Software Process And Measurement Cast

Software Process and Measurement Cast 343 includes two features.  The first is our essay, Commitment, Revisited: Is Commitment Anti-Agile?  We think not!  Commitment is a core behavior for delivering business value effectively. Our second feature is a visit from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries.  Kim reflects on hiring practices for software development.  Among the nuggets from Kim is the reminder to keep in mind that the perfect employee does not exist, and you are unlikely to ever find someone who fulfills every item on your job description.  How does that simple fact impact hiring? A Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners.  Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice?  Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast!  Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

Software Process and Measurement Cast 342 features our interview with Ellen Gottesdiener and Mary Gorman.  We discussed their great book, Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis, requirements and Agile.  Ellen and Mary provided penetrating insight into how to work with requirements in an Agile environment, from discovery to delivery and beyond. This is the second time Ellen, Mary and I talked Agile requirements.  After listening to this interview turn back the hands of time and listen to SPaMCAST 200. Ellen Gottesdiener is an internationally recognized leader in the convergence of agile + requirements + product management + project management. She is founder and principal of EBG Consulting, which helps organizations adapt how they collaborate to improve business outcomes. Ellen’s passion is helping people use modern product requirements practices to build valued products and great teams. She provides coaching, training, and facilitates discovery and planning workshops across diverse industrie

Software Process and Measurement Cast 341 features our essay titled Agile Team Decision Making. Team-based decision-making requires mechanisms and prerequisites for creating consensus among team members. The prerequisites are a decision to be made, trust, knowledge and the tools to make a decision. No one should assume that that team members have the required tools and techniques in their arsenal to effectively make decisions. Remember: Jo Ann Sweeney, author of the Explaining Change column, is running her annual Worth Working Summit.  Please visit http://www.worthworkingsummit.com/ Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners.  Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice?  Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast!  Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement b

Software Process and Measurement Cast 340 features our interview with Tom Howlett.  Tom is a Scrum Master.  We talked about teams, collaboration and how to effectively be Agile in distributed teams. Tom’s bio: Tom's been building and working with teams that focus on continuous improvement for 15 years. In that time he's written about the difficulties he faced and how he overcame them in over 100 blog posts on "Diary of a Scrummaster", and a book called "A Programmer's Guide To People". He has a strong focus on breaking down the barriers that restrict collaboration (whether remote or co-located) and ensuring the people who do the work can effectively decide how it's done. He's becoming well known in the Agile community through his speaking and running his local group the "Cheltenham Geeks'. His company LeanTomato provides help forming new teams and helping existing ones meet people’s needs more effectively. Contact informationBlog: Diary of a ScrumMasterTwitter: @diaryofscrumWebsite: LeanTomato Remember: Jo An

Software Process and Measurement Cast 339 features our essay on demonstrations and a new Form Follows Function column from Gene Hughson. Demonstrations are a tool to generate conversations about what is being delivered.  Because a demonstration occurs at the end of every sprint the team will continually be demonstrating the value they are delivering, which reinforces confidence and motivation. The act of demonstrating value provides the team with a platform for collecting feedback that will help them stay on track and focused on delivering what has the most value to the business. Gene continues his theme of microservices.  This week we tackle, “Microservices, SOA, and EITA: Where To Draw the Line? Why to Draw the Line?” Gene says, “we recognize lines to prevent needless conflict and waste.” Two special notes: Jo Ann Sweeny of the Explaining Change column is running her annual Worth Working Summit.  Please visit http://www.worthworkingsummit.com/ Jeremy Berriault will be joining the SPaMCAST family.  Jeremy wi

Software Process and Measurement Cast 338 features our new interview with Stephen Parry.  We discussed adaptable organizations. Stephen recently wrote: “Organizations which are able to embrace and implement the principles of Lean Thinking are inevitably known for three things: vision, imagination and – most importantly of all - implicit trust in their own people.” We discussed why trust, vision and imagination have to be more than just words in a vision or mission statement to get value out of lean and Agile. Need more Stephen Parry?  Check out our first interview.  We discussed adaptive thinking and command and control management! Stephen’s Bio Stephen Parry is an international leader and strategist on the design and creation of adaptive-lean enterprises. He has a world-class reputation for passionate leadership and organisational transformation by changing the way employees, managers and leaders think about their business and their customers. He is the author of Sense and Respond: The Journey to Customer Pu

In this episode of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we feature three columns!  The first is our essay on the Agile release plans.  Even after 12 years or more with Agile we are still asked what we will deliver, when a features will be delivered and how much the project will cost.  Agile release plans are a tool to answer those questions.  Our second column this week is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim asks why is baselining so important. Kim posits that if we do not baseline, we cannot tell whether a change is negative, positive, or indifferent—we simply do NOT know. Finally Jo Ann Sweeney will complete the communication cycle in her Explaining Change column by discussing delivery with a special focus on social media. Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners.  Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice?  Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast!

In this episode of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we feature our interview with Yves Hanoulle, builder of community builders.  We discussed collaboration, coaching retreats and the future of Agile.  Yves is an Agile thought leader among thought leaders and he shared his wisdom the Software Process and Measurement Cast listeners. Yves' Bio: Yves Hanoulle has taken on almost every role in the software development field, from software support, developer, trainer, scrum master to agile coach. Over the last 10 years, Yves has focused on agile coaching. Yves grows community builders. His personal goal is to make his customers independent from him as soon as possible. Yves is the inventor of the Who is Agile series of books and the co-inventor of the leadership game. Although he co-invented Pair Coaching & Coach Retreats, Yves is not interested in being a rock star coach inventing new methodologies, he rather wants to mix existing ideas like a thought disc jockey, adjusting to the needs of the audienc

In this episode of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we feature three columns!  The first is our essay on the definitions of four critical words.  What do the words effectiveness, efficiency, frameworks and methodologies really mean?  These words get used ALL the time, however they really do have fairly specific meanings.  Meanings that, once understood and used to guide how we work, can help everyone to deliver more value and make our customers more satisfied!  The second column is from Jo Ann Sweeney with another of her stellar, Explaining Change columns.  In this segment, Jo Ann talks about content and a framework to guide the development of content.  Anchoring the Cast this week is Gene Hughson with another of his Forms Follows Function columns.  Gene extends his mini-series on microservices with a discussion of whether granularity is irrelevant.  Lots of content in this installment of the Software Process and Measurement Cast! Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. 

In this episode of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we feature our interview with Agile coach Mario Lucero.  Mario and I discussed the nuts and bolts of coaching Agile teams, what is and isn’t Agile and the impact of coaching on success. Mario provided insights on Agile that span both Americas! Mario describes himself as an Agile evangelist (including Kanban) delivering coaching for Agile transformations and Scrum mastery. He performs as a Scrum Master for several teams while mentoring and coaching other teams, Scrum Masters and product owners. Mario is as comfortable advising senior management on the Agile transformation strategy and implementation as he is working with teams. Email: metlucero@gmail.com Twitter: @metlucero Blog:  http://mariolucero.cl/ LinkedIn: http://cl.linkedin.com/in/luceromet/en Call to action! Can you tell a friend about the podcast? If your friends don’t know how to subscribe or listen to a podcast, show them how you listen and subscribe them!  Remember to send us the name of

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast is a magazine feature with three columns. This week we have columns from Kim Pries, The Software Sensei, and Jo Ann Sweeney’s Explaining Change.  In this installment Kim discusses the ins and outs of selling defect control.  In Explaining Change, Jo Ann tackles the concept of planning for communication (protip: it is better than winging it). The SPaMCAST essay this week tackles the topic of what is and isn’t Agile.  Does just saying you are Agile make you Agile?  We think not! Call to action! Can you tell a friend about the podcast? If your friends don’t know how to subscribe or listen to a podcast, show them how you listen and subscribe them!  Remember to send us the name of you person you subscribed (and a picture) and I will give both you and the horde you have converted to listeners a call out on the show.  Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21n

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Shirly Ronen-Harel. We began by talking about the book she is co-authoring, The Coaching Booster, which is 80% complete on LeanPub. We branched out into other topics including coaching, lean, Agile and using lean and Agile in startups. This was an incredibly content-rich podcast.  Have your notepad ready when you listen because Shirly provides ideas and advice that can change how you work! Shirly provides coaching and consulting on Agile/lean methods.  She provides Agile solutions using methods like Scrum, Kanban, Agile Testing, Agile product development, DevOps , Agile project management and more. Shirly is experienced with Agile assimilation with large companies, as well as small companies and startups. She holds a BSW degree from the University of Tel-Aviv (1995) and also has experience with family and individual therapy at crisis stage. Shirly is also the author of an Agile parenting book and is currently writing a new book abou

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast is a magazine feature with three columns. This week we have columns from Gene Hughson – Form Follows Function, completing a three-column arc on microservices. In Jo Ann Sweeney’s new Explaining Change column, Jo Ann tackles the concept of communication channels. The SPaMCAST essay this week is on Agile Coaching. Coaches help teams and projects deliver the most value, however many times organizations eschew coaches or conflate management and coaching.  This week we will have an external coach versus management death match! Contest We are having a contest! Anthony has offered a copy of his great new book to a randomly selected SPaMCAST listener, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.  Enter between February 22th and March 7th.  The winner will be announced on March 8th.  If you want a copy of Agile Project Management you have two options: send your name and email address to spamcastinfor@gmail.com (I will act as the broker and notify the winner at which point we can deal with o

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview Anthony Mersino, author of Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers and the newly published Agile Project Management.  Anthony and I talked about Agile, coaching and organizational change.  It is a wide ranging interview that will help any leader raise the bar!   We also talked about his new venture: Vitality Chicago. We are having a contest! Anthony has offered a copy of his great new book to a randomly selected SPaMCAST listener, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.  Enter between February 22th and March 7th.  The winner will be announced on March 8th.  If you want a copy of Agile Project Management you have two options: send your name and email address to spamcastinfor@gmail.com (I will act as the broker and notify the winner at which point we can deal with other types of addresses), OR you can buy a copy.  Remember buying a copy through the Software Process and Measurement Cast helps support the podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version Anth

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast is our magazine with three features.  We begin with Jo Ann Sweeney’s Explaining Change column.  In this column Jo Ann tackles the concepts of messages and themes.  I consider this the core of communication.  Visit Jo Ann’s website at http://www.sweeneycomms.com and let her know what you think of her column. The middle segment is our essay on commitment.  The making and keeping of commitments are core components of both professional behavior and Agile. The simple definition of a commitment is a promise to perform. Whether Agile or Waterfall, commitments are used to manage software projects. Commitments drive the behavior of individuals, teams and organizations.  Commitments are powerful!  We wrap this week’s podcast up with a new column from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. In this installment Kim discusses software HALT testing.  HALT stands for highly accelerated life test.  The goal is to find defects, faults and things that go bump in the night in hours or d

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Alex Papadimoulis.  Alex is returning to the Software Process and Measurement Cast to discuss Release.  Release is card game about making software inspired by development strategies like Lean, Agile, and DevOps, and classic trick -taking card games. We also circled back to talk about continuous delivery and DevOps; a bit of lagniappe to add to a great interview. Alex’s Bio: Alex is a speaker and writer who is passionate about looking beyond the code to build great software. In addition to founding Inedo - the makers of BuildMaster, the popular continuous delivery platform - Alex also started The Daily WTF, a fun site dedicated to building software the wrong way. Contact Information:Email:  apapadimoulis@inedo.comTwitter: @apapadimoulisWeb: http://inedo.com/Other Web: http://thedailywtf.com/ Call to action! We are just completed a re-read John Kotter’s classic Leading Change on the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.w

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast features our essay on the ubiquitous stand-up meeting. The stand-up meeting has become a feature of Agile and non-Agile project alike. The technique can be a powerful force to improve team effectiveness and cohesion, or it a can really make a mess out of things! We explore how to get more of the former and less of the later We also have a new Form Follows Function column from Gene Hughson. This column is the second of a three column arc on micro-services and architecture.  This installment is titled “Who Needs Architects? – Navigating the Fractals.” Check out Gene’s blog at Form Follows Function. We also continue with Jo Ann Sweeney’s column Explaining Communication. In this installment Jo Ann addresses communication objectives and why setting and understanding those objectives BEFORE you start the communication process is a big deal if you are interested in being effective! Visit Jo Ann’s website at http://www.sweeneycomms.com and let her know what you think

Software Process and Measurement Cast features our Interview with Steve Tendon. We discussed his new book Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross. Steve discussed how to lead knowledge workers and build a hyper-performing knowledge work organization.  We talked about the four flows,   psychology, information, work and finance that affect performance.  Steve’s ideas can be used to help teams can raise their game to deliver results that not only raise the bar but jump over it. Steve has a great offer for SPaMCAST listeners. Check out https://tameflow.com/spamcast for a way to get Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban at 40% off the list price. Steve’s Bio Steve Tendon, creator of the TameFlow management approach, is a senior, multilingual, executive management consultant, experienced at leading and directing multi­national and distributed knowledge-­work organi

Subscribe to the Software Process and Measurement Cast on ITunes The Software Process and Measurement Cast our essay on product owners.  The role of the product owner is one of the hardest to implement when embracing Agile. However how the role of the product owner is implemented is often a clear determinant of success with Agile.  The ideas in our essay can help you get it right. We will also have a new column from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. In this installment Kim discusses the fact that are numerous ways go get something done when writing code.  Some are the right way and some are wrong way. For example, are you willing to sacrifice clarity for cool or fast? We also continue with Jo Ann Sweeney’s column Explaining Communication. In this installment Jo Ann addresses why knowing who your audiences and stakeholders are will help make your communication more efficient and effective! Visit Jo Ann’s website at http://www.sweeneycomms.com and let her know what you think of her new column. Next In the next So

The Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Charley Tichenor and Talmon Ben-Cnaan on the Software Non-Functional Assessment Process (SNAP).  SNAP is a standard process for measuring non-functional size.  Both Talmon and Charley are playing an instrumental role in developing and evolving the SNAP process and metric.  SNAP helps developers and leaders to shine a light on non-functional work required for software development and is useful for analyzing, planning and estimating work. Talmon’s Bio: Talmon Ben-Cnaan is the chairperson of the International Function Point User Group (IFPUG) committee for Non-Functional Software Sizing (NFSSC) and a Quality Manager at Amdocs. He led the Quality Measurements in his company, was responsible for collecting and analyzing measurements of software development projects and provided reports to senior management, based on those measurements. Talmon was also responsible for implementing Function Points in his organization. Currently he manages quality