Software Process and Measurement Cast

SPaMCAST 448 features our essay on uncertainty. Al Pittampalli said, "uncertainty and complexity produce anxiety we wish to escape." Dealing with uncertainty is part of nearly everything we do our goal should be to address uncertainty head on. The second column features Steve Tendon talking about Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). We tackle Chapter 18. Our third column is the return of Jeremy Berriault and his QA Corner. Jeremy discusses leading in QA. Jeremy blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 10 concludes our re-read of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson which was published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. This week's chapter is titled, The Experience of Holacracy. In this chapter, Robertson wraps up most of the loose ends. Next week we will conclude this re-read with some final comments and thoughts. Catch up on the all of the Holacracy entries: Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Week 5: Governance Week 6: Operations Week 7: Facilitating Governance Week 8: Strategy and Dynamic Control Week 9 Adopting Holacracy Week 10: Moving Toward Holacracy Week 11: Experience of Holacracy In two weeks we will begin the next book in our Re-read series, The Science of Successful Organizational Change. (I ordered my copy have you?). Remember to use the link to buy a copy in order to support the podcast and blog. The reread will be led by Steven Adams. I am looking forward to sitting on the other side of the table during the next re-read! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you even got a single new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you are listening. If you leave a review please send a copy to [email protected]. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 449 will feature our interview with Jasveer Singh. We discussed his new book, Functional Software Size Measurement Methodology with Effort Estimation and Performance Indication. Jasveer, proposes a new sizing methodology for estimation and other measurement processes. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

SPaMCAST 447 features our interview with Angela Wick on the role of the Product Owner and Business Analyst in Agile efforts. These two roles are critically important for delivering value in an Agile environment. Angela provides a fresh take on the Product Owner role and the Product Owner's relationship to other roles Agile teams. Angela is the founder of BA-Squared, LLC, a training and consulting practice. She is passionate about modernizing requirements practices and helping organizations collaborate on a Product Vision aligned to strategy and guiding them to a meaningful backlog and iterations that keep the customer and organizational value top of mind. She trains, coaches and teaches organizations on Product Ownership and Agile BA! Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.ba-squared.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelawickcbap Twitter: https://twitter.com/WickAng This is not the first time the SPaMCAST has featured essays and conversations on the role of product owners ( for exampleSPaMCAST 430 and SPaMCAST 325). Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 9 continues the third section of Holacracy, Evolution Installed: Living Holacracy. Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson was published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. This week's chapter is titled If You're Not Ready To Adopt: Moving Toward Holacracy. In this chapter Robertson softens his if-you-can't-do-it-all-don't-do-anything approach. This chapter begins with a story of Robertson being asked how they can move forward in a limited manner. The person had just intently listened to a talk on Holacracy. The person explained that they could see the value, but did not have to power to change the organization or even their department. Robertson's knee jerk response was that you could not use parts; however, the response felt wrong. So he reached out the larger community of practitioners to gather their field observations for how they handled scenarios in which everything could not be implemented. Whether the story is apocryphal or not matters less than that this chapter softens the all-or-nothing stance stated earlier in the book. Catch up on the all of the Holacracy entries: Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Week 5: Governance Week 6: Operations Week 7: Facilitating Governance Week 8: Strategy and Dynamic Control Week 9 Adopting Holacracy Week 10: Moving Toward Holacracy In approximately three weeks we will begin the next book in our Re-read series, The Science of Successful Organizational Change. Remember to use the link to buy a copy in order to support the podcast and blog. The reread will be led by Steven Adams. I am looking forward to sitting on the other side of the table during the next re-read! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you got a new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you are listening. If you leave a review please send a copy to [email protected]. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 448 will feature our essay on uncertainty. Al Pittampalli said, "uncertainty and complexity produce anxiety we wish to escape". Dealing with uncertainty is part of nearly everything we do. The second column will feature Steve Tendon talking about Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). We tackle Chapter 18. Our third column will be from Jeremy Berriaul.t. Jeremy discusses leading in QA. Jeremy blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

SPaMCAST 446 will feature our essay on questions. Questions are a coach and facilitator's secret power! But, with great power comes great responsibility. Our second column is from Gene Hughson. Gene and I discussed his essay Go-to People Considered Harmful originally published on his blog Form Follows Function (www.genehughson.wordpress.com). The concept may sound counterintuitive, but it is not. The third column is from Kim Pries, the Software Sensei. In this installment, Kim dives into the topic of servant leadership. Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 8 of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Chapter 8 is a bit of a bits and bobs chapter but begins to draw in a lot of loose threads. This week we also announce the next book in the re-read series. The envelope please. . . . The next book is The Science of Successful Organizational Change. Remember to use the link to buy a copy in order to support the podcast and blog. The reread will be led by Steven Adams. Steve has been an active participant in many of our previous re-reads and has appeared twice on the Software Process and Measurement Cast to discuss earlier re-reads. I will provide supplemental comments and highlights. I am looking forward to sitting on the other side of the table during the next re-read! Catch up on the all of the Holacracy entries: Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Week 5: Governance Week 6: Operations Week 7: Facilitating Governance Week 8: Strategy and Dynamic Control Week 9 Adopting Holacracy Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you got a new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you are listening. If you leave a review please send a copy to [email protected]. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 447 will feature our interview with Angela Wick on the role of the product owner and business analyst in Agile efforts.The two roles are important and interrelated. This is not first-time the SPaMCAST has featured essays and conversations on the role of product owners ( for example SPaMCAST 430 and SPaMCAST 325). Angela provides a fresh take on the role! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

SPaMCAST 445 features the return of a favorite, Capers Jones. It is always fun to talk with someone with their own page in Wikepedia. Capers and I talked about his new book, A Guide to Selecting Software Measures and Metrics. Capers is passionate about software quality and measurement. Capers said, "High-quality software is not expensive. High-quality software is faster and cheaper to build and maintain than low-quality software, from initial development all the way through total cost of ownership." Jones, Caper, Bonsignour, Olivier, and Jitendra Subramanyam, Jitendra, The Economics of Software Quality. As usual, Capers was engaging, educational and controversial. Spending time with Capers is always a learning experience! Capers biography is long and storied. Let it be said that Capers is a serial author, public speaker, pundit, guru and deep thinker. Check out his Wikipedia page or Linkedin. Capers can be contacted at [email protected]. Capers first appeared on SPaMCAST 3 and last appeared on SPaMCAST 53 Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 7 of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Chapter 7 shows how to generate alignment between roles, circles, and the overall organization. Lots of inspect and adapt talk this week. Catch up on the first four entries in the re-read Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Week 5: Governance Week 6: Operations Week 7: Facilitating Governance Week 8: Strategy and Dynamic Control Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you got a new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you are listening. If you leave a review please send a copy to [email protected]. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 446 will feature our essay on questions. Questions are a coach and facilitator's secret power! Do you have a favorite go to question you like to ask? Care to share? We will also have columns from Gene Hughson and Jon M Quigley (and maybe more)! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

This week's Software Process and Measurement Cast features our essay revisiting the product owner role. The product owner role is hard, often messed up and a great opportunity for improvement. The second column features the return of Steve Tendon talking about Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). We tackle Chapter 17 which is titled Challenges of Work-State Work in Process Limits. WIP limits have their plusses and minuses when discussing hyper-productivity. Our third column this week is from Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy discusses how to show the value of QA and why knowing and showing value is important! Jeremy blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 6 of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Chapter 6, Facilitating Governance, puts the ideas and processes defined in governance to work. Catch up on the first four entries in the re-read Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Week 5: Governance Week 6: Operations Week 7: Facilitating Governance Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you got a new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 445 features the return of a favorite, Capers Jones. Capers and I talked about his new book, A Guide to Selecting Software Measures and Metrics. As usual, Capers was engaging, educational and controversial. Spending time with Capers is always worthwhile! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Brad Clark. Brad and I talked about cost estimation, estimation in government and COCOMO II and what is on the way in COCOMO III. Even if you are firmly in the #NoEstimates camp this interview will give you ideas to think about! Brad's Bio Dr. Brad Clark is Vice-President of Software Metrics Inc. – a Virginia-based consulting company. His area of expertise is in software cost and schedule data collection, analysis and modeling. He also works with clients to set up their own estimation capability for use in planning and managing. He has also helped clients with software cost and schedule feasibility analysis and cost estimation training. Dr. Clark received his Master's in Software Engineering in 1995 and Ph.D. in Computer Science in 1997 from the University of Southern California. He is a co-author of the most widely used Software Cost Estimation model in the world, COCOMO II. This model estimates the effort and duration required to complete a software development project. Email: [email protected] Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 5 of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Chapter 5, Operations, puts the roles and policies defined in governance to work. Next week we will have some VERY exciting news about the next book in the Re-read Saturday feature! Catch up on the first four entries in the re-read Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Week 5: Governance Week 6: Operations (Current Week) Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you got a new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will our essay re-visiting the product owner role. The product owner role is hard, often messed up and a great opportunity for improvement. We will also have columns from Steve Tendon and Jeremy Berriault. This will be an important cast to start the summer season in the northern hemisphere! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 442 features our essay on capability teams. The use of teams to deliver business value is at the core of most business models. Capability teams are a tool to unlock the value delivery engine of teams. Gene Hughson brings his Form Follows Function Blog to the cast this week to discuss his recent blog entry titled, Systems of Social Systems and the Software Systems They Create. We live in a complex world and just focusing on social systems or software systems misses the point! Our third column is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. The entry this week is titled, Software Quality and the Art of Skateboard Maintenance. This entry is an homage to Robert M. Pirsig the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, who recently died. Re-Read Saturday News And welcome back! For those who are interested, The Frederick Half Marathon last weekend was great. I met my goals: I crossed the finish line, collected my medal and got to hang out with my family in Frederick. This week, we begin Part Two of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Part Two is titled Evolution At Play: Practicing Holacracy. In my opinion, Part Two provides readers with the nuts and bolts needed to use Holacracy. Chapter 4, titled Governance, takes all of the building blocks from previous chapters and starts to weave them together. Catch up on the first four entries in the re-read Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you got a new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature interview with Brad Clark. Brad and I talked about cost estimation, estimation in government and Cocomo II and what is on the way in Cocomo III. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 441 features our interview with John Le Drew. John and I discussed the concept of safety at work, and how safety, or the lack of it, affects the effectiveness of software teams. John's bio . . . In almost 2 decades working in software engineering, John Le Drew has worked as a software engineer, team lead, project manager, product owner, trainer, agile coach, and consultant. Working with clients ranging from small start-ups to multinationals. Through Wise Noodles he has helped organizations solve tough technical problems by untangling their people problems. John hosts The Agile Path Podcast; producing in-depth audio documentaries on the topics that most affect organizations transitioning to agile ways of working. The manifesto for agile software development and the principles behind it is central to how John approaches software and value development. Working with organizations to help them learn to apply the principles has become a passion. There is nothing more exciting to John than seeing a team surprise themselves with potential they did not realize they had. Contact John via email at [email protected]. Re-Read Saturday News We are taking a week off from our re-read of Holacracy. We are taking the break because I am participating in the Frederick Running Festival. I will be slowly running my 4th ½ marathon and between the drive and festivities, the editing on this week's entry is incomplete. Please catch up on the first four entries in the re-read Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Next week, we will tackle governance. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action I still need your help. I have observed that most podcasts and speakers at conferences over-represent people from Europe and North America. I would like to work on changing that exposure. I would like to develop a feature featuring alternate software development voices beginning with Africa and Southeast Asia. If this feature works we will extend it to other areas. If you can introduce me to practitioners that would be willing to share their observations (short interviews) I would be appreciative! Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on capability teams. The use of teams to deliver business value is at the core of most business models. Capability teams are a tool to unlock the value delivery engine of teams.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 440 features our essay on two storytelling techniques: premortems and business obituaries. Almost all work that takes more than a few days is subject to risks that are not immediately obvious without some form of structured process to focus the team's thought process. Teams often use storytelling techniques to generate a big picture/vision to guide a project or to help people frame their thoughts. A story provides a deeper and more nuanced connection between the team and information than most lists of PowerPoint bullets or a structured requirements documents. The same storytelling skill can be used as a risk management tool. Premortums and business obituaries are structured techniques for using storytelling for risk management. Our second column is from Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy discusses the importance of conferences for learning new ideas and for networking. Jeremy suggests that if you are have not learned new ways to test and you are testing the same way you were last year then you are falling behind. Jeremy blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ Jon M Quigley brings his column, The Alpha and Omega of Product Development, to the Cast. In this installment, Jon discusses mental models and their impact on how you develop and deliver value. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 3 of Holacracy completes Part 1 by laying out the structure needed for an organization to be able to quickly and continuously evolve how authority is distributed. An organization's structure needs to be conducive to the processes needed to distribute authority. This chapter provides an alternative to the classic pyramid structure of organization design which is typically out of date, irrelevant and difficult to change. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action I need your help. I have observed that most podcasts and speakers at conferences over-represent people from Europe and North America. I would like to work on changing that exposure. I would like to develop a feature featuring alternate software development voices beginning with Africa and Southeast Asia. If this feature works we will extend it to other areas. If you can introduce me to practitioners that would be willing to share their observations (short interviews) I would be appreciative! Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with John Le Drew. John and I discussed the concept of safety at work and how safety, or the lack of it, affects software teams. John is the host of the Agile Path Podcast I recommend you check out his podcast but make sure you are back here for our interview next week! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 439 features Alex Yakyma. Our discussion focused on the industry's broken mindset that prevents it from being Lean and Agile. A powerful and a possibly controversial interview. Alex's Bio Alex Yakyma brings unique, extensive, and field-based experience to the topic of implementing Lean and Agile at scale. Throughout his career, he has served as an engineering and program manager in multi-cultural, highly-distributed environments. As a methodologist, trainer and consultant, he has led numerous rollouts of Lean and Agile at scale, involving teams in North America, Europe and Asia, and has trained over a thousand coaches and change agents whose key role is to help their organizations achieve higher productivity and quality through the adoption of scalable, agile methods. Alex is a founder of Org Mindset (http://orgmindset.com), a company whose mission is to help enterprises grow Lean-Agile mentality and build organizational habits in support of exploration and fast delivery of customer value. Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 2 of Holacracy tackles why the consolidation of authority is harmful to the ability to nimble, agile (small a), and productive organizations and secondly, why the distribution of authority supports an organization's ability to scale. The argument in Chapter 2 is a central tenant of Holacracy. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action I need your help. I have observed that most podcasts and speakers at conferences over-represent people from Europe and North America. I would like to work on changing that exposure. I would like to develop a feature featuring alternate software development voices beginning with Africa and Southeast Asia. If this feature works we will extend it to other areas. If you can introduce me to practitioners that would be willing to share their observations (short interviews) I would be appreciative! Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will be a big show! SPaMCAST 440 will feature our essay on two storytelling techniques premortems and business obituaries. We will also have columns from Jeremy Berriault, Jon M Quigley, and Steve Tendon. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 438 features our essay on leveraging sizing in testing. Size can be a useful tool for budgeting and planning both at the portfolio level and the team level. Gene Hughson brings his Form Follows Function Blog to the cast this week to discuss his recent blog entry titled, Organizations as Systems and Innovation. One of the highlights of the conversation is whether emergence is a primary factor driving change in a complex system. Our third column is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim discusses why blindly accepting canned solutions does not negate the need for active troubleshooting of for problems in software development. Re-Read Saturday News This week, we tackle chapter 1 of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Chapter 1 is titled, Evolving Organization. Holacracy is an approach to address shortcomings that have appeared as organizations evolve. Holacracy is not a silver bullet, but rather provides a stable platform for identifying and addressing problems efficiently. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Alex Yakyma. Our discussion focused on the industry's broken mindset that prevents it from being Lean and Agile. A powerful and possibly controversial interview. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 437 features a discussion of our recent re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing) with Steven Adams. Steve has participated on nearly all of the re-reads, providing his unique wisdom. It was a great talk that helped me understand why the book has (and continues to have) such a large impact on how I view Agile and software development. Steve also has some advice on how to get the most out of the re-read feature. Steve lives in the San Francisco Bay Area (a.k.a, Silicon Valley) where he has a successful career in software development. Steve has worked for Hewlett Packard, Access Systems Inc, Trilliant Inc., and Sony Mobile Communications; plus has consulted at Cisco Systems. Steve has a computer science degree from California State University at Chico, learned software project management at Hewlett-Packard and, in 2009, started his Agile journey with Sony Ericsson. Steve enjoys listening to technical podcasts, and SPaMCAST was one of the first and is a favorite! Steve is also an avid bicyclist (road) and is on track to log over 3,500 miles in 2016. Blog: https://sadams510.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @stevena510 Re-Read Saturday News This week we begin our read of Holacracy with a few logistics and a review of the introduction. We have a short entry this week that will give you time to buy a copy today and read along! If you have not listened to my interview with Jeff Dalton on Software Process and Measurement Cast 433, I would suggest a quick listen. Jeff has practical experience with using the concepts of holacracy in his company and as a tool in his consultancy. Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson was published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. The book is comprised of a forward, 10 chapters in three parts, notes, acknowledgments, and an index. My plan is to read and review one chapter per week. We will move on to a new book in approximately 12 weeks. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on leveraging sizing in testing. Size can be a useful tool for budgeting and planning both at the portfolio level and the team level. We will also have a new column from Gene Hughson who brings his Form Follows Function blog to the Cast and a new column from Kim Pries, the Software Sensei. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 436 features our essay titled, Change Fatigue, Tunnel Vision, and Watts Humphrey, in which we answer the question of whether the state and culture of the organization or team, can have a large impact on whether a Big Bang approach or an incremental approach makes sense to change. Our second column is from Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy discusses user acceptance testing and Agile. There are lots of different ways to accomplish user acceptance testing in an Agile environment. The only wrong way is not to do UAT in Agile. Jeremy blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ Jon M Quigley brings his column, The Alpha and Omega of Product Development, to the Cast. This week Jon puts all the pieces together and discusses systems thinking. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. Re-Read Saturday News This week we wrap-up our re-read of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along). In the wrap-up, we discuss overall impressions of the book and suggest a set of exercises to reinforce your growth mindset. The next book in the series will be Holacracy (Buy a copy today) by Brian J. Robertson. After my recent interview with Jeff Dalton on Software Process and Measurement Cast 433, I realized that I had only read extracts from Holacracy, therefore we will read the whole book together. Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of both someone pursuing an organizational transformation and using the material when coaching teams. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our discussion with Steven Adams on our recent re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing). Steven provides insight and some ideas on how to get the most from the re-read feature! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 435 features our interview with Allan Kelly. Our discussion touched on the concepts behind #NoProjects. Allan describes how the concept of a project leads to a number of unintended consequences. Those consequences aren't pretty. Allan makes digital development teams more effective and improves delivery with continuous agile approaches to reduce delay and risk while increasing value delivered. He helps teams and smaller companies - including start-ups and scale-ups - with advice, coaching and training. Managers, product and technical staff are all involved in his improvements. He is the originator of Retrospective Dialogue Sheets and Value Poker, the author of four books, including "Xanpan - team-centric Agile Software Development" and "Business Patterns for Software Developers". On Twitter he is @allankellynet. Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 8 of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along). Chapter 8, titled "Changing Mindsets." The whole concept of mindsets would be an interesting footnote if we did not believe they could change. Chapter 8 drives home the point that has been made multiple times in the book, that mindsets are malleable with self-awareness and a lot of effort. The question of whether all people want to be that self-aware will be addressed next week as we wrap up our re-read. We are quickly closing in on the end of our re-read of Mindset. I anticipate one more week. The next book in the series will be Holacracy (Buy a copy today). After my recent interview with Jeff Dalton on Software Process and Measurement Cast 433, I realized that I had only read extracts from Holacracy by Brian J. Robertson, therefore we will read (first time for me) the whole book together. Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of both someone pursuing an organizational transformation and using the material when coaching teams. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and start the re-read from the beginning! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on incremental change approaches. We will also have columns from Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ and Jon M Quigley who brings his column, the Alpha and Omega of Product Development, to the Cast. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 434 features our essay on Change Implementations - To Big Bang or Not To Big Bang? The knee jerk reaction amongst transformation leaders is usually a loud NO! However, the answer is not nearly that cut and dry. Big Bang approaches to change have a place in bag of tricks every transformation leader has at their fingertips. The second column this week is from Steve Tendon. Steve Tendon brings another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here) to the cast. In this installment, we talk about Chapter 16, The (Super)-Human Side of Flow. In Chapter 16 Steve and Wolfram go into detail on in Kotter's attributes of flow state. A good discussion and a good read. Our third column is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim discusses Fermi Problems. Fermi problems or questions are a tool to teach approximation and estimation. These problems usually can be solved logically as a back-of-the-envelope calculation. The last time we talked about Fermi Problems was when we were re-reading How To Measure Anything (Hubbard). Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 7 of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along). Chapter 7, titled "Parents, Teachers, Coaches: Where Do Mindsets Come From? explores the impact of some of the most intimate and earliest relationships on our mindsets. Understanding how parents, teachers, and coaches affect mindsets helps us learn to lead change. We are quickly closing in on the end of our re-read of Mindset. I anticipate two more weeks (Chapter 8 and a round up). The next book in the series will be Holacracy (Buy a copy today). After my recent interview with Jeff Dalton on Software Process and Measurement Cast 433, I realized that I had only read extracts from Holacracy by Brian J. Robertson, therefore we will read (first time for me) the whole book together. Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of both someone pursuing an organizational transformation and using the material when coaching teams. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Allan Kelly. Our discussion touched on the concepts behind #NoProject. Allan describes how the concept of projects leads to a number of unintended consequences. Those consequences aren't pretty. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 433 features our interview with Jeff Dalton discussing holacracy. Holocracy.org defines holacracy as, "a complete, packaged system for self-management in organizations. Holacracy replaces the traditional management hierarchy with a new peer-to-peer "operating system" that increases transparency, accountability, and organizational agility." Jeff has implemented holacracy in his own firm and others and has a lot to share about this exciting form of management and leadership. Jeff Dalton is President of Broadsword, a Process Innovation firm, and Chief Evangelist at AgileCxO.org, an Agile Leadership Research and Development center that develops models for high-performing agile teams. Jeff is principle author of "A Guide to Scrum and CMMI," published by the CMMI Institute, and is a SCAMPI Lead Appraiser and Certified Agile Leadership Consultant that specializes in software product development, self-organizing teams, and performance modeling. His upcoming book, the "Agile Performance Holarchy: A New Model for Outrageously High Performance" will be released in September of 2017. Jeff's previous appearances on the Software Process and Measurement Cast include SPaMCAST 366 – Jeff Dalton, 12 Attributes of Great and Agile Organizations SPaMCAST 296 – Jeff Dalton, CMMI, Agile, Resiliency SPaMCAST 176 - Jeff Dalton, CMMI, Scrum and Agile Re-Read Saturday News We will pick up our re-read of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along) next week. Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of someone pursuing an organizational transformation and also how to use the material when coaching teams. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast, will feature our essay on Change Implementations - To Big Bang or Not To Big Bang? We will also have great columns from Steve Tendon and Gene Hughson. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 432 begins with an essay on the impact of leadership types on adopting and sustaining Agile. Leadership style has a direct impact on an organization's ability to adopt and sustain Agile. Some leadership styles are more supportive, while others evoke more of a response that is epitomized by locking feral cats and dogs in a room (nobody wins). Next up, Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the cast to discuss surprises in QA testing. Visit Jeremy's blog at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ Next we will have a column from The Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim discusses the holy trinity of forethought, execution and follow through. Reach out to Kim on LinkedIn. Last, but not least, Jon M Quigley brings his column, the Alpha and Omega of Product Development, to the Cast. In this segment, Jon discusses on-boarding. On-boarding new people is critical even if the person is just joining from another team down the hall. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. Re-Read Saturday News This week, we tackle Chapter 5 in Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along). In Chapter 5, Dweck uses examples from the business world to illustrate and elaborate on fixed and growth mindsets. Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of someone pursuing an organizational transformation and also how to use the material when coaching teams. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Feedback on SPaMCAST 428 with Mark Bojeun. Dan Stafford wrote to Mark and said, " Great talk Mark, insightful as ever. Open and honest communication is such an important tenet." (Listen Now) Do you have thoughts and comments you would like to share? Email us at [email protected] Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast, Jeff Dalton returns to discuss holacracy. Jeff has implemented holacracy in his own firm and others and has a lot to share about this exciting form of management and leadership. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 431 features our interview with Andrew Neitlich on leadership. We discussed whether leadership can be learned and if tech leadership is different than other kinds of leadership. Leadership is a core requirement for making all teams, Agile or not, effective! Andrew's bio: Andrew Neitlich is the founder and director of the Center for Executive Coaching (http://centerforexecutivecoaching.com), a leader in training and certifying executive and leadership coaches. He also leads his own executive coaching practice, with an emphasis on working technical leaders that sometimes get frustrated with engaging their teams and having more impact when they communicate. Andrew is the author of Coach!, Elegant Leadership, and Guerrilla Marketing for a Bulletproof Career. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School, and lives in Sarasota, Florida. Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 4 in Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along). In Chapter 4, Dweck hits a home run by reflecting on how mindsets translate into action in the sports arena (thus the sports allusions). Sports stories are one the most used metaphors in a business environment. I bet that you can't you to go to two meetings in any corporate environment without hearing a project likened to the exploits of sports teams or athletes. This an easy metaphor theme because most everyone has been exposed to some form of sports or at least a story about sports before they take a job. In Chapter 4, Dr. Dweck, scores (I can't help myself) by using the exploits of athletes and sports teams to further illustrate the differences and impact mindsets deliver. Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of someone pursuing an organizational transformation and also how to use the material when coaching teams. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Feedback on SPaMCAST 428 with Mark Bojeun. Dan Stafford wrote to Mark and said, " Great talk Mark, insightful as ever. Open and honest communication is such an important tenet." (Listen Now) Do you have thoughts and comments you would like to share? Email us at [email protected] Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast, we will feature an essay on the impact of leadership types on adopting and sustaining Agile. Leadership style has a direct impact on an organization's ability to adopt and sustain Agile. Some leadership styles are more supportive and others evoke more of a response that is epitomized by locking feral cats and dogs in a room (nobody wins). We will also have columns from Jeremy Berriault, who brings his QA Corner to the cast. Visit Jeremy's new blog at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ Next, we will have a column from The Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Reach out to Kim on LinkedIn. Last, but not least, Jon M Quigley brings his column, the Alpha and Omega of Product Development, to the cast. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 430 features an essay on product owners. The product owner role is nuanced, always complicated and sometimes hard. The essay will help you sort things out. Steve Tendon brings another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here) to the cast. In this installment we talk about Chapter 15, Understanding the Impact of a Constraint. In our discussion Steve schooled me a bit on constraints. Gene Hughson brings his Form Follows Function Blog (the same Gene, that Ryan Ripley called out on last week's cast) to the cast this week to discuss the third in his series on leadership. This week we discussed the antipattern Gene calls The Thinker. Might sound good, but it isn't. Have you checked out Agile for Humans? If not please do. If you are an Agile for Humans listener visiting the Software Process and Measurement Cast for the first time, WELCOME. I hope you subscribe and make us part of your weekly ritual. Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 3 in Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along). In Chapter 3 Dweck provides a deep dive into how mindsets affect learning and teaching. The impact of mindsets on how we learn or how we teach is useful knowledge for anyone involved in coaching or transformation. Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of someone pursuing an organizational transformation and also how to use the material when coaching teams. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast we talk with Andrew Neitlich on leadership. We discussed whether leadership can be learned and if tech leadership is different than other kinds of leadership. Leadership is a core requirement for making Agile effective! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 429 is a special event. Ryan Ripley (who appeared on SPaMCAST 404 and is the host of the Agile for Humans Podcast) and the I recently connected virtually to discuss the role and impact of certifications on the Agile movement. Certifications are an important gating tool in the job market and may provide evidence that people are keeping up to date with changes in the industry. Or certifications could represent the calcifying of boundaries that make the adage 'inspect and adapt' a thing of the past. We discuss! We are going to release the audio on both our podcasts serially, the SPaMCAST today and then Agile for Humans on the 13th! Make sure both Agile for Humans and the Software Process and Measurement Cast are part of your weekly rituals! Mr. Ryan Ripley has worked on agile teams for the past 10 years in development, scrum master and management roles. He's worked at various Fortune 1000 companies in the medical device, wholesale, and financial services industries. Ryan is great at taking tests and holds the PMI-ACP, PSM I, PSM II, PSE, PSPO I, PSD I, CSM, CSPO, and CSP agile certifications. He lives in Indiana with his wife Kristin and three children. Ryan blogs at ryanripley.com and hosts the Agile for Humans Podcast. You can also follow Ryan on Twitter: @ryanripley Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 2 in Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along). In Chapter 2 Dweck provides a deeper dive into fixed and growth mindsets. The chapter begins with Dweck's relating how the discovery that there were two meanings to the word 'ability' shaped the work. The first definition for ability is a fixed capability that needs to be proven (continually); the second definition is that an ability is a capability that can be developed through learning. The distinction between two definitions are at the heart of the behavioral differences between the growth and fixed mindsets. Those that believe that abilities can be developed will seek stretch goals and view failures as learning opportunities, while those with a fixed mindset will have a very different point of view. Every week we discuss the chapter then consider the implications of what we have "read" from the point of view of someone pursuing an organizational transformation and also how to use the material when coaching teams. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 430 will shift back to the magazine format with an essay on product owners. The product owner role is nuanced and sometimes hard. The essay will help you sort things out. We will also have columns from Steve Tendon with another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here) and an installment of Gene Hughson's Form Follows Function Blog (the same Gene, that Ryan called out on this week's cast). 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

One my favorite serial interviewees, Dr. Mark Bojeun, returns to the Software Process and Measurement Cast for a third time (we may need to get him a permanent seat at the table soon). Mark and I discussed the role and impact of project and product visions on the ability to effectively deliver value. The vision is an important directional statement that can't be left to chance! Mark has last visited the Software Process and Measurement Cast on SPaMCAST 388 to discuss PMOs as a strategic tool and before then on the SPaMCAST 280 to discuss his book, Program Management Leadership: Creating Successful Team Dynamics (Kindle version). Mark's Bio: Dr. Bojeun has more than 20 years of experience in providing strategic management and leadership through portfolio, project and program management. His experience includes developing and managing multi-million dollar portfolios, programs, and projects, facilitating the achievement of strategic objectives, and creating best practice processes for program and project management efforts. Dr. Bojeun has designed and implemented multiple Enterprise Program Management Offices (EPMOs) for domestic and multinational firms and has extensive experience in organizational change management through transformational leadership, strategic support and staff empowerment to management professionals in the development and implementation of organizational vision, mission, objectives, and goals. Contact Mark on LinkedIn Re-Read Saturday News We missed this week due to work! I was teaching Test Driven Development. It was an intense class with a great group. We will get back in the swing of things next week! Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 429 will be something very special. Ryan Ripley (who appeared on SPaMCAST 404 and is the host of the Agile for Humans Podcast) recently connected virtually to discuss the role and impact of certifications on the Agile movement. It was a pretty intense discussion! We are going to release the audio on both our podcasts concurrently on Monday February 6th! Make sure both Agile for Humans and the Software Process and Measurement Cast are part of your weekly rituals! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 427 begins with an essay on the Post-Agile Age, titled Onward to Post-Agile Age. The Post-Agile Age is coming and it is a bed that human nature and commercial pressures have created. Next Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the Cast to discuss how he views the role of product owner in Agile testing . Visit Jermey's new blog at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ The Software Sensei, Kim Pries, discusses requirements and weird tools like the Z notation. Reach out to Kim on LinkedIn. Jon M Quigley, brings his column, the Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast. In this installment, Jon concludes a three part series on configuration management. This week Jon puts all of the pieces together. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. Re-Read Saturday News This week we start to get into the nitty gritty of our re-read of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. This week we discuss Chapter one and then explore some the applications of the mindset concepts to coaching. Remember to buy a copy of Carol Dweck's Mindset and read along! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 428 features an interview with Dr Mark Bojeun. We discussed the concept of project visions, their use and why they make sense in the Agile or Post-Agile age! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

SPaMCAST 426 marks a milestone! SPaMCAST 426 is the end of Year 10. The Cast features our second annual roundtable. Almost all of the SPaMCAST contributors gathered virtually to discuss a number of topics, including: Is software quality really one of the most important focuses in IT in 2017? Even though people are adopting agile, is agile a principle-driven movement over? In 2017 will security trump quality and productivity? The multiway discussion was exciting and informative! This was a great way to finish year 10 and get the motor primed for year 11! Re-Read Saturday News This week we begin the re-read of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. We will start slowly as I read ahead and give you time to find or buy a copy of the book. I am reading the 2008 Ballantine Books Trade paperback edition version of the book (I had to re-buy the book as my first copy seems to have a new home). I was excited that the Software Process and Measurement Blog readers selected Mindset for Re-read Saturday. I am looking forward to refreshing my understanding of the powerful ideas Dweck identifies as growth and fixed mindsets. Mindsets are very useful for understanding why some people grow and others don't and why some teams excel and other less so. Also, Mindset is easily the single most quoted book I have seen in presentations at conferences for the past few years. Next week we start in on Chapter One of the re-read of Carol Dweck's Mindset, buy a copy this week. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 427 begins Year 11 with an essay on the Post-Agile Age. It is coming and it is a bed that human nature and commercial pressures has created. (Not sure what I mean? Tune in, stream or download ) We will also have columns from Jon M Quigley, Jeremy Berriault, and Kim Pries. SPaMCAST 427 will celebrate the new SPaMCAST year in style! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Happy New Year! SPaMCAST 425 features our annual tune-up ideas. We need to strive to be more effective and efficient every day or the world will pass us by! These are suggestions that have worked for me and might be useful for you. We will also have columns from Steve Tendon with another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here). Steve and I talked about Chapter 14 which covers kanban, flow, and throughput. Anchoring the cast is Gene Hughson's Form Follows Function Blog with an entry in his theme of leadership patterns and anti-patterns. This week we talk about The Great Pretender. Remember that Penny Pullan in SPaMCAST 424 offered listeners a great offer! Penny provided a coupon for her new book Virtual Leadership for 20% off. Use the code VLF20 at www.koganpage.com, which includes post and packing in the UK and the USA. Re-Read Saturday News In this week's re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing), we deliver final thoughts with three final takeaways. Next week we begin the re-read of Carol Dweck's Mindset, buy a copy this week. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 426 features our second annual roundtable. Almost all of the SPaMCAST contributors discussed a number of topics, including: Is software quality really one of the most important focuses in IT in 2017? Even though people are adopting agile, is agile as principle-driven movement over? In 2017, will security trump quality and productivity? The multiway discussion was exciting and informative! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Happy New Year! SPaMCAST 424 features our interview with Penny Pullin. Penny returns to the SPaMCAST to discuss her new book Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best Out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams. Virtual teams and therefore the need for virtual leadership is a critical success factor for delivering value in the 21st Century. Penny's Bio: Dr. Penny Pullan's latest book is Virtual Leadership: Practical strategies for getting the most out of virtual teams and virtual work. Writing it involved immersing herself in the virtual world and listening to countless stories of success and, all too often, disaster! Penny works with people in multinational organizations who are grappling with tricky projects: uncertain, with ambiguous requirements, stakeholders who need to be engaged and teams dispersed around the world. When they work with Penny, clients notice that communication, collaboration, and confidence grow and projects don't seem quite as tricky as before! Penny is a Director of Making Projects Work Ltd. in the UK and tweets at @pennypullan. Penny has offered SPaMCAST listeners a great offer! Virtual Leadership coupon for 20% off VLF20 at www.koganpage.com which includes post and packing in the UK and the USA. Re-Read Saturday News In this week's re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing), we review the chapter titled Understanding and Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions. This chapter is the most hands-on portion of the book, and I suggest spending time with the wide range of ideas Lencioni peppers throughout this section. Next week we will conclude this Re-Read with final thoughts. If you are new to the re-read series buy a copy and go back to week one and read along! I am running a poll to decide between Carol Dweck's Mindset, Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman) and Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). I have also had suggestions (in the other category) for Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (Adam Grant) and Management Lessons from Taiichi Ohno: What Every Leader Can Learn from the Man by Takehiko Harada. I would like your opinion! (last day 1/1/2017) [polldaddy poll=9605629] Takeaways from this week include: Exercises are a great way to teach theory, but practical application makes it stick. Build trust or nothing else will work for long. Experiment with ideas to overcome dysfunctions and measure their impact on RESULTS. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 425 will feature the ideas from our annual tune-up blog entries. We need to strive to be more effective and efficient every day or the world will pass us by! Next week I have some suggestions that have worked for me. We will also have columns from Gene Hughson with more on leadership. Gene's ideas dovetail nicely with the concepts Penny talked about this week. We will also talk with Steve Tendon about Chapter 14 from his book Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance. Chapter 14 is all about Kanban, flow, and throughput. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 423 builds on our interview from last week with Philip Lew. This week we lead with a discussion of measuring quality. Quality is related to risk, productivity and customer satisfaction. Next Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the Cast to discuss the impact of certifications in software testing. Want a bit of foreshadowing? The answer is not cut and dry. Visit Jermey's new blog at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ The Software Sensei, Kim Pries , answers a question he was recently asked by one his students, "why do we have so many computer languages?" This a question I have often asked, usually when I have to learn the basics of a new language. Reach out to Kim on LinkedIn. Jon M Quigley, brings his column, the Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast. In this installment, the 2nd in a 3 part series on configuration management, Jon continues the cycle of configuration management which begins with requirements and travels across the whole lifecycle. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. Re-Read Saturday News In this week's re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing), we talk about two sections, An Overview of the Model and Team Assessment. There are two more weeks left before moving to the next book. If you are new to the re-read series buy a copy and go back to week one and read along! I am running a poll to decide between Carol Dweck's Mindset, Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman) and Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). I have also had suggestions (in the other category) for Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (Adam Grant) and Management Lessons from Taiichi Ohno: What Every Leader Can Learn from the Man by Takehiko Harada. I would like your opinion! [polldaddy poll=9605629] Takeaways from this week include: Real teamwork is rare. The five dysfunctions are inter-related. Assessment are as useful as those taking them want them to be! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 424 will post on New Year's Day. SPaMCAST 424 will feature our interview with Penny Pullan. Penny returns to the SPaMCAST to discuss her new book Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best Out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams. Virtual teams are the norm in today's business environment. We need to learn the best ways to maximize the value from distributed teams. Penny sets a really high bar to begin the year! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 422 features our interview with Phil Lew. Phil and I talked about the topic of Agile risk management. We explored how risk can be managed in Agile projects and the barriers to effective risk management. As important as the mechanics of Agile risk management are, Philip and I also explored the relationship between quality and risk, which may be more important in the long run. Phil's Bio Philip Lew is the CEO at XBOSoft. XBOSoft's software QA and software testing services help their clients deliver products to market faster and with higher quality; an ever increasing challenge as software becomes more complex and platforms increase. As a Corporate Executive, Development Manager, Product Manager and Software Engineer, Philip has managed teams to tackle broken processes, develop solutions to difficult problems, and coached others be leaders, managers, and experts. He leverages his academic background in operations research, industrial engineering, and computer science combined with hands-on work experience with programming, predictive modeling and algorithm development to work with clients and colleagues around the world. For kicks, he rides a bicycle and travels the world to quench his thirst for exploration and learning. Contact Data LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philiplewEmail: [email protected]: @philiplew Re-Read Saturday News In this week's re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing), we conclude Part Four with the sections titled Harvest, Gut Check, and March. I suspect we have 2 or 3 weeks left before moving to the next book, BUT we still have a number of ideas to extract from this book. If you are new to the re-read series buy a copy and bo back to week one and read along! I am running a poll to decide between Carol Dweck's Mindset, Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman) and Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). I have also had suggestions (in the other category) for Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (Adam Grant) and Management Lessons from Taiichi Ohno: What Every Leader Can Learn from the Man by Takehiko Harada. I would like your opinion! (see the poll below) [polldaddy poll=9605629] Takeaways from this week include: Progress is rarely linear (think two steps forward and one step back). Good teams can debate and then be friends. The good of the organization is important (Spock got it right). Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 423 will post on Christmas Day. SPaMCAST 423 will build on our interview from this week with Mr. Lew and discuss measuring quality. Quality is related to risk, productivity, and customer satisfaction. We will also have columns from Kim Pries, Jon M Quigley, and Jeremy Berriault. A big show to end the year! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 421 features our essay on vanity metrics. Vanity metrics make people feel good, but are less useful for making decisions about the business. The essay discusses how to recognize vanity metrics and the risks of falling prey to their allure. We will also have columns form Steve Tendon with another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here). Steve and I talked about Chapter 13. Finally, Gene Hughson will anchor the cast with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog. Gene and I started talking about leadership patterns and antipatterns. Re-Read Saturday News In this week's re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing), we conclude Part Three with the sections titled the Last Stand, Flack, Heavy Lifting, and Rally. I suspect we have 3 or 4 weeks left before moving to the next book, BUT we still have a number of ideas to extract from this book. If you are new to the re-read series buy a copy and go back to week one and read along! I have not heard any nay sayers on the idea of re-reading Carol Dweck's Mindset next; however, just be to fair I am going to include a poll at the end to decide between Mindset, Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman) and Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi). I would like your opinion! Takeaways from this week include: You are responsible for the atmosphere that you create. Leaders and teams bear the consequence of not dealing with bad attitudes. When someone leaves a team everyone will mourn to some extent. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 422 will feature our interview with Phil Lew. Phil and I talked about the topic of Agile risk management. We explored how risk can be managed in Agile projects and the barriers to effective risk management. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 420 features our interview with John Hunter. John is a SPaMCAST alumni; John first appeared on SPaMCAST 226 to talk about why management matters. In this podcast John returns to discuss building capability in the organization and understanding the impact of variation. We also talked Deming and why people tack the word improvement on almost anything! John's Bio John Hunter has served as an information technology program manager for the Office of Secretary of Defense Quality Management Office, the White House Military Office and the American Society for Engineering Education. In 2013, he published his first book - Management Matters: Building Enterprise Capability. John created and operates one of the first, and still one of the most popular, management resources on the internet. He continues to aid managers in their efforts to improve their organizations with an emphasis on software development and leveraging the internet. His blog is widely recognized as a valuable resource for leaders and managers with a focus on improving the practice of management in organizations. Re-Read Saturday News In this week's re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing), we tackle the sections titled Accountability, Individual Contributor, and The Talk. We are getting close to the end of the novel portion of the book but over the next few weeks, we have a number of ideas to extract from the book before we review the model. (Remember to buy a copy and read along.) We are well over halfway through this book and I am considering re-reading Carol Dweck's Mindset next. What are your thoughts? Takeaways from this week include: Team members hold other team members accountable. Be aware of how you affect the people around you or suffer the consequences! Try to step back and reduce the stress when confronted by tough negotiations. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 421 will feature our essay on vanity metrics. Vanity metrics make people feel good, but are less useful for making decisions about the business. The essay discusses how to recognize vanity metrics and the risks of falling prey to their allure. We will also have columns form Steve Tendon with another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here). Finally, Gene Hughson will anchor the cast with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 419 features our essay on eight quick hints on dealing with stand-up meetings on distributed teams. Distributed Agile teams require a different level of care and feeding than a co-located team in order to ensure that they are as effective as possible. Remember an update on the old adage: distributed teams, you can't live with them and you can't live without them. We also have a column from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. In this installment, Kim talks about the Fullan Change Model. In the Fullan Change Model, all change stems from a moral purpose. Reach out to Kim on LinkedIn. Jon M Quigley brings the next installment of his Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the podcast. In this installment, Jon begins a 3 part series on configuration management. Configuration management might not be glamorous but it is hugely important to getting work done with quality. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. Anchoring the cast this week is Jeremy Berriault and his QA Corner. Jeremy explored exploratory testing in this installment of the QA Corner. Also, Jeremy has a new blog! Check out the QA Corner! Re-Read Saturday News The read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass) continues on the Blog. Lencioni's model of team dysfunctions is illustrated through a set of crises used to illustrate the common problems that make teams into dysfunctional collections of individuals. The current entry features the sections titled Leaks through Plowing On. Takeaways from this week include: Partial information leads to misinterpretations. Executives need to be ultimately loyal to the executive team rather than their siloed organizations. Productive conflict requires facilitation to learn. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 420 will feature our interview with John Hunter. John returns to the podcast to discuss building capability in the organization and understanding the impact of variation. We also talked Demining and why people tack the word improvement on almost anything! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 418 features our interview with Larry Cooper. Larry and I talked about his project, The Agility Series. The series is providing the community an understanding of how Agile is applied and how practitioners are interpreting practices and principles. Reminder: Schedule Change for Vacation, Travel and Holiday Last week I was in Sweden for the Øredev conference with a day of sightseeing thrown in. New listeners joining from the conference: WELCOME. The trip was great, and the conference was awesome and mind-expanding. I will publish a review soon. Brazil and "Métricas 2016" is next followed immediately by the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. This is the long way of saying that I will be publishing on an every other week basis through November 27th. We will be back to weekly posting in December. Larry Cooper's BioLarry Cooper is a Project Executive in the public and private sectors in Canada and the USA and holds over 20 industry certifications in Agile, Project Management, and ITIL. His books include "Agile Value Delivery: Beyond the Numbers" (which was endorsed by a co-author of the Agile Manifesto) as well as the "The Agility Series" to be published over the next year or two. He was also the Mentor for "PRINCE2 Agile" published by AXELOS. Larry has been an invited speaker at numerous conferences and symposia for the PMI, BAWorld, and the itSMF. He has presented global webinars with BrightTalk and ProjectManagement.com and authored more than 30 courses including an Agile-oriented curriculum that is sold directly to training companies in Canada and the USA. The first two book in the Agility Series on Organizational Agility and Leadership Agility are available for free download at www.mplaza.ca as is The Adaptive Strategy Framework Guide. You can join the adventure with the rest of the Wisdom Council for the Agility through their LinkedIn group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8539263 Re-Read Saturday News The read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass) continues on the Blog. Lencioni's model of team dysfunctions (we get through most of it this week) is illustrated through a set of crises used to illustrate the common problems that make teams into dysfunctional collections of individuals. The current entry features the sections titled Film Noir and Application. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 419 will feature four essays. Essays from Kim Pries, Jon M Quigley, Gene Hughson and one from The SPaMCAST will be featured. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 417 discusses the six elements of business stories. These six elements are required for effective business stories. We also tackle whether each of those elements are equally important in telling the different types of stories spun in a business environment. Steve Tendon joins the SPaMCAST this week to discuss Chapter 12 in Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here). We discussed the Herbie and Kanban. The story of Herbie provides a great metaphor for the flow of work through an organization and how it can be improved. Visit Steve at www.tendon.net. We cap this edition of the Software Process and Measurement Cast with a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy and I discussed the Samsung Note 7 and testing. While we may not have to test lithium-ion batteries professionally, we can extract lessons from this scenario on risk and testing! Connect with Jeremy on Linkedin. Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). As we move through the first part of the book we are being exposed to Lencioni's model of team dysfunctions (we get through most of it this week) and a set of crises to illustrate the common problems that make teams into dysfunctional collections of individuals. Today we re-read the three sections titled Deep Tissue, Attack and Exhibition. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 418 will feature our interview with Larry Cooper. Larry and I talked about his project The Agility Series. The series is providing the community an understanding of how Agile is applied and how practitioners are interpreting practices and principles. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Kirk Botula on capability. Kirk makes the argument that capability is crucial for organizational health and agility. Kirk Botula is the CEO of the CMMI® Institute, the home of the globally-adopted capability improvement framework that guides organizations in high-performance operations. Botula is a global growth company executive whose career has been focused on advancing the common good through the commercialization of technology. Prior to CMMI Institute, Botula served as President of Confluence, a global financial technology firm with operations in North America, EMEA and Asia. During his tenure, Confluence became the leading provider in its space achieving market share exceeding 70% in North America and 20% globally, while delivering the industry leading NPS of 40. Botula also served at BNY Mellon, Compunetix, and as a strategist to a variety of nonprofit and for-profit organizations. He has a BFA and MSIA from Carnegie Mellon University and lives in Pittsburgh with his wife and three daughters. Reach out to Kirk at [email protected] Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). As we move through the first part of the book we are being exposed to Lencioni's model of team dysfunctions and a set of crises to illustrate the common problems that make teams into dysfunctional collections of individuals. Today we re-read the three sections titled Awareness, Ego and Goals. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 417 will feature three columns from Steve Tendon, Jeremy Berriault and of course a new essay from the Software Process and Measurement Cast. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast features four columns. We begin with our essay on recognizing risk and risk tolerance. Any discussion of risk begins with acknowledging that risk exists and then recognizing specific risks. Once we know risks exist we need to determine which risks we care about. Risk tolerance affects how everyone in an organization behaves. Kim Pries the Software Sensei discusses change models, focusing on the Kotter model of change. Kim discusses how change models can be used for hardware, software, processes and procedures. Gene Hughson brings his wonderful Form Follows Function Blog the podcast. In this installment, Gene and I discuss All Aboard the Innovation Band Wagon. We talked a lot about how to define innovation AND why innovation and change is powerful. Jon M Quigley anchors the cast with the third installment in a three-part arc on requirements in his "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development" column. This week Jon discusses managing requirements. Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). We seem to be moving from cliffhanger to cliffhanger over the past few weeks, and we shall do so again today. Lencioni uses crises to illustrate common problems that make teams into dysfunctional collections of individuals. This week we tackle the sections from Entering the Danger to Rebound. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 416 will feature our interview with Kirk Botula. Kirk is the CEO of the CMMI Institute. Kirk and I talked about organizational capability and why capability is crucial for organizational health and agility! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Marcus Hammarberg. We often think of Agile as a tool to build or maintain software. In some cases, people have recognized the applicability of Agile and lean techniques in other parts of the business. In even rarer circumstances people, like Marcus, have found a way to use Agile techniques to have a huge impact in the real world. Marcus tells use how he was able to use Agile and lean techniques and philosophy to save a clinic and more importantly to change lives of real people. It is an amazing and uplifting story. Marcus's Bio Get agile to work in practice - is Marcus's motto. This has led him to take interest in all kind of things: Lean, TDD, Kanban, Specification by example, Node, Continuous Delivery, Nancy, and Koa. Marcus spent 2 years working for the Salvation Army in Indonesia to help the health services there to become more effective. Marcus has also, written Kanban in Action (http://bit.ly/theKanbanBook) and is writing another book, about the lean/agile-inspired work he used to save a hospital in Indonesia (http://bit.ly/bungsustory. Contact Information: Skype: marcushammarberg Email: [email protected] Twitter: @marcusoftnet Blog: www.marcusoft.net LinkedIn: http://se.linkedin.com/in/marcushammarberg Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/marcusoftnet/ My Book - Kanban In Action: http://www.amazon.com/Kanban-Action-Marcus-Hammarberg/dp/1617291056/ Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business novel that uses a story to get important ideas across to the reader in a less threatening manner. This week we discuss the first crisis with Martin and we end this week's re-read by exposing the second crisis. The sections we are reading begin with Drawing the Line and finish with Pushing Back. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 415 will include essays and columns from Gene Hughson, Jon M Quigley, Kim Pries, and myself! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 413 features our essay on Scaling Agile and Management Styles. This essay builds on our recent discussion of servant leadership. It is not as simple as adding teams or building a hierarchy. Steve Tendon joins the SPaMCAST this week to discuss Chapter 11 in Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published J Ross (buy a copy here). We discussed the concept of throughput accounting. A powerful concept that that focuses on the delivery of value through the overall process. Visit Steve at www.tendon.net. We cap this edition of the Software Process and Measurement Cast with a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy discussed the impact of testing tools. There are significant plusses for using tools if you don't let the tools use you! Connect with Jeremy on Linkedin. Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business novel that uses a story to get important ideas across to the reader in a less threatening manner. This week we discuss the sections covering the background for the first major team crisis. Lots of behaviors you might, unfortunately, recognize in teams around you! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 414 will feature our interview with Marcus Hammarberg. We often think of Agile as a tool to build or maintain software. Marcus used Agile techniques to save a clinic and to change lives. It is an amazing and uplifting story. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 412 features our discussion of XP Explained, Second Edition with Steven Adams. It was a great talk that helped me understand why the book has (and continues to have) such a large impact on how I view Agile and software development. Steve lives in the San Francisco Bay Area (a.k.a, Silicon Valley) where he has a successful career in software development. Steve has worked for Hewlett Packard, Access Systems Inc,, Trilliant Inc., and Sony Mobile Communications; plus has consulted at Cisco Systems. Steve has a computer science degree from California State University at Chico, learned software project management at Hewlett-Packard and, in 2009, started his Agile journey with Sony Ericsson. Steve enjoys listening to technical podcasts, and SpamCast was one of the first and is a favorite! Steve is also an avid bicyclist (road) and is on track to log over 3,500 miles in 2016. Blog: https://sadams510.wordpress.com/Twitter: @stevena510 Re-Read Saturday News We begin the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business novel that uses a story to get important ideas across to the reader in a less threatening manner. This week we address the introduction and some of the backstory. All of this provides the background for us to recognize the impact of poor teamwork! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 413 will feature our essay on Scaling Agile and Management Styles. This essay builds on our recent discussion of servant leadership. We will also have columns from Steve Tendon talking about another chapter in his great book Hyper Productive Knowledge Work Performance, The Tame Flow Approach and a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 411 includes four columns! The first is our thoughts on servant leadership. A servant leader facilitates collaboration not only by creating a learning environment but also by helping the team to establish a vision and goals. Servant leadership is a powerful tool to unlock the ability of teams or groups to deliver value. Many of the links between servant leadership and Agile are because servant leadership enables several of the principles in the Agile Manifesto, but servant leadership doesn't work in every scenario. This essay will explore the origins of servant leadership, its ties with Agile and when to apply a servant leadership approach. Jon M Quigley anchors the cast with the second installment in a three-part arc on requirements in his "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development" column. This week Jon discusses managing requirements. Gene Hughson brings his Form Follows Function blog to the Software Process and Measurement Cast. In this visit, Gene discusses his recent blog entry titled, "Organizations as Systems – "Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown". Gene points out that software development organizations live in a complex world where single factor explanations are dangerous. Kim Pries, the Software Sensi, brings a great discussion of the concept of craftsmanship in software development to the Cast. Craftsmanship and quality are related, but craftsmanship is a more intimate and personal attribute. Re-Read Saturday News This week we complete our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with final thoughts on a book that has shaped a generation's thinking on Agile, while at the same time being eminently practical. Next week we begin our read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). This will be a new book for me, therefore an initial read, not a re-read! Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy, and next week we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 412, if you thought we were done with XP Explained, Second Edition, you would be wrong. One of the SPaMCAST's long term listeners, Steven Adams and I recently sat down to discuss our thoughts on the book. It was a great conversation that we look forward to sharing with you! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

In Software Process and Measurement Cast 410, we feature our interview with Jessica Long. Jessica and I discussed storytelling. I find that storytelling is a useful tool to help individuals, teams, and organizations. Projects can use stories to generate user stories and as a tool in retrospectives. Stories are also a tool in generating a vision of the future in organizational transformations. Those are just a few of the multitude of uses for storytelling in changing how value is delivered! Jessica and I will both be presenting on using stories at the Agile Philly, Agile Tour 2016 on October 10th. If you are in the Philadelphia area please register and attend! Jessica's bio:Jess Long is an Agile Coach, a writer, a speaker and a mother with a passion for driving meaningful stories across multiple iterations in all facets of life. Transforming Corporate America and living to tell about it is no small feat. She keeps some level of sanity by finding humor in otherwise absurd situations. Twitter: https://twitter.com/scrumandgingerBlog: https://scrumandginger.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-long-pmi-acp-csp-cspo-87626614 Re-Read Saturday News This week we reach the penultimate week in our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 24 and 25. Chapter 24 discusses the value and power in communities. Chapter 25 is Beck's conclusion and reflection on the book: XP is about people! Next week we'll wrap this re-read up and get ready to to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). This will be a new book for me, therefore an initial read, not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years. Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy, and in a few weeks we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 411 will be a big show featuring our thoughts on servant leadership. In SPaMCAST 411 we will have a visit from the Kim Pries, the Software Sensei. We will have more from Steve Tendon on the Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). And anchoring the cast will be Gene Hughson with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Special Note - SPAMCAST 409 was due to be posted last week, but bad things happened to my main computer and my backup decided to air-gap itself from the Internet. That said, #409 is going up a week later so the Re-read Saturday news is a week out of date. This week we talk about Chapters 22 and 23. I have declared that last weekend was a very stressful vacation from posting. Now the show goes on! In Software Process and Measurement Cast 409, we feature our essay on advice I recently provided to a listener to the podcast on whether a team is really one or two teams. While the essay is a result of answering a friend's question, the ideas in the essay can be applied when you are building any sort of team. Our second column this week features a visit to Jeremy Berriault's QA Corner. Jeremy and I discussed how QA should communicate with other leaders in the organization. In the third and final column, Jon M. Quigley begins a three-part arc on requirements in "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development." This week on discusses the elicitation of requirements. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 20 and 21. Chapter 20 is a discussion of applying XP. The short version is that there is no one perfect way to apply XP, which dovetails nicely with Chapter 21 which addresses the concept of purity and certification. IF there is no one perfect way to apply XP, how can there be an absolute litmus test for XP purity? Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next we are going to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. This will be a new book for me, therefore an initial read, not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years. Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy, and in a few weeks we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we will feature our interview of Jessica Long. Jessica and I discussed storytelling. Storytelling is useful in all types of organizations for both projects and as a tool in organizational transformations. Jessica and I will both be presenting on using stories at the Agile Philly, Agile Tour 2016 on October 10th. If you are in the Philadelphia area please register and attend! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 408 features our interview with Kupe Kupersmith. Kupe and I discussed the role of the business analyst in today's dynamic environment. It is critical to defining and facilitating the delivery of value. Weighty topics, but we also had a bit of fun. "Kupe" Kupersmith, President, B2T Training, possesses over 18 years of experience in software systems development. He has served as the lead Business Analyst and Project Manager on projects in the energy, television and sports management and marketing industries. Additionally, he serves as a mentor for business analysis professionals. Kupe is the co-author of Business Analysis for Dummies, a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) and a former IIBA® Board Member. Kupe is a requested speaker and has presented at many conferences around the world. Being a trained improvisational comedian, Kupe is sure to make you laugh while you're learning. For a feel for Kupe's view on business analysis topics check out his blog on BA Times. Kupe is a connector and has a goal in life to meet everyone! Contact Information https://www.linkedin.com/in/kupetheba https://www.b2ttraining.com/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 18 and 19. Chapters 18 and 19 provide a view into two very different management philosophies that shaped software development in general and have had a major impact on XP. Chapter 18 discusses Taylorism and scientific management; a management knows best view of the world. Chapter 19 talks about the Toyota Production System, which puts significant power back in the hands of the practitioner to deliver a quality product. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next, we are going to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Jossey-Bass. This will be a new book for me, therefore, an initial read, not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years! Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy and in a few weeks, we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we will feature essay on whether a team is really one or two teams. While the essay is a result of answering a friend's question, the ideas in the essay can be applied when you are building any sort of team. We will also have columns from Jeremy Berriault's QA Corner and Jon M. Quigley' column, "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development." 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 407 includes four separate columns. We begin with a short essay refreshing the pros and cons of Test Driven Development. Test Driven Development promises a lot of benefits but all is not light, kittens and puppies. Still, TDD is well worth doing if you go into it with your eyes open. Our second column features Kim Pries, the Software Sensei. Kim discusses what makes software "good." The Software Sensei puts the "good" in quotes because it is actually a difficult word to define but Kim is willing to give the discussion a go! In our third column, we return to Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). We tackle Chapter 10 which is titled The Thinking Processes. Thinking processes are key to effectively using Agile, lean and kanban processes. Gene Hughson anchors the cast with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog. In this installment, we discuss the blog entry titled "Learning to Deal with the Inevitable." Gene and I discussed change which is inevitable and innovation which is not quite as inevitable. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 16 and 17. Chapter 16 ends Section One with an interview with Brad Jensen. Section Two addresses the philosophies of XP. Chapter 17 tells the creation story of XP from Beck's point of view. We are going to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Jossey-Bass . This will be a new book for me, therefore, an initial read (I have not read this book yet), not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years! Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy and in a few weeks, we will begin to read the book together. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we will feature our interview with Kupe Kupersmith. Kupe brings his refreshing take on the role of the business analyst in today's dynamic environment. This interview was informative, provocative and entertaining. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 406 features our interview with Erik van Veenendaal. We discussed Agile testing, risk and testing, the Test Maturity Model Integrated (TMMi), and why in an Agile world quality and testing still matter. Erik van Veenendaal (www.erikvanveenendaal.nl) is a leading international consultant and trainer, and a recognized expert in the area of software testing and requirement engineering. He is the author of a number of books and papers within the profession, one of the core developers of the TMap testing methodology, a participant in working parties of the International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB). He is one of the founding members of the TMMi Foundation, the lead developer of the TMMi model and currently a member of the TMMi executive committee. Erik is a frequent keynote and tutorial speaker at international testing and quality conferences. For his major contribution to the field of testing, Erik received the European Testing Excellence Award (2007) and the ISTQB International Testing Excellence Award (2015). You can follow Erik on twitter via @ErikvVeenendaal. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 14 and 15. This week we dive into design and scaling. These chapters address two critical and controversial topics that XP profoundly rethought. I am still collecting thoughts on what to read next. Is it time to start thinking about what is next: a re-read or a new read? Thoughts? Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will focus on our recent revisit of Test Driven Development (TDD). TDD is an important feature of XP that can be (and should be) used if quality and efficiency are important to your organization. We will also have a new column from Steve Tendon (welcome back Steve!) and Gene Hughson AND maybe one more but we will see! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 405 is a cornucopia of topics! We begin by exploring a bit of the psychology of change in four short essays. These topics are important for any change agent at any level to understand. Change at any scale is not an easy task. Change requires establishing a goal, recruiting a sponsor, acquiring a budget, developing a set of plans and then there is the part where the miracle happens and people change. The last step is always the hardest and is often akin to herding cats. Psychology and sociology have identified many of the reasons why people embrace change and innovation in different ways. Our second column is from Jon M. Quigley. We have settled on a name for the column, "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development." In this month's column, we discuss using metrics to dispel assumptions. One item we discussed was using planning poker to expose assumptions and then to find tactics to address them. Anchoring the cast, Jeremy Berriault brings the QA Corner to the Software Process and Measurement Cast. In this installment of the QA Corner, Jeremy talks about whether test automation scripting for new functions should be tackled or not. Jeremy has an opinion and provides advice for testing professionals on a sticky topic. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 12 and 13. This week we tackle two concepts central to XP: planning and testing both done the XP way. We are exactly halfway through the book. We will have seven more installments including an entry for reflections on the overall book. It is time to start thinking about what is next: a re-read or a new read? Thoughts? Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature interview with Erik van Veenendaal. We discussed the Test Maturity Model Integrated, TMMi, and why in an Agile world quality and testing really matter. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 404 features our interview with Ryan Ripley. We discussed The Business of Agile: Better, Faster, Cheaper at Agile. We discussed why having the answer for whether Agile is better, faster and cheaper is still important in the business world. Along the way, we wrestled with the concept of value and why having value sooner is not the same as going fast. Ryan Ripley has worked on agile teams for the past 10 years in development, scrum master, and management roles. He's worked at various Fortune 500 companies in the medical device, wholesale, and financial services industries. Ryan is great at taking tests and holds the PMI-ACP, PSM I, PSM II, PSE, PSPO I, PSD I, CSM and CSPO agile certifications. Ryan lives in Indiana with his wife Kristin and their three children. He blogs at ryanripley.com and hosts the Agile for Humans podcast. You can also follow Ryan on twitter: @ryanripley Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 9 and 10. It is great to see the concepts we explored when we re-read Goldratt's The Goal come back to roost. This week we focus on roles, the definition of team, flow and more flow. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay productivity. A lot of people would tell you productivity does not matter or that discussing productivity in today's Agile world is irrational. They are wrong. Productivity is about jobs. We will also have columns from the QA Corner and for Jon M Quigley. I think 405 might be just a bit controversial. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 403 features our essay on Agile practices at Scale. Scaling Agile is a contentious topic. Frameworks and techniques for scaling are often lambasted as semi-Agile or perhaps even backdoor waterfall techniques. Occasionally you still hear that if a piece of work is too big for one team to complete in a reasonable period of time it should be broken down or just not done. Rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater, many organizations have taken a more pragmatic approach and adopted techniques to scale Agile. We discuss the issues and some of the steps that can be taken to address them! We will also have a visit from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim discusses making real transformations using his experience learning Tai Chi. Kim points out that change like deep learning is not instantaneous. Gene Hughson anchors the cast with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog. We discussed his article titled, NPM, Tay, and the Need for Design. Gene points out that being forewarned is forearmed. While it has always been true, in today's dynamic environment, an architect needs to be forearmed. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 8 and 9. Chapter 8 changes gears and provides advice on how to get started with XP. Beck suggests that there is no single place to start for everyone. Where you start depends on where you are beginning. Chapter 9 provides a list of corollary practices that build on the primary practices discussed in Chapter 7. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Ryan Ripley. We discussed the presentation he is going to do at Agile 2016: The Business of Agile: Better, Faster, Cheaper at Agile. We discussed why having the answer for whether Agile is better, faster and cheaper is still important in the business world! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 402 features our interview with Ulises Torres. Ulises and I talked about how his firm, Intellego, has leveraged Agile and the CMMI to improve quality, increase customer satisfaction and business. Ulises makes a strong argument that for his company, Agile and the CMMI are better together. Ulises Torres has over 24 years of experience in IT, either as a Developer, Team Leader, Project Manager or as an Architect, analyzing, designing, building and implementing a large number of applications, mainly with regard to retail, manufacturing, logistics/distribution and financials. He has worked in software factories, running different projects at the same time and has formal training and proficiency in QA, Scrum, Lean Kanban, Six sigma, OOP, UML, RUP, CMMI and PMI frameworks. Ulises work at Intellego, a development of solutions and information management services company with offices in México,Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Perú, and USA. Contact Information: Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.grupointellego.com/en/the-company/ o http://www.grupointellego.com/la-compania/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue the Re-read Saturday of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 6 and 7. Practices, Beck notes represent endpoints that need to be pursued using "baby steps" but they are at the core of how we practice XP. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will our essay on Agile practices at scale (Meg 2/23, 2/25 3/1 and 3/2 … others?). We will also have a visit from the Software Sensei Kim Pries and Gene Hughson will bring his Form Follows Function Blog to the Software Process and Measurement Cast. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 401 features three columns! We begin with our essay on listening. Every time we answer the phone, interact with a co-worker or even turn on the television we need to hear and interpret the messages that are being sent. Our complicated business and life environments impact how we listen through the situations we face. Listening is important. Like reading, it is fundamental to almost every activity needed to build, enhance or maintain a product; therefore, learning and understanding how to listen, and as importantly how not to listen, are table stakes for getting anything done! Jon M. Quigley's second column discusses the topic of cost, quality, testing and contract closure. All of the parts of a product have to fit together for everyone to feel comfortable and pay the bill! Jeremy Berriault and the QA Corner anchor the cast. I asked Jeremy to talk about whether developers should test. (Don't tell anyone, but the answer is HECK YES.) Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue the Re-read Saturday of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 4 and 5. We do a deep dive into values and principles. Values and principles are the basis for all of the practices we will explore as we read. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Ulises Torres. Ulises and I talked about how his firm, Intellego, has leveraged Agile and the CMMI to improve quality, increase customer satisfaction and business. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 400 features our interview with Jim Benson. Jim and I talked about personal Kanban, micromanagement, work-in-process limits, pattern matching, Pomodoro and more. A great interview to cap our first 400 episodes! Jim's career path has taken him through government agencies, Fortune 10 corporations, and start-ups. Through them all his passion has remained consistent – applying new technologies to workgroups. In each case asking how they can be leveraged to collaborate and cooperate more effectively. Jim loves ideas, creation, and building opportunities. He loves working with teams who are passionate about the future, pushing boundaries, and inclusion. His goal with all technologies is to increase beneficial contact between people and reduce the bureaucratic noise which so often tends to increase costs and destroy creativity. Jim is the author of the Shingo Research Award-winning book Personal Kanban (use the link to buy a copy and support the podcast). He is a noted expert in business process, personal work management, and the application of Lean to personal work and life. Jim believes that the best process is the least process necessary to achieve goals. He has zero tolerance for process waste. All said, Jim enjoys helping people and teams work out sticky problems, an advocate of people actually seeing their work, and inventing new ways to work at the intersection of Lean thinking, brain science, and leadership. Contact Jim Twitter: https://twitter.com/ourfounder LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbenson Personal Kanban: http://www.personalkanban.com/pk/#sthash.MtOA96sV.dpbs Modus Cooperandi: http://moduscooperandi.com/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue the Re-read Saturday of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 2 and 3. The first two chapters in section One provide us with an overview of the conceptual framework that underpins XP. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on listening. Effective listening is CRITICAL to every aspect of software development and maintenance. Listening is a complex set of tasks that is more than simply receiving audio data. You also need to interpret that data. We will also have columns from Jeremy Berriault who brings us the QA Corner and Jon M. Quigley's second column which covers the gamut of product development. 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 399 features our essay titled, Storytelling: Developing The Big Picture for Agile Efforts. Agile reminds us that the focus of any set of requirements needs to be on an outcome rather than a collection of whats and whos. Storytelling is a powerful tool to elevate even the most diehard requirements analyst from a discussion of individual requirements to a discussion of outcomes. Before we can generate a backlog composed of features, epics, and user stories, we need to understand the big picture. Our second column is a visit to Gene Hughson's Form Follows Function Blog. We discussed an entry titled A Meaningful Manifesto for IT. Do we need a manifesto to know that how well we are meeting the needs of our customers is a reflection of how fit IT is for purpose? Perhaps the answer is yes, if for no other purpose than to ensure we make sure that what we deliver is not a waste of money. Anchoring the cast this week is the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim discusses the role of deliberate practice in increasing the capability and capacity of teams. Kim's provides practical advice on improving team performance. Re-Read Saturday News This week we begin the Re-read Saturday of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of the Preface and Chapter 1. These sections provide a definition of XP and context for the diving into the principles and techniques. Using the link to XP Explained when you buy your copy to read along will support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast, #400!, features our interview with Jim Benson. Jim and I talked about personal Kanban, micromanagement, work-in-process limits, pattern matching, pomodoro and more. This was a marvelous interview to commemorate our first 400 shows! 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, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.