applications.  We also discussed why organizations sometimes avoid biting the modernization bullet! Ross Smith is Chief Architect at PITSS America.  He has been on the PITSS team for five years, a time during which the company transformed from an Oracle Forms upgrade vendor into a business process and application transformation provider.  He recently spoke at Oracle Open World about the untapped potential of leaving vital legacy applications out of a digital transformation strategy, and the realities of integrating them into a modern enterprise environment. Email: rsmith@pitss.com Web: https://pitss.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-smith-5427497 I am participating in the Agile Online Summit 30 Oct - 3 Nov 2017 At the summit, I talk about the power of

SPaMCAST 465 features our essay on re-booting teams. Not every team issue can be solved with a standard pallet of techniques. However, nearly every consultant (internal or external) will have set of tools that they have ready just in case. We discuss techniques and impacts! We will also have a column from Kim Pries (The Software Sensei).  Kim discusses why software structure can be a blessing and a curse. While Kim tends to favor structure there are times when it does not deliver the benefits promised. Steve Tendon brings Chapter 20 of Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban  (buy a copy here).  Our discussion of Chapter 20 was passionate and in depth.  It will be released in two or 3 parts. A promo! I am participating in the Agile Online Summit 30 Oct - 3 Nov 2017 At the summit, I talk about the power of storytelling with Tom Henricksen! ⇒ Register For other events SPaMCAST team members will be attending check the recent blog e

Agile Online Summit 30 Oct – 3 Nov 2017 The Agile Online Summit gives you a chance to see great agile speakers from your device. At the summit, I talk about the power of storytelling with Tom Henricksen! General Admission You will get access to all the content for the week of the conference. FREE VIP This ticket will give you access to the content after the conference concludes. You will also get access to some bonus materials provided by many of the speakers. 25.00 USD VIP + Group Training This ticket will give you access to the content after the conference concludes plus you will be enrolled in the agile group training. We will dive deeper into all of the topics covered over a ten-week 95.00 USD ⇒ Register at https://www.agileonlinesummit.com/

SPaMCAST 464 features our interview with Beth Leonard.  Beth and I talked about innovative thinking, risk-based reviews, the CMMI and making the software development process more effective and efficient. Beth is an incredible person for her innovative thinking in the software development world...and more! Ms. Beth Leonard is an executive with over 20 years of IT/IS management, quality assurance, and process improvement experience across the government contracting industry. She is an ITIL Expert, ISO Internal and External Auditor (ISO standards: 9001, 19011, 20000, 27001), A2LA accredited ISO/IEC 17020:2012 assessor, Black Belt Six Sigma, and PMP, and is an expert in CMMI-DEV, CMMI-SVC, and NIST 800.53 security controls. She has previously held positions in multiple areas of program/project, security, service management (e.g., ITIL), and is passionate about increasing customer satisfaction, implementing realistic best practices across organizations, and mentorship. Beth is an award-winning speaker in her field