Software Process And Measurement Cast

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 183!  The Software Process and Measurement Cast 183 features my essay titled, Agile Release Planning Is A Necessity   The essay begins . . . Release planning has even said to be not needed and a waste of time by those who feel that release planning is a retreat from agile. Alternately, it has been called both a black art and a communication vehicle by those who recognize it as a need. Simply put release planning is contentious.  Why the consternation over something so simple? Part of the angst is a relic of the past and part is a flaw in basic human nature. The first part is a memory of over planning we all have seen in some project and program methods and the second flaw is one of basic human nature in that when something is said it tends to be remembered (a delivery date for example). Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Pu

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 182! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 182 features my interview with Corey Haines.  We discussed the evolution of a software journeyman, coding, code retreats, a bit of philosophy and more. Corey's Bio:  After 12 years of coding for money, Corey Haines said enough and went on a year-long, journeyman pair-programming tour. Traveling the world, pair-programming for room and board, he spent his time teaching, learning and just living as a knowledge-cross-pollinating, little, software craftsmanship bee. For the past three years, Corey has focused his attention on helping developers improve their fundamental software design skills through the use of focused-practice events, such as coderetreat. He currently specializes in training teams on fundamental development technical practices, as well as building projects and products when not on the road. Contact Data:http://coreyhaines.com/Code Retreat: http://coderetreat.org/Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cor

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 181! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 181 features my essay titled, Manufacturing, Engineering or Craft?  The essay begins . . . A few weeks ago I sat next to a gentlemen on a flight to Albuquerque.  After a couple of glasses of wine we found we were in related fields.  As the conversation progressed he confided in me that he did not understand why software projects were never on time, on budget or exactly what he wanted since software development was engineering and his consultants had called development a factory. I paid for the next round of wine as I tried to dissuade my new friend that building, enhancing or maintaining software was not really like assembling a car. Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projec

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 180! The SPaMCAST 180 features my interview with Johanna Rothman.  We discussed transparency and trust.  Transparency and trust are generally discussed as core tenants of agile HOWEVER I would suggest they are core tenants for any type of team or manager. We also have a message from Peter Taylor, The Lazy Project Manager, on his new project . . . he needs our help. You might be wondering where the SPaMCAST 179 went.  Lets just say SPaMCAST 179 is now offically the the lost episode and we'll just see when it appears.  Johanna Rothman works with managers and leaders to identify problems and seize opportunities around how they manage their product development. She focuses on removing management and technical staff impediments. Johanna was the Agile 2009 conference chair. She is the current AgileJournal.com technical editor. Johanna is the author of these books: - Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects - The 2008 Jolt Pr

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 178! The SPaMCAST 178 features my interview with Al Pittampalli.  We discussed his book, Read This Before Our Next Meeting, the modern meeting standard and how most meetings are in need of a makeover or avoiding. Al Pittampalli is the author of Read This Before Our Next Meeting, the most popular Kindle book in the world during the week of its release. It was recently selected by renowned business book expert, Todd Sattersten as the #4 best business book of 2011 by and by the IBM Competitive Edge Book Club as their Q1 2012 read. Al has been featured in various major media and popular publications such as Forbes, Huffington Post, CBS, and American Express Open Forum. He helps Fortune 500 companies provoke change in the status quo. You can learn more about Al at: ModernMeetingStandard.com. Want to buy Al's book? Hadcover  Kindle Contact Data:Email:  al.pittampalli@gmail.comTwitter:  @PittampaliWeb:  http://modernmeetingstandard.com/about-al/  Support the Softw

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 177! The SPaMCAST 177 features my essay titled The Beginner's Mind. The essay begins: Why is it easier for some organizations to innovate or to change more than others? Why do some organizations become less flexible after a new idea is successfully implemented? I believe that the concept of the beginner’s mind holds a substantial clue about why some people and organizations either embrace or resist change.    Interested in becoming a radio star? If you are interested in reviewing tools or books?  Drop me a note at spamcastinfo@gmail.com Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team." Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process and M

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 176! The SPaMCAST 176 features an my interview with Jeff Dalton.  We discussed Agile, Scrum and the CMMI.  A discussion that included more than just theory. Jeff is Broadsword’s President, Certified Lead Appraiser, CMMI Instructor, a Pilot, ScrumMaster and author of “agileCMMI,” Broadsword’s leading methodology for incremental and iterative process improvement. He is the 2012 Chairman of the SEI’s Partner Advisory Board and President of the Great Lakes Software Process Improvement Network (GL-SPIN).  In 2008 he coined the term Process Debt to describe the crushing, over-bearing processes too many companies employ to achieve a CMMI rating.  In 2009 he was awarded the prestigious Software Engineering Institute’s SEI Member Award for Outstanding Representative for is work uniting the Agile and CMMI communities together through his popular blog “Ask the CMMI Appraiser.” He holds degrees in Music and Computer Science and builds experimental airplanes in his spa

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 175! The SPaMCAST 175 features an essay titled Human Interaction While Testing On Two Continents. The essay begins: Testing is the means of proving that the development process has understood and built what was required.  In its purist form it provides a set of proofs that validate the ‘whole’ development life cycle.  Regardless of the test model used there is one overriding goal; to deliver the best product possible within the constraints of time, budget and scope.  Meeting the goal of testing requires a strong level of interaction and communication between the testing and development teams.  This requirement becomes an imperative when testing occurs on two continents.  Interested in becoming a radio star?If you are interested in reviewing tools or books?  Drop me a note at spamcastinfo@gmail.com Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 174!   The SPaMCAST 174 features my interview with Karl Scotland.  We discussed his concept, Kanban Thinking Karl Scotland is a versatile software practitioner with over 15 years of experience covering development, project management, team leadership, coaching and training.  For the last 10 years he has been successfully applying Agile methods, and most recently has been a pioneer and advocate of using Kanban Systems for software development. Currently an Agile Coach with Rally Software in the UK, Karl is a founding member of the Lean Software and Systems Consortium and the Limited WIP Society, and has previously championed Agile and Lean Thinking with the BBC, Yahoo! and EMC Consulting. Karl writes about his latest ideas on his blog at http://availagility.co.uk/. Want to get in touch with Karl? Linked In http://www.linkedin.com/in/karlscotlandBlog http://availagility.co.uk/Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/kjscotland A message from SPaMCAST's sponsor . . . T

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 173!   The SPaMCAST 173 features an essay titled Agile In A Waterfall Business. The essay begins: I am more than occasionally asked how agile techniques can work in environment where the business is waterfall. The underlying assumption of the question is that it can't. This is followed by a description of the constraints that the person asking the question uses to define an environment where agile does not make sense Interested in becoming a radio star?If you are interested in reviewing tools or books?  Drop me a note at spamcastinfo@gmail.com Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team."  Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 172! The SPaMCAST 172 features my interview Dr David Fraser.  We discussed his book Relationship Mastery: A Business Professional’s Guide.  If you are just focusing on the quantitative side of business relationships you have only half the tools you need to succeed! David Fraser, PhD, is a leading authority on relationship skills in professional and personal life and an international speaker. He is the author of “Relationship Mastery: A Business Professional’s Guide.” David has a track record of pioneering new approaches to old problems. He has delivered major projects for government and private sector clients in challenging situations and set up a number of entrepreneurial ventures. He is a business owner, and a Chartered Engineer with a First Class Honours degree and a PhD from Glasgow University and an MBA from Strathclyde University. He is a qualified commercial mediator and a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Trainer and has studied with leading propon

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 171!  The SPaMCAST 171 includes a double feature!  Part One is Meta-Cast discussing where the Cast has been and where it is going.  The short answer is 2012 is going to really COOL! Part Two is an entry in the Metrics Minute. We tackle Customer Satisfaction. Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniquesco-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team."  Buy the book! Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next! SPaMCAST 172 will my interview with Dr. David Fraser.  We discussed his book Relationship Mastery, A Business Professional’s Guid

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 170! Happy fifth anniversary from Amsterdam! The SPaMCAST 170 features my interview Hillel Glazer.  We discussed his book High Performance Operations: Leverage Compliance to Lower Costs, Increase Profits, and Gain Competitive Advantage and many other topics like the CMMI and Agile. Hillel Glazer is recognized as the world’s leading authority on introducing lean and agile concepts into the compliance-driven world.  He’s helped companies of all sizes and industries around the world successfully streamline their operations, increase value, and expose and eliminate practices that prevent them from achieving their performance goals.  And, he does so while simultaneously accounting for all the external compliance pressures on their operations. Hillel’s professional passion is to work with companies motivated to achieve world-class operations and excellence.  His diverse experience base includes aerospace/defense and systems engineering, large and small consulting

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 169! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 169 features the second part of my essay, The Case Against Multi-tasking.  This installment is titled Serial Mono-tasking in Action.  This installment will focus on what can be done to multitask less and serial mono-task more. Part Two - SPaMCAST 171 Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team." Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement Cast Email:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 170 will mark the Cast's Fifth Annive

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 168! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 168 features my interview with Bill Smith and his Twitter alterego @CMMIROX.  We discussed CMMI training, marketing change and other topics that will give you a leg up on making 2012 a winner! Bill Smith is President and CEO of Leading Edge Process Consultants, an SEI Partner with offices in Virginia and New York. He was the SEI’s 2010 Outstanding Member Representative, and has been honored with an Outstanding Presentation award at the NDIA CMMI Technology Conference and User Group each of the past three years. As an SEI-Certified Introduction to CMMI Instructor, Bill teaches the CMMI publicly every six weeks at his training facility in Reston, Virginia. He has taught the Introduction to CMMI course to over 1100 students coast-to-coast – including onsite deliveries at Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, AT&T, the IRS, and FEMA. Bill served as consultant, appraiser, and trainer with the Syst

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 167!  Happy News Years!The SPaMCAST 167 features an essay titled The Case Against Multitasking. The essay begins: To multitask or not to multitask, that is the question.  Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of mono-tasking or to take arms against a sea of trouble and by opposing do more...at least appear to do more.  Is the discussion of mono-tasking versus multitasking a tempest in a teapot, a true productivity killer or perhaps are we really discussing how we segment work?  Depending on how you define the word, I believe it is the later.  The problem is that like so many other words we have conflated a number of concepts into a broader idea.  Interested in becoming a radio star?If you are interested in reviewing tools or books?  Drop me a note at spamcastinfo@gmail.com Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 166! The interview in the SPaMCAST 166 is with Paul Byrnes.  We discussed the changes to the SCAMPI 1.3 method of appriasing the CMMI and more! The interview is loaded with data for anyone that uses the CMMI!  THis is Paul's third appearance on the SPaMCAST (a returning STAR).  If you have not listened to Paul's first two interviews hear are the links to the SPaMCAST 63 and SPaMCAST 81. As an Air Force officer Paul was responsible for managing advanced software technology transition projects at Hanscom AFB, MA. These were typically joint government/industry funded projects aimed at significantly improving the efficiency of DoD software development processes and services. At the SEI, Paul was the SEI CMM® Based Appraisal (CBA) Project Leader. Responsible for developing all published versions of SCE and the initial CBA IPI method (V0.3). A principal developer of the CMM® Appraisal Framework (CAF). Developed, delivered, and managed teams delivering CMM based a

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 165! The SPaMCAST 165 features an essay that answers the questions, "so what exactly is IT-CMF?” and “why do we need another model?”  The essay begins:  On Thursday morning I checked into a testing center to test the knowledge and skills that are central to understanding and leveraging the IT Capability Maturity Framework (IT-CMF) and also to certify.  When I completed the exam I tweeted my results to the world and got resounding response of  . . .”so what exactly is IT-CMF?” and “why do we need another model?”   Interested in becoming a radio star?  If you are interested in reviewing tools or books?  Drop me a note at spamcastinfo@gmail.com Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, ne

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 164! The interview on the Software Process and Measurement Cast 164 is with Joseph Raynus.  Joe and I discussed his bookImproving Business Process Performance: Gain Agility, Create Value, and Achieve Success and quantitative business process management. Joseph Raynus is the founder of ShareDynamics, Inc. a Business Process Management and Process Improvement consulting company in Lexington, Ma. He provides training and consulting services in the area of business performance management and quantification by helping his customers institute measurement frameworks and manage their Process Improvement/BPM initiatives at all levels of organization.   Joseph provides education, training, mentoring and is a frequent speaker at a number of professional organizations and conferences that include IEEE, PMI, ASQ and SAP BPM. Joseph is also an Adjunct Professor at Northeastern University Graduate School of Engineering, where he teaches courses in Information Systems Plan

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 161! The SPaMCAST 163 features an entry in the Metrics Minute.  We discusse Retun on Investment.  ROI is critical factor in proioritization whether at an epic or a story level!   The PMO Leader of the Year Award will be presented to the PMO Leader, nominated by their PMO team, who shows the most excellent leadership and understanding of what a PMO can deliver to a business.A panel of independent judges will review all submissions to consider how each nominee has led their PMO over at least the last 12 months and how they plan to grow the PMO under their stewardship in the coming months.Interested in the PMO Leader of the Year award?  Check out www.leadingsuccessfulpmos.com   Interested in becoming a radio star?  If you are interested in reviewing tools or books?  Drop me a note at spamcastinfo@gmail.com Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and pub