Software Process and Measurement Cast

In SPaMCAST 692 we discuss Process Improvement as a phrase or perhaps even a mantra. Uttering the phrase evokes all sorts of baggage and cognitive biases that affect behaviors, not always for the better. What are the listeners of the Software Process and Measurement Cast to do? We also have a visit from Tony TImbol who brings his "To Tell A Story" column to the Podcast. We dive headlong into the tangled world of user stories and agile requirements. Tony also announces his new ebook on agile requirements. Get your own copy! https://bit.ly/3plyiAu Re-Read Saturday News Week 9 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick is about commitment. Over the years I have observed that there are some people who are very committed to adopting a new way of working, some people that pay lip service, and others who flat-out resist. This is obviously a continuum. Update on last week's experiment: I was not able to leverage the concepts of joint design directly. I did use coherence busting techniques again (we are back to situational context). I am going to try again this week and I am also going to experiment with calculating the ratio of defined important words to total important words in conversations that people are trying to generate commitment. Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Week 5 The Fear Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3gahSpt Week 6 The Fear Conversation (Part 2) - https://bit.ly/34lLON4 Week 7 The Why Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3Jg6KE2 Week 8 The Why Conversation (Part 2) – https://bit.ly/34YAsPc Week 9 The Commitment Conversation - https://bit.ly/3pmaooj Next SPaMCAST More AI with a conversation with Prateek Joshi. Mr. Joshi and I talked about the definition of AI, machine learning, and how to test AI (this was just the tip of the iceberg). AI is in your future and it won't be the Matrix or Skywarn (or will it).

In SPaMCAST 69, Kevin McKeel talks about using neurolinguistics to aid in software estimation tools. Is this the end of the world for the software estimating profession or the beginning of a golden age? Probably both, listen and draw your own conclusions. Kevin's Bio Mr. Kevin McKeel has over 25 years of experience in software cost estimation. He is a CCEA and SAFe Architect and received the prestigious 2021 Technical Achievement of the Year award from ICEAA related to the research of automated software sizing using AI and NLP. Mr. McKeel holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration (Finance, '89) from James Madison University and a Master's in Business Administration (Decision Systems, '92) from The George Washington University. LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/kevin-mckeel-2457235 Website: logapps.com Re-Read Saturday News Week 8 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick concludes our read of Chapter 5 addressing the 'Why Conversation'. This week we spent time tackling the concepts of joint design and urging organizations to train team leads in decision making. They are not second class citizens My experiment of the week: Last week I proposed the experiment of creating a position-interest chart during the week. I actually used the technique to help frame an essay for the Software Process and Measurement Podcast within 12 hours of proposing the experiment. I also used the ideas in the approach to reframing several discussions (looking for the positions behind stated positions) during the week. This week I will try to find a scenario to apply the concepts of joint design (no eggs will be harmed). https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Week 5 The Fear Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3gahSpt Week 6 The Fear Conversation (Part 2) - https://bit.ly/34lLON4 Week 7 The Why Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3Jg6KE2 Week 8 The Why Conversation (Part 2) - https://bit.ly/34YAsPc Next SPaMCAST What would you call a person with little training, a lot of responsibility, and little to no real authority? This is not a Dad Joke. I suggest the answer is often a team lead. Also, Mr. Tony Timbol is back to talk about user stories in his To Tell A Story column.

This week we revisit the age-old statements, "I don't want to be measured" and its alter ego, "management will use metrics against me." While often stated as if they are questions, both are positions. We weave in two recent techniques from our Re-read of Agile Conversations to consider the interests behind the statements Also, Jeremy Berriault weighs in on the need for testing strategies in agile on this edition of this QA Corner. Re-Read Saturday News Week 7 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick begins Chapter 5 addressing the 'Why Conversation'. Like the 'Fear Conversation', we will approach this in two parts; focusing this week on two areas, positions and interests, and inquiry and advocacy. We will tackle joint design next week. My experiment of the week: I set out to create a fear matrix – that sounds like a movie title. I failed, BUT more importantly, I was able to use the fear matrix approach as a structure for a retrospective. It worked well. The idea of exposing and mitigating fears shifted perspectives nicely. Interestingly, what was hard was tying the fears and mitigations to an espoused norm. In conversations afterward, it became apparent that it is hard to admit that your behavior is or was at odds with the norms of the team and organization. It will be worth another conversation to make sure the link is clear. Next week, I am going to explore building a position-interest chart. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Week 5 The Fear Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3gahSpt Week 6 The Fear Conversation (Part 2) - https://bit.ly/34lLON4 Week 7 The Why Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3Jg6KE2 Next SPaMCAST Next week Kevin McKeel will visit the SPaMCAST to talk about AI and software estimation tools. Is this the end of the world for the software estimating profession or the beginning of a golden age?

Prabhjot Singh and I talk about AI using AI to improve the flow of work and the delivery of value. AI, however you define it, is in your future. You need to be ready! Mr. Singh's bio: Prabhjot Singh is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple for-profit, social enterprise, and non-profit ventures. He serves as President and CEO of Pyze, the most recent company he founded to enable the world's largest enterprises to improve business operations through AI-driven Process Intelligence and Analytics. He has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and product management. He previously co-founded Pixatel Systems, a social enterprise that utilizes mobile computing to deploy apps and e-Learning solutions to millions of users. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/psinghsf Twitter: https://twitter.com/psinghSF Company Website: https://www.pyze.com/ Re-Read Saturday News Week 6 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick continues on Chapter 4: The Fear Conversation. We discussed two of the three major concepts in Chapter 4 last week, but we did not consider the fear conversation and more specifically the fear chart. Many years ago I worked with a manager, Rich Hisrich at BancSystems/EDS. I was the QA manager at the site. It was through my interaction with RIch that I learned the value of whiteboards and visualization. The fear chart is a visualization tool I can see having great value. My experiment of the week: I am going to double down and commit to creating a fear chart. Whether an opportunity for a fear conversation presents itself, we shall see. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Week 5 The Fear Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3gahSpt Week 6 The Fear Conversation (Part 2) - https://bit.ly/34lLON4 Next SPaMCAST Next week we continue an essay refining how we are using Flow Metrics in 2022 to … manage flow (surprise) rather than micromanaging tasks or kidding ourselves with relative sizing techniques. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault and his QA Corner.

Continuous improvement through inspecting and adapting is a core tenant of an agile mindset, which dovetails well with every executive's need to deliver the most value possible. Measurement is an important tool to help teams and organizations ask the right questions at the right time. Flow metrics, not burndowns and velocity, need to be a big part of any IT organization's approach to measurement. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. Jon discusses the complicated relationship between time, work entry, and promises. Have you checked out The Open Transformation Playbooks Martin Foster discussed last week? If not, you are missing something important. https://transformationplaybooks.org/ The Open Transformation Playbooks is an initiative to build an open, remixable, body of knowledge for agile organizational transformation. Re-Read Saturday News Week 5 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick tackles Chapter 4: The Fear Conversation. Fear has a significant impact on what we think and how we behave. The changes that fear drives don't stop at the individual, the behavior changes ripple through organizations. My experiment of the week: Update on last week's experiment. I was able to use some of the ideas from the trust conversation this week. I actually used the statement, "the story I am telling myself is . . ." in a real conversation twice. The first time it felt contrived; it is much easier to state something as fact than to admit it might not be true. For both conversations, I had created a conversation analysis sheet to record the conversation. I need conversation analysis practice. Also, both conversations would have gone better with a copy of the trust ladder close at hand. This week's experiment. I would like to try to generate a fear chart and have a fear conversation. I am still considering what type of job aids will be most useful. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Week 5 The Fear Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3gahSpt Next SPaMCAST Next week Prabhjot Singh and I talk about AI. If you are a developer or entrepreneur, AI (however you define it) is in your future. You need to be ready! Mr. Singh is a serial entrepreneur who has started multiple for-profit, social enterprise, and non-profit ventures. He serves as President and CEO of Pyze. Continuous improvement through inspecting and adapting is a core tenant of an agile mindset, which dovetails well with every executive's need to deliver the most value possible. Measurement is an important tool to help teams and organizations ask the right questions at the right time. Flow metrics, not burndowns and velocity, need to be a big part of any IT organization's approach to measurement. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. Jon discusses the complicated relationship between time, work entry, and promises. Have you checked out The Open Transformation Playbooks Martin Foster discussed last week? If not, you are missing something important. https://transformationplaybooks.org/ The Open Transformation Playbooks is an initiative to build an open, remixable, body of knowledge for agile organizational transformation. Re-Read Saturday News Week 5 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick tackles Chapter 4: The Fear Conversation. Fear has a significant impact on what we think and how we behave. The changes that fear drives don't stop at the individual, the behavior changes ripple through organizations. My experiment of the week: Update on last week's experiment. I was able to use some of the ideas from the trust conversation this week. I actually used the statement, "the story I am telling myself is . . ." in a real conversation twice. The first time it felt contrived; it is much easier to state something as fact than to admit it might not be true. For both conversations, I had created a conversation analysis sheet to record the conversation. I need conversation analysis practice. Also, both conversations would have gone better with a copy of the trust ladder close at hand. This week's experiment. I would like to try to generate a fear chart and have a fear conversation. I am still considering what type of job aids will be most useful. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Week 5 The Fear Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3gahSpt Next SPaMCAST Next week Prabhjot Singh and I talk

Today we begin Year 16 with an interview, discussion, conversation -- call it what you like -- with Martin Foster. We covered a ton of ground, including whether the goal of any organization should be to be more agile and the 2021 Business Agility Report. During one segment we discussed the statement, "the impediments are the path." A wonderful and thought-provoking start to Year 16! ANNOUNCING: The Open Transformation Playbooks: https://transformationplaybooks.org/ A (very new) initiative to build an open, remixable, body of knowledge for agile organizational transformation. To accompany this episode Martin and TeamForm have launched the first tranche of content. Martin's Contact Information: 2021 Business Agility Report: https://bit.ly/3GXfzBJ TeamForm: https://www.teamform.co/ Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/martinfoster Martin's Bio Martin is a senior consultant at TeamForm. His passion is working with organizations that are transforming themselves to cross-functional team structures, with all the nuances, benefits, and challenges that this brings. With his past experience as a product owner and engineer, he enjoys bringing data into the people conversation. Re-Read Saturday News Week 4 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick tackles Chapter 3: The Trust Conversation. Trust is a requirement for people to work together toward a common goal. Misters Squirrel and Fredrick define trust as aligned stories. My experiment of the week: First an update on my experiment from last week. I found that I need to create a job aid for conversational analysis in order to practice the R's from Chapter 2. I must admit that not preparing for conversational analysis creates a scenario where I am looking back and trying to remember conversations, which makes them more susceptible to bias. This week I am going to create a job aid for trust conversations, then find two or three scenarios to practice. Practice will include the R's from Chapter 2. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Next SPaMCAST Next week our first essay of Year 16 with thoughts on flow metrics and why focusing on flow is powerful, important, and causes people to run around like their hair is on fire. Hopefully, we can dampen the blaze down a bit.

Today marks the end of year 15 on the Software Process and Measurement Cast, and we are closing the year with pitchfork and torches. We discussed the world of knowledge work in 2022. Leadership, principles, value, and values take center stage. Panels like this make me want to do panels every week! The panelists (other than myself) are: Jeremy Berriault https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-berriault-mba/ Web: https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Jon M Quigley linkedin.com/in/jonmquigley Web: https://www.valuetransform.com/product-development-tools/ Kevin Rush linkedin.com/in/kezrush Twitter: @Kezrush Chris Hurney linkedin.com/in/chrishurney Web: https://www.inspiradoconsulting.com/ Twitter: chris_hurney Participating in spirit (they were on part one last week) Susan Parente Susan Parente linkedin.com/in/susanparente Twitter: @TechRiskManager Jeremy Willets linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets Blog: https://www.jeremywillets.com/ Re-Read Saturday News Week 3 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick tackles Chapter 2, Improving Your Conversations. Chapter 2 begins the heavy lifting of improving conversations. This is a chapter I strongly suggest reading at least twice while you are putting the ideas into practice. The authors spend the first part of the chapter building a case for why conversations are so powerful. The authors state that through conversation "we are able to create and believe in shared fictions." There is a ton to think about and practice! My experiment of the week: First an update on my conversation experiment from last week. Last week I wanted to review my conversations to determine if I was correctly assessing scenarios using the Cynefin Framework. There was at least one conversation where I misjudged the complexity. Whereas the participants viewed the scenario being discussed to be complicated (the solution being a framework or best practices), I viewed the scenario as complex or possibly chaotic. The differences in mental models made the conversation tense and ungratifying. In my mind, my failure was not recognizing the issue until I was reviewing the conversation after the fact (one of the Four Rs in Chapter 2). I think a better approach, for me, will be to assess the complexity of the scenario before the conversion in the future. Perhaps a form of conversational premortem. This week I am going to use the conversational analysis process on two or three different types of hard conversations – my weeks are always interesting. One of the areas I am interested in contemplating is whether different kinds of conversations have different question ratios. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Next SPaMCAST Next week we have an interview with Martin Foster. Mr. Foster and I wrestle with the question, "Why don't most agile transformations deliver tangible business value?" A valuable start to year 16 and 2022!

One of the fun parts of programming the Software Process and Measurement Cast is getting diverse groups of people together to chat. In this edition of the podcast, Jon M Quigley, Jeremy Willets, Jeremy Berriault, Kevin Rush, Susan Parente, and myself convened to discuss what we learned about work in 2021. The last few years have been extraordinary -- both good and bad. When you live in times like these it is incumbent on all of us to learn from them. The panelists (other than myself) are: Jeremy Berriault https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-berriault-mba/ Web: https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Susan Parente linkedin.com/in/susanparente Web: http://www.s3-tec.com/ Jon M Quigley linkedin.com/in/jonmquigley Web: https://www.valuetransform.com/product-development-tools/ Kevin Rush linkedin.com/in/kezrush Twitter: @Kezrush Jeremy Willets linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets Blog: https://www.jeremywillets.com/ Re-Read Saturday News Week 2 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick tackles Chapter 1, Escaping the Software Factory. The idea that software development and maintenance fit a factory model in which people are fungible and that processes are deterministic is a thing in 2021 (as it was when this book was written). I have always been hard-pressed to buy the factory/manufacturing model. I have worked on an assembly line. One of the jobs I had was building tires for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company at their plant in Memphis. That job was one of the reasons I made sure I went to university. Whether the assembly line model was truly appropriate even for tire manufacturing would be interesting to debate (the plant is gone, no amount of scientific management could save it). At the very least, software development and maintenance are better served by team-based collaborative approaches. Words like team-based and collaboration require communication (something that did not happen on the assembly line, except when we had union meetings) so that rigid processes and micromanagement can be minimized. My experiment of the week: I originally planned to begin experimenting with the ideas from Agile Conversations with Chapter 2; however, Chapter 1 reminded me of the need to take a mindset-centered approach to change and to incorporate the ideas from Cynefin. I will review my decisions this week to assess whether I am getting lazy and assuming that situations are more deterministic than complex, and therefore not putting myself in the right place to collaborate. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 (Affiliate Link) Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Next SPaMCAST Next week features a second panel discussion with some of the same people (and a new mixer) with a focus on hopes and aspirations for 2022 and beyond. Next week will spike the ball on year 15 of the Software Process and Measurement Cast.

SPaMCAST 684 posts on January 2nd, 2022. The new year evokes both retrospection and expectations for the future. 2021 was quite the year; SPaMCAST 635 marked the beginning of our 15th year of publishing with a conversation with Johanna Rothman (SPaMCAST 635 - Practical Ways to Manage, A Conversation with Johanna Rothman). That was our most downloaded cast of 2021. In late August I lost a podcast . . . (a summer rerun), SPaMCAST 668 has attained the status of the Lost Show. Somehow while I was backpacking on Isle Royale the preprogrammed show failed to post. I have a backup but it is more fun to have a lost cast. I will rectify the situation at some point when I stop being amused. The year ended with my 12-year-old mixer going to the electronics recycler. The new mixer should be delivered soon. Even with all of the hassle, I have been able to do three great interviews and two related panel discussions that will round out year 15 and kick-off year 16. That's the long way to say that even though I am struggling through a website issue and a switchover of hardware, I am currently planning years 16 and 17. Happy New Year, and now back to our regularly scheduled programming with Tony Timbol and his To Tell A Story column. This installment tackles product owners and work entry. Re-Read Saturday News Starting a re-read is a great way to start the new year. Today we start into Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick by charting the predicted course of the re-read and touching on the introduction. The version of the book I am reading is the paperback version copyrighted 2020 by IT Revolution. The book consists of an introduction, seven numbered chapters, a conclusion, and 20 pages of end matter. All of this is over 223 pages. It is my intent to cover this book over 9 weeks using the chapters as pacing. This book has similarities with Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg in that this book demands action. Therefore like that re-read, as we get to chapter 2 I will begin identifying how I will experiment with the knowledge each chapter delivers. As I have discovered over the years reading technical and self-improvement books, if you do not experiment with ideas they fade quickly regardless of their value. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - Next SPaMCAST Next week features part 1 of a 2 part panel discussion (both parts have slightly different participants), discussing the world of knowledge work circa 2021 and pontifications about the shape of work in 2022.

Ben Woznicki and I talk about the book and ideas inside the covers of Team Topologies. Ben provides a great deal of advice on creating teams that are fit for purpose. Ben and I have worked together, hosted a video podcast together, and more -- it is a great conversation. Ben is an Organizational Health Coach: Helping you deliver sooner, with higher confidence, and more consistency. Ben has 10 years of experience with all facets of technical and business agility and organizational transformation. He collaborates with, trains, mentors, and coaches at all levels to smooth the transition to Lean and Agile ways of delivering value. And aligns transformation efforts to organizational objectives so everyone is on the same page. Contact InformationLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwoz/ Email: [email protected] Re-Read Saturday News We have just completed our re-read of Project to Product ( https://amzn.to/2WzvPac - Amazon Affiliate link). Next week we begin our re-read of Agile Conversations: Transform Your Conversations, Transform Your Culture – https://amzn.to/3sfK55q (affiliate link). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Week 10:Value Stream Management - https://bit.ly/3ESfhv2 Week 11: The Conclusion - https://bit.ly/3e5d83c Next SPaMCAST Next week we begin 2022 with a reflection on the economic rationale for breaking work down into smaller pieces. We will also have a visit from Tony Timbol and his To Tell A Story Column.

At the end of the year, planning and prioritization take center stage. We can only really prioritize work, needs, and dreams that are within our span of control. That does not stop people from trying to prioritize work that is not theirs to prioritize. We also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her I'm Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast. This month we talk about getting leadership right. It is possible! Re-Read Saturday News As 2021 comes to a close we bring our re-read of Project to Product to a close as well (buy a copy and dive into the book https://amzn.to/2WzvPac - Amazon Affiliate link). The conclusion of the book brings the discussion back as a reflection on the turning point of the Age of Software. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Week 10:Value Stream Management - https://bit.ly/3ESfhv2 Week 11: The Conclusion - https://bit.ly/3e5d83c Next SPaMCAST Next week, we will have a special show. Ben Wozniki and I talked about team topologies (the idea and the book). Ben and I have worked together, hosted a video podcast together, and more -- this was more of a conversation than an interview.

This week we touch on a topic that is near and dear to my heart, work entry, with an essay titled Prioritization Without Control of Work Entry. I am tempted to suggest that without control over what you can say yes to, the whole idea of prioritization is a farce. The answer is more complicated, but only a little. We also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault who brings his QA Corner to the cast. This week we discuss measuring testing -- it is more than just pass/fail. Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 9 of Project to Product (buy a copy and re-read the book with us https://amzn.to/2WzvPac Amazon Affiliate Link) ties the three layers of the author's model together and exposes the third epiphany from his visit to the BMW plant that has been the central plot element of the book. The chapter puts all the parts together. But instead of relating how he connects the infrastructure, I want to focus on how important it is to generate an end-to-end view of work for any software-intensive product. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Week 10:Value Stream Management - https://bit.ly/3ESfhv2 Next SPaMCAST Next week, more on work entry and prioritization (it is at the top of my priority list unless I don't have control over my work entry). We will also spend time with Susan Parente and her I Not A Scrumdamentalist column.

This week Mauricio Aguiar and Christine Green join me to discuss the state and future of Software Measurement. Mauricio, Christine, and I are all recent Past Presidents of the International Function Point Users Group (the largest international software measurement association). The conversation is both provocative and enlightening. Note, the audio of my voice is a little muffled but the important parts of the conversation come from Christine's and Mauricio's lips. I know what the issue was and have added a step to my interview checklist. Bios Mauricio Aguiar is the founder of TI Metricas, a leading software measurement company based in Brazil. He holds a bachelor's degree in Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Mauricio was elected President of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) for 2005-2007 and also for 2017-2019, after serving on the IFPUG Board since 2000. Mauricio was involved with the implementation of function point analysis and metrics programs in many Brazilian and multinational organizations. As a second career, he now does pro-bono work as a hypnotherapist. Christine is the founder of IP by Green, senior consultant, and past president of IFPUG. Re-Read Saturday News This week, Chapter 8 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). The chapter is titled Specialized Tools and the Value Stream. I was presented with a scenario this week in which product, UX, development, testing, and security operated within their own boundaries with their own goals and tools — silos. Chapter 8 has something to say about the impact of silos. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Next SPaMCAST Next week we will continue our exploration of the team lead's role in agile frameworks. As with anything that involves humans and hierarchies the role is not straightforward. We will also return to the QA Corner to visit Jeremy Berriault

As we begin counting down to the end of the year, I would like to consider the team lead's role. It is a nearly ubiquitous role in organizations, but is almost never talked about in agile frameworks. We begin our journey into the role by establishing three examples to help understand how the role is practiced and why it can generate friction if not addressed when adopting frameworks. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the cast. This week we talk about the idea of descoping and its role in work entry. Done early, descoping is a tool while done after you have made commitments it makes a tool out of you. Re-Read Saturday News Nearly 30 hours of driving, Thanksgiving, and far too few hours with a large part of my extended family kept me from completing the re-read of Chapter 8 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). We will be back next week to talk about the problems caused by role and tool disconnection across the value chain (silos). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Next SPaMCAST Next week Mauricio Aguliar and Christine Green join me to discuss the state and future of Software Measurement. Mauricio, Christine, and I are all recent Past Presidents of the International Function Point Users Group (the largest international software measurement association). The conversation will be provocative and enlightening.

This week we are taking a quick journey into a discussion of prioritization outside of a team or an organization's span of control. It is easy to confuse influence and actually be able to exert control over an outcome. Wishful thinking often can lead to frustration. Tony TImbol also brings his "To Tell A Story" column to the cast building on the ideas that are central fro good user stores. Check out Tony's Product Owner training events at http://tonytimbol.com/events/ This week to talk about the product owner's role in writing and maintaining user stories. Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 7 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). This week we consider Mik's first two epiphanies and introduce the topic of network value streams. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Next SPaMCAST Next week an essay on the role of the team lead in Scrum. As Mellisa Greller points out, the role of the TL is often overlooked. When a role is overlooked it causes friction. Unless you are starting a campfire, friction is not a great idea. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley (i know I said that last week but this week we recorded the next few Alpha and Omega of Product Development columns).

Today we will speak to Kit Merker, COO of Nobl9 about Service Level Objectives (SLO). Kit provides down-to-earth advice for adopting and using SLOs to benefit teams AND organizations. Kit's bio: Kit Merker's 20+ year career spans product management, engineering, evangelism and community-building roles at Google, Microsoft, JFrog, and the governing board of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). He is currently Chief Operating Officer for Nobl9, driving community and growth for service reliability for enterprise development teams. Contact information: linkedin.com/in/kitmerker (LinkedIn) kitmerker.com (Personal Website) nobl9.com (Company Website) @KitMerker (Twitter) Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 6 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). In the chapter the author tells four stories of disruption -- they are interesting in their own right. Still, if we look for a common thread I would suggest the communication needed to manage the balance between flow items (features, defects, risks, and debts). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 8: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Next SPaMCAST Next week an essay on the role of the team lead in Scrum. As Mellisa Greller points out, the role of the TL is often overlooked. When a role is overlooked it causes friction. Unless you are starting a campfire, friction is not a great idea. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley.

Today we feature our interview with Vincent Hendersen. We talked about scaling agility up -- not the same as scaling agile. Mr. Hendersen and I discussed thinking about agile as a service to align team and portfolio. This is a most thought-provoking interview. The idea of thinking about agile teams as a subscription model shifts the whole agile paradigm. Vincent's bio: Vincent Henderson is an operations and product executive in B2B organizations that use knowledge and technology to create value. He has transformed information supply chains and content-driven businesses across 10 countries, 5 industries, and 3 decades. Vincent is a business technologist. He enjoys building rational and purposeful teams that focus on concrete, meaningful outcomes. He had his first Agile workshop about 10 years ago with Tom Cagley and Anthony Mersino. Since that watershed moment of insight, he has implemented and run Agile product development in the 4 different organizations that he has led since. As a business leader who rolls out Agile as part of his leadership practice, he has developed unique insights around how Agile fits within the broader context of business management. Contact information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vhenderson/ https://www.ludditesandexecutives.io/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 5 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). As the previous chapters have highlighted, we can measure the flow items that enter and exit a value stream. There are a number of suitcase words (words that have many ideas packed in them) in that statement, such as value streams and flow items. Chapter 5 of Project to Product connects flow items and metrics to business results. The integrated view is where the real power of the model is found (but only if you bite the bullet and understand the value streams in the organization). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Next SPaMCAST Next week, another interview takes center stage. We will speak to Kit Merker, COO of Nobl9 about Service Level Objectives (SLO). Kit provides down-to-earth advice for adopting and using SLOs to benefit teams AND organizations.

This week we continue the priority theme with an essay titled, "What is a Priority?" I wish it was a simple question. Since the whole idea of priority is premised on a group of people having a shared perspective and definition this is a question that needs to be asked and answered. We also have a visit from Susan Parente with her I'm Not A Scrumdamentalist column. In this installment, we tackle bad leadership (I wish tackle was not used metaphorically). Upcoming Events Out of Control Work Entry Means "No Agile For You" November 4, 2021 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EST In this webinar, we will use five common patterns of work entry to highlight team dysfunctions of poor work entry practices. We will also explore a path forward for each work entry pattern to help improve the delivery of business value. Register Now: https://bit.ly/3q1yWnw Re-Read Saturday News I was busy preparing for my webinar, Out of Control Work Entry Means "No Agile For You" and did not complete Chapter 5's re-read of Project to Product. https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). We will be back next week. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Next SPaMCAST Next week we will feature our interview with Vincent Hendersen. We talked about scaling agility up -- not the same as scaling agile. Mr. Hendersen and I discussed thinking about agile as a service to align team and portfolio.

In the essay today, prioritization requires a steady hand and consistency. The process for prioritization should have more in common with a well-oiled basketball or futbol team than five-year-olds playing soccer in the schoolyard. How the moving parts work together is a process, but in some circles, "process" is a dirty word. On the conversation side, Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the cast. We discuss test automation plans and strategies in agile. Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! This Week!! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! While you can attend the Summit for free, there are a number of innovative options to learn even more from the Summit. Please join the premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021. Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Re-Read Saturday News This week, we dive into Chapter 4 of Project to Product titled Capturing Flow Metrics. https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). Why capture flow metrics? The four components of the flow distribution reflect the investment pattern within the value stream. That pattern is a direct reflection of the value delivered by an organization. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Next SPaMCAST Next week another essay, perhaps even the promised Why Pragmatic Has Become Code For Half-assed. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente with her I Am Not A Scrumdamentalist column.

Today, we feature an essay titled, So I Asked What Is Agile. A simple question that yields interesting answers. One interesting outcome was that answers fit into three categories. We explore the process and people-oriented groups this week. I will come back to the rant category later this month. In addition to the essay, Tony Timbol brings his To Tell A Story column to the cast! In this installment, the product owner's role is under the microscope. Check out Tony's website at https://bit.ly/2Z1IrIg Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! The clock is ticking - loudly! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! While you can attend the Summit for free, there are a number of innovative options to learn even more from the Summit. Please join the premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021. Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Re-Read Saturday News This week, we are taking a break from Project to Product. Remember to buy a copy today https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link) and we will be back next week. Previous Week's Installment: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Next SPaMCAST Kyle Siemens returns to the podcast to talk about certifications and running a testing business. Kyle does not shy away from hard topics in a world that is certification crazy.

Until this week, Disciplined Agile was a topic we had not investigated on the Software Process and Measurement Cast. DA is an approach to scaling agile development. Today, Jonathan Lee and I discuss Disciplined Agile and reinventing yourself to stay relevant in a dynamic world. Mr. Lee's Bio: Jonathan has over 25 years of diversified IT consulting experience working with private and public sector clients. His latest passion is in agile coaching and delivering Disciplined Agile training to individuals and organizations that want to transform themselves to practice Business Agility. Jonathan is a Certified Disciplined Agile Instructor (CDAI). Jonathan has volunteered at PMI Chicagoland Chapter for many years serving on the board including serving as the Chapter President for 3 years in the past. Jonathan is a frequent speaker at PMI chapters in North America. Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jonathanleepmp Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! The clock is ticking! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! While you can attend the Summit for free, there are a number of innovative options to learn even more from the Summit. Please join the premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021, Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Re-Read Saturday News One of the most influential books in my career was Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister. One concept in the book was the concept of flow state, being fully in the zone so that a problem or piece of work can be focused on and delivered. Flow maximizes the amount of value delivered. Demarco and Lister's introduction to flow paved the way for my interest in The Flow Framework. Chapter 3 of Project to Product introduces the Flow Framework. Buy a copy today https://amzn.to/2WzvPac This Week's Installment: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Next SPaMCAST Next week we have an essay titled, What is Agile? There are a few things that just need to be said. For example, just because you are doing ceremonies doesn't make you agile and might just make you fragile. In addition, Tony Timbol brings his To Tell A Story column to the cast! In this installment, the product owner's role is under the microscope.

I deviated from the plan this week and recorded a conversation with my colleague, mentor, and friend Anthony Mersino (Anthony was last on the podcast SPaMCAST 583 http://bit.ly/3aJMw51 ). Our chat, titled, "Is Your Scrum Master The Problem?" Our conversation looks at transactive memory from the point of view of teams and Scrum Masters. Is it a boon or a train wreck? Anthony has also published a version of the conversation at https://bit.ly/3ux0Fge We also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her I'm Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast. I have titled this conversation, "I Have A WIP Problem". Ok so maybe both Susan and I have a lot on our plates, but we have the tools to tackle the problem. We talk about how to get your WIP under control. Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! While you can attend the Summit for free, there are a number of innovative options to learn even more from the Summit, the early bird pricing on those options is nearly gone. Please join the premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021, Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Re-Read Saturday News In Chapter 1, The Age of Software, Kersten established that we were at or just past a turning point; those that do not embrace change will face grave difficulties surviving to the next cycle. As a consultant, I work with companies wrestling with trying to transform. Not all succeed for a variety of reasons. In this chapter, the author highlights and compares the lessons derived from his visit to the BMW plant, his study of the development of the Boeing Dreamliner, and the transformation failures at Nokia and a large bank. Buy a copy today https://amzn.to/2WztOuE This Week's Installment: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Next SPaMCAST Next week, Jonathan Lee and I discuss Disciplined Agile. DA is an approach to scaling agile development. We will discuss how DA is different from other approaches and when Johnathan would recommend using DA.

Luis Gonçalves and I talked about his new book introducing the ADAPT Methodology. We discussed why using a framework can help leaders stay relevant. Our conversation dovetails nicely into the Re-read Saturday focus on Project to Product. There is a lot of synergy between the ideas of Kersten and Gonçalves. Luis's Bio: Luis Gonçalves is an Entrepreneur, Best Seller Author, and International Keynote Speaker. When consulting he works exclusively with Entrepreneurs, Founders, and Senior Leaders on the implementation of his game-changing "ADAPT Methodology". By following the "ADAPT Methodology" Executive Leaders will be able to assess the 5 main pillars of their organization by identifying gaps that are required for them to succeed as a modern and digital leaders. He has been successfully involved in the software industry since 2003 and his company blog https://www.adaptmethodology.com/ is considered a 'must-read' for everyone in the software development industry. Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! While you can attend the Summit for free, there are a number of innovative options to learn even more from the Summit, the early bird pricing on those options is nearly gone. Please join the premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021, Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 1 begins Part 1 of Project to Product (there are 3 parts to the book). This part of the book introduces the Flow Framework, the core of the book. The graphic showing the whole model is the first thing you see when you open this part of the book which anchors the importance of the model for the rest of the book. Buy a copy today This Week's Installment: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Next SPaMCAST Next week, an essay titled, What is Agile. There are a few things that just need to be said. For example, just because you are doing ceremonies doesn't make you agile and might just make you fragile. In addition, Susan Parente will bring her I'm Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast.

As a coach, I use and observe transactive memory all the time. Used wisely, transactive memory means a team can be more than the sum of its individual members. Mess it up and you might as well put your hand in a running garbage disposal. For example, my wife remembers things like special events and then clues me in…if she is around. This year I missed an important birthday. Coaches and Scrum Masters often act as the official process memory for teams until they move on . . . you can guess what happens next. This week we explore when transactive memory works and when it does not. Also, Jeremy Berriault and I discuss helping improve Daily Scrums in his QA Corner column. Note: I have been made aware that SPaMCAST 667 is missing in action. I am trying to track the issue down. Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! Please join the premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021, Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Re-Read Saturday News This week we begin our re-read of Mik Kersten's Project to Product. I am reading from my Kindle version published by IT Revolution (buy a copy). Today we are tackling the front matter which includes the Foreword by Gene Kim (author of the DevOps Handbook) and the Introduction, which is titled the Turning Point. In past re-reads, I have argued strongly that jumping immediately to the core of a book is a mistake, I again urge you not to make that mistake. Buy a copy today https://amzn.to/3nHC5YK This Week's Installment: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Next SPaMCAST Next week we discuss the ADAPT Methodology with Luis Gonçalves. We discussed how using a framework can help leaders stay relevant. Based on the discussion of long-wave economic models in this week's Re-read Saturday, Mr. Gonçalves' ideas provide a useful framework for building a more robust change model as we approach a more competitive part of the long-term cycle. It is exciting to see the explosion of new ideas synthesizing practical experience and theory coming to market. A Luis points out, perhaps the lockdowns during the pandemic have a silver lining.

We are back from backpacking on Isle Royale. Simply awesome. Today, we feature a discussion with Tom Henricksen. You know Tom from the Agile Online Summit and the Dev Ops Online Summit however Tom is more than just the Summits. Today we discuss learning and then get into whether hybrid working scenarios are all they are cracked up to be. I am not sure we agreed. Tom Henricksen is a technology professional with over 20 years of technical experience. He has worked as a developer, Team Lead, Scrum Master, and Manager. Tom is the founder of the Agile Online Summit! Use this link: https://agileonlinesummit.shop/?utm_source=aftomas Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! Please join the premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021, Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Re-Read Saturday News Next week we will begin to read Mik Kersten's Project to Product. I will be reading from the Kindle version of the book published by IT Revolution. The book includes a foreword, introduction, nine numbered chapters, a conclusion, and resources (we will not re-read this section). This works out to be 342 numbered pages for the Kindle Version. I have read this book twice, most recently during a book club (I hang around with geeks), and actively leverage the ideas from the book in my practice. Buy a copy today Whether you are just beginning fall or spring, I look forward to reflecting on Project to Product with you starting next Saturday. Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! Please join the Premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021, Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Next SPaMCAST Next week we discuss transactive memory. My wife remembers things like special events and then clues me in…if she is around. Coaches and Scrum Masters often act as the official process memory for teams until they don't. When they move on, the team more often than not forget and revert back to other ways of working. Transactive memory is efficient, a team is more than the accumulation of memories they all share, but has risks. I missed calling my father's on his birthday this year - a failure in so many ways but also a failure of transactive memory. Jeremy Berriault will also bring his QA Corner to the podcast.

The SPaMCAST is on summer holiday for the next two weeks (SPaMCAST 666 and SPaMCAST 667. Today we are featuring an interview released on December 27, 2015, with Gerald (Jerry) M. Weinberg. Gerald Weinberg is the author of more than 100 books, including the best-selling Secrets of Consulting, other non-fiction series, and the ever-popular Women of Power novels. He is a principal in the international consulting firm of Weinberg and Weinberg. The festschrift, The Gift of Time (Fiona Charles, ed.) honors his work for his 75th birthday. A website for Jerry's fans may be found at http://www.geraldmweinberg.com . A talk with Jerry was always profound, and I must admit that Jerry's humor caused me to laugh more times than I can count during our conversation. Mr. Weinberg died on August 7, 2018, I wish I had interviewed him more times for the podcast. Re-Read Saturday News The poll for the next book in the series has begun! Note there are two books in the list I have not read. I am planning to read them and have been highly recommended. Therefore I would be happy to read them with you rather than re-read them with you. I will close the poll when I leave radio silence on August 28th'ish. This week we highlight our re-read of the Goal by Ely Goldratt. Check out the reposting of one of the most popular entities and then grab your copy and read along will all of the entries. Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! Tom Henricksen delivers one of the most innovative online conferences. This year he has upped the bar again! Please join the Premier Agile Online Conference from October 25th to 27th, 2021, Register at https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Next SPaMCAST Next week, the SPaMCAST will be the second week of our summer holiday. We will feature another interview from the archives. Show 37 was my first interview with Ed Yourdon. I have titled the interview, "Collaborate or Die!" A bit over the top you say, well Denis Waitley once said, "online or in the bread line." I think I was right. Ed died in January 2016 as he was pursuing his love of photography.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 665 features our essay on the organizational aspects that impact teams. Teams don't live in a vacuum, so when the word organization gets used it reflects the influence of all sorts of organizations. Organizations facilitate teams to a greater or lesser extent. In the workplace, the employer's organization will have the most significant impact on how teams form and perform but it is not the totality. Other influences can affect the structure and performance of teams. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who will bring his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. In this installment, Jon and I discussed the idea of making decisions at the last responsible moment. We decided on the topic just before we began recording (just kidding). The SPaMCAST will be on summer holiday for the next two weeks. We will be re-releasing two favorite episodes from the archives to tide you over. Re-Read Saturday News This week concluded our re-read of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg with the Afterword and some final thoughts. This book received my highest accolade for non-fiction books, "Very Useful." I will have to read the book again in a year or so to see what nuances I missed. I think putting the ideas in the book to use every week drove the ideas home and exposed where I had misinterpreted the book during my first read. In this week's experiment, I was able to move the phone further from the bed (I need to buy an alarm clock to move it outside of the room). Did I sleep more? I am not sure, but I am sure I was able not to look at the phone until I got up for the day which is a step. I also was able to make sure I used my standing desk more which helped my energy level near the end of the day (and made my feet sore -- shoes maybe?). The poll for the next book in the series has begun! Note there are two books in the list I have not read yet that I am going to read and have been highly recommended. Therefore I would be happy to read them with you rather than re-read them with you. I will close the poll when I leave radio silence on August 28th'ish. https://poll.fm/10902769 Mik Kersten - Project to Product Charles Duhigg - The Power of Habit Tony Bouzón - The Mind Map Book Chris Voss - Never Split The Difference Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick - Agile Conversations Karin Tenelius and Lisa Gill - Moose Heads on the Table This week's Re-read entry: Week 10 - Afterword and Afterthoughts - https://bit.ly/3gmWP3v Previous Entries in Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Week 1 – Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface – https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 – Introduction – https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 3 – Monotasking In A Nutshell – https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Week 4 – Cut Down on Things to Do – https://bit.ly/3wt1ENL Week 5 – Focus on One Task – https://bit.ly/3hK2XDU Week 6 – Never Procrastinate – https://bit.ly/2UXPDDp Week 7 – Progress Incrementally – https://bit.ly/3lk8Fi0 Week 8 – Simplify Cooperation – https://bit.ly/3yAVQne Week 9 - Recharge Creative Thinking - https://bit.ly/3g3h0TQ Upcoming Events The Agile Online Summit! The Premier Agile Online Conference! October 25th to 27th, 2021, Live and recorded https://bit.ly/3mplqIK Next SPaMCAST Next week, the SPaMCAST will be on summer holiday. In lieu of new content, we will present an interview released on December 27, 2015, with Gerald (Jerry) M. Weinberg. We discussed quality and how quality is related to value. A talk with Jerry is always profound; however, I must admit that Jerry's humor caused me to laugh more times than I can count during our conversation. Mr. Weinberg died on August 7, 2018, I wish I had interviewed him more times for the podcast.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 664 features our interview with Sunny Han, CEO and Founder of Fulcrum. Sunny and I talked about motivation, we talked agile development, and we talked about what it takes to see a vision through to reality. The ideas about engineering a communication architecture are phenomenal. Sunny Han is the CEO and Founder of Fulcrum, a manufacturing ERP platform dedicated to helping manufacturers build a better future. He led Fulcrum to raise a $3.1M seed round of venture capital in 2020. Sunny is dedicated to delivering a connected future where frictionless manufacturing production and supply chains lead to faster and better product innovations. "There's no future of innovation that doesn't include innovation in manufacturing." LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yusunnyhan Website: fulcrumpro.com Email: [email protected] Twitter: sunnythehan Re-Read Saturday News This week we focus on Chapter 7 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. This chapter is titled "Recharge Creative Thinking." This chapter really is about the self-care needed to be both effective and creative. There are a number of ideas in this chapter that if you're not familiar with them are frankly just really good ideas. Many of the ideas in this chapter I have been using for years and some of the inferred issues I am still working on. As my experiment for this week, I would love to say that I am going to sleep more. What I will do is to move my phone away from the bed so I can't get to it easily after I lay down. I will also work to have an equal mix of sitting and standing. Next week we will complete our re-read of Monotasking covering the Afterword from the book and some closing notes from me. We'll also start the poll to pick the next book in the series. The entries for the weeks of August 28th and September 5th will feature reprints. I am going backpacking and turning off all communication devices. As we prepare for the next book, is there a book you think we should "re-read"? If you have ideas please let me know and I will add them to the list of current possibles: Mik Kersten - Project to Product Charles Duhigg - The Power of Habit Tony Bouzón - The Mind Map Book Chris Voss - Never Split The Difference Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick - Agile Conversations This week's Re-read entry: Week 9 - Recharge Creative Thinking - Previous Entries in Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Week 1 – Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface – https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 – Introduction – https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 3 – Monotasking In A Nutshell – https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Week 4 – Cut Down on Things to Do – https://bit.ly/3wt1ENL Week 5 – Focus on One Task – https://bit.ly/3hK2XDU Week 6 – Never Procrastinate – https://bit.ly/2UXPDDp Week 7 – Progress Incrementally – https://bit.ly/3lk8Fi0 Week 8 – Simplify Cooperation – https://bit.ly/3yAVQne Next SPaMCAST Next week we dive into one of the aspects of the attributes of Teams. Teams don't live in a vacuum. Every team is an intersection of boundaries of all sorts of organizations. Organizations facilitate teams to a greater or lesser extent. In the workplace, the employer's organization will have the most significant impact on how teams form and perform but it is not the totality. Other influences can affect the structure and performance of teams. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who will bring his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast.

This week we explore the impact of process (it really isn't a bad word) problems in prioritization. Prioritization requires a steady hand and consistency. The process for prioritization should have more in common with a well-oiled basketball or futbol team than five-year-olds playing soccer in the schoolyard. How the moving parts work together is a process We also have a visit from Tony Timbol discussing freestyling user story formats in his To Tell A Story column. Re-Read Saturday News This week we focus on Chapter 6 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. This chapter is titled "Simplify Cooperation." Cooperation requires communication. Messing communication up is a problem, a problem that is the responsibility of every person involved in trying to communicate. Last week's experiment focused on evaluating each task as I put it on my short list for operacy. One of the outcomes was that I broke work into smaller chunks which were simpler and more practical. I also found parts of the work that I did not have to do in order to satisfy the goal of the task (the agile definition of simplicity). I am contemplating how to build the idea of operacy into how I approach and talk about user stories. This week, I am going to focus on using more deliberative communication as a way to help guide conversations. This Week Week 8 - Simplify Cooperation - https://bit.ly/3yAVQne Previous Entries in Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 3 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Week 4 - Cut Down on Things to Do - https://bit.ly/3wt1ENL Week 5 - Focus on One Task - https://bit.ly/3hK2XDU Week 6 - Never Procrastinate - https://bit.ly/2UXPDDp Week 7 - Progress Incrementally - https://bit.ly/3lk8Fi0 Next SPaMCAST We talk with Sunny Han, CEO and Founder of Fulcrum. Sunny and I talked about entrepreneurship and building an ERP system from scratch. That sounds way too tame -- we talked motivation, we talked agile development, and we talked about what it takes to see a vision through to reality.

In this week's podcast, we speak with Mike Potter, CEO of Rewind. Mike and I talk about the need to backup SaaS applications, remote and hybrid working, and entrepreneurship. This interview opened my eyes to the risks we all face by trusting SaaS application companies to back up our data. Mike also highlights in his answers how humanity in the workplace can help create special results. Bio - A self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, Mike Potter is the co-founder of Rewind, a company that backs up and protects SaaS data. While studying Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University, Mike began his start-up career as the founder of InTheHack.com, one of the most popular sporting websites in Canada. Since founding Rewind in 2015, Mike has focused on building a company culture that values and respects employees. "I'm a big believer in building strong teams, hiring great people, and giving them the freedom to do their best work", he adds. When Mike isn't building companies or products, he can usually be found constructing LEGOs with his kids or walking his dogs. Email: [email protected] Web: https://rewind.io Twitter: @mikepotter Upcoming Events Using the TMMi accelerates the value of DevOps Fri, August 6, 2021 -- This Friday! 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT This is a free TMMi America Webinar featuring Rex Black (SPaMCAST is a proud media sponsor of the TMMi America ) Register at https://bit.ly/3AOlvdC About this event In this webinar, we will address how DevOps testing benefits through TMMi How TMMi's higher Process Areas drive defect prevention, Shift Left, and CI/CD build and test pipelines Address the benefits of how DevOps Organization benefits from using the TMMi. Leveraging TMMi to focus DevOps test process improvements Re-Read Saturday News This week we focus on Chapter 5 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. This chapter focuses on incrementalism. How are you breaking work down? An update on my continued experiment using Monotasking. This week I have succeeded in turning off all my interruptions (Slack, Text, Teams, Twitter, email, and others) as I am doing my monotasking sessions, a type of incrementalism . . . at least in the morning. I do pop many of those apps back on briefly at the end of each panorama session to make sure no emergencies have occurred. Afternoons are tough due to meetings and other hardscape activities, therefore I moved as many of my focus activities earlier in the day (as a morning person, this suits me) when I can quietly timebox. This Week Week 7 - Progress Incrementally - https://bit.ly/3lk8Fi0 Previous Entries in Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 3 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Week 4 - Cut Down on Things to Do - https://bit.ly/3wt1ENL Week 5 - Focus on One Task - https://bit.ly/3hK2XDU Week 6 - Never Procrastinate - https://bit.ly/2UXPDDp Next SPaMCAST Next week we present our essay spinning deeper into the nether regions of poor prioritization. Knowing the potential issues that can occur in prioritization is the first step toward fixing them. We also have a visit from Tony Timbol who brings his To Tell A Story column to the podcast.

Over the past few months, I have been in traffic jams on the highway several times when traveling to our weekly hike. In more than one instance someone has decided to pull over and drive on the berm. In more than a few cases the outcome of this technique for getting things done ends poorly. Despite the unpredictable outcome, jumping the queue is practiced by many in traffic and even more when funneling work to teams. The consequences when working on information technology products are far more predictable than driving, and they are ALWAYS bad. Let's fix some of the problems leading to queue jumping. We also have a visit from Susan Parente, who brings her I Am Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast. We discuss risk management when using hybrid agile approaches. Contact Susan on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/susanparente or at [email protected] Upcoming Events Using the TMMi accelerates the value of DevOps Fri, August 6, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT This is a free TMMi America Webinar featuring Rex Black (SPaMCAST is a proud media sponsor of the TMMi America ) Register at https://bit.ly/3AOlvdC About this event In this webinar, we will address how DevOps testing benefits through TMMi How TMMi's higher Process Areas drive defect prevention, Shift Left, and CI/CD build and test pipelines Address the benefits of how DevOps Organization benefits from using the TMMi. Leveraging TMMi to focus DevOps test process improvements Re-Read Saturday News This week we focus on Chapter 4 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. The chapter this week is titled, Never Procrastinate. If you have not read the entry, do it NOW :) An update on my continued experiment using Monotasking. My intent was to carve (not crave - I caught the spelling error a little late this week, it was not procrastination) out an hour in which I could turn off Teams, Slack, email, and text to allow for focus. Frankly, I failed. I was able to achieve a quiet zone only one day during business hours. I regularly turn off all notifications when writing before my day begins, but during the "work" day being unreachable is more difficult. I am still looking for the right formula of schedule blocking and advanced notification to make this work. Previous Entries in Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 3 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Week 4 - Cut Down on Things to Do - https://bit.ly/3wt1ENL Week 5 - Focus on One Task - https://bit.ly/3hK2XDU Next SPaMCAST Next, we feature our interview with Mike Potter, CEO of Rewind. We talked about the need to backup SaaS applications, remote and hybrid working, and entrepreneurship. This interview opened my eyes to the risks we all face by trusting SaaS application companies to back up our data.

In this week's Software Process and Measurement Cast, I speak with Rob Rastovich, CTO of ThingLogix. We talked about meeting customer needs through developing solutions using the AIoT (not a typo). This is a seachange for both businesses and developers who will need to reskill and rethink what is possible. Rob has been actively involved in technology for nearly 30 years, from building a top 10 e-commerce site in a time when e-commerce was still in its infancy to establishing what is now known as Amazon's AWS IoT. As CTO of ThingLogix, Rob is the chief architect behind the company's groundbreaking IoT platform that eliminates the need for code. ThingLogix uses AI to power digital transformation across industry, commerce, and government globally. Web: https://www.thinglogix.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rob-rastovich-1560532 Upcoming Events Using the TMMi accelerates the value of DevOps Fri, August 6, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT This is a free TMMi America Webinar featuring Rex Black (SPaMCAST is a proud media sponsor of the TMMi America ) Register at https://bit.ly/3AOlvdC About this event In this webinar, we will address how DevOps testing benefits through TMMi How TMMi's higher Process Areas drive defect prevention, Shift Left, and CI/CD build and test pipelines Address the benefits of how DevOps Organization benefits from using the TMMi. Leveraging TMMi to focus DevOps test process improvements Re-Read Saturday News This week we focus on Chapter 3 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. The chapter this week is titled, Focus on One Task Now. An update on the continued experiment using Monotasking. In Chapter 2, Staffan describes how to create a short list of five items and then to push everything else to the "grass catcher" list. I have been working on using this approach this week with a special focus on capturing the date an item was added to the list and the stakeholder for the item. In the past, I trimmed my list on a quarterly basis. I use the dramatic approach of starting a new list saving only those items on my short list. This week I tried Staffan's weekly approach, trimming off a few older items on a weekly basis. The date added is useful but what I found more useful was asking myself the question, "am I really going to do this or is this an aspirational item?" Cue the chainsaw; even though I started a new list on July 1st I was able to remove several items from my new grass catcher list. This Week Week 5 - Focus on One Task - https://bit.ly/3hK2XDU Previous Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Entries Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 3 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Week 4 - Cut Down on Things to Do - https://bit.ly/3wt1ENL Next SPaMCAST Over the past few months, I have been in traffic jams on the highway several times when traveling to our weekly hike. In more than one instance someone has decided to pull over and drive on the berm. In more than a few cases the outcome of this technique for getting things done ends poorly. Despite the unpredictable outcome, jumping the queue is practiced by many in traffic and even more when funneling work to teams. The consequences when working on information technology products are far more predictable than driving, and they are ALWAYS bad. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente, who brings her I Am Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast. We discuss risk management when using hybrid agile approaches.

In this episode, we feature our interview with Christiano Gherardini. Chris and I talk about the impact of using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages on businesses and as importantly, the impact of packages and consultants as a tool to influence the direction of software development in a firm. Christiano Gherardini is the President/Owner at Turnkey Technologies Inc. Turnkey offers end-to-end professional services including design, project management, implementation, application maintenance, integration services, development, analytics, training, and support services for Microsoft Dynamics solutions. https://www.turnkeytec.com/ linkedin.com/in/christiano-gherardini-73513019 Upcoming Events Making Shift Happen July 13 at 12 CDT (1 PM EDT) I will be facilitating a panel for the GIC HIMSS (Greater IL Chapter of HIMSS) discussing Agile Transformation. Our panelists will discuss their personal experiences going through agile transitions and offer some tips for moving your organization towards Agile. Panelists include Susan Feeley Eric Shelley Sandeep Koorse Tony Timbol Lisa Hallberg M.S. Using the TMMi accelerates the value of DevOps Fri, August 6, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT This is a free TMMi America Webinar featuring Rex Black (SPaMCAST is a proud media sponsor of the TMMi America ) Register at https://bit.ly/3AOlvdC About this event In this webinar, we will address how DevOps testing benefits through TMMi How TMMi's higher Process Areas drive defect prevention, Shift Left, and CI/CD build and test pipelines Address the benefits of how DevOps Organization benefits from using the TMMi. Leveraging TMMi to focus DevOps test process improvements Re-Read Saturday News Finally, we have reached Chapter 2 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg, titled, Cut Down On Tasks To Do. I think it is ironic that a failure in my ability to control WIP in my personal life led to a two-week delay in delivering the re-read of this chapter. All the hand wringing aside, the delay has allowed me to reflect more on the chapter and to hone my use of the short list and panorama cues and sessions. Long swaths of meetings still give me trouble but getting the short list down to tasks that I missed in my first read of Chapter 2 has made a ton (imperial or metric) of difference. This Week Week 4 - Cut Down on Things to Do - https://bit.ly/3wt1ENL Previous Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Entries Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 3 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast, I speak with Rob Rastovich, CTO of ThingLogix. We will talk about AIoT (not a typo), and how applications and developers must evolve. Skynet or Deep Thought?

The Software Process and Measurement Cast features an essay on prioritization. We prioritize in order to establish what to work on and when to do it. There is often a difference between assigned priority and the real priority based on when teams start and complete a piece of work. This essay is part of the overall conversation on controlling work entry and answering the question: Are we working on the most important thing? We also have a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. Mr. Berriault and I discussed how testing is integrated into the Agile Performance Holarchy. Re-Read Saturday News June and early July are a busy period, this year more so (several birthdays, an anniversary, and family visits). That is a long way around to rationalizing why I am not delivering chapter 2 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. I am still working with shortlists (chapter 2 has helped my implementation approach. Meetings (part of the busyness fallacy discussed in Chapter 2) are making using the techniques of panorama cues and panorama sessions difficult once back-to-back meetings begin. We will be back with new content next week with two articles on prioritization and Chapter 2 of Monotasking on Saturday. This week we revisit another favorite from the Re-read archive, the Conclusion of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. This Week The Conclusion of Carol Dweck's Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - https://bit.ly/3xkWi8O Previous Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Entries Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 2 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature my interview with Christiano Gherardini: President, Owner & CEO at Turnkey Technologies. Christiano and I talked about the impact of using Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages on businesses and software development organizations.

In this podcast, I talk with Søren Pedersen. We talk about teams, value streams, and leveraging agile to improve how teams deliver value. We started with the definition of a team and then got into the practical nitty-gritty of defining value streams and coaching teams. Bio: SØREN PEDERSEN is a co-founder of BuildingBetterSoftware, a strategic leadership consultant, and an international speaker. With more than fifteen years of software development experience, Søren knows how to help businesses meet their digital transformation goals. Using Agile methodologies, he helps leaders achieve organizational efficiency, alignment, and performance improvement while building team empowerment so that they feel confident in engaging with leadership, find managerial balance, and can focus on building better software. Søren has spoken at DevOps Days London, is a contributor for The DevOps Institute, and is a Certified Scrum Master and Product Owner. Website: www.BuildingBetterSoftware.com Email: [email protected] Twitter: @perdersen_on_sw LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pedersen-on-software Re-Read Saturday News This week...I am hiking in the woods without my laptop, albeit I do have my copy of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. I am continuing to focus on using shortlists, which has been a fairly easy transition and also implementing both the panorama cues and panorama sessions. The panorama cues and sessions have been useful up to the point that my dairy becomes wall-to-wall meetings. I am trying to devise an approach for using panorama sessions in this scenario. Suggestions? While I am out in the woods I have re-published the summary of one of the most popular Re-reads, The Goal. We will be back to Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg next week. This Week The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement Summary https://bit.ly/3gUBPlhb Previous Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg Entries Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Week 2 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an essay on prioritization. The order work is done is a reflection of priority. There is often a difference between assigned priority and the real priority based on when teams start and complete a piece of work. We will also have a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault.

In Software Process and Measurement Cast 656 we stay with an agile product and entrepreneurship theme with a conversation with Rahul Aggarwal. We discussed building a business and products to support the gig economy and entrepreneurship. Rahul provides excellent advice on recognizing market needs, experimenting, pivoting when necessary, and building a business. Bio: Being awarded as the Rising Entrepreneur of the year 2019 and Entrepreneur 35 under 35 in 2020, and Asia's Most Promising Business Leaders 2021 by Economic Times, Rahul Aggarwal has co-founded Designhill and created a unique online marketplace to overcome the challenges faced by the business owners in outsourcing high-quality creative solutions and designers who have been looking for creative freedom. He's a serial entrepreneur, passionate marketer, investor, advisor, and a firm believer in the concept of constant learning and growing. His astounding digital knowledge and impregnable business skills have led Designhill to be acknowledged as the Creative Startup Of The Year 2019 by Entrepreneur Magazine DesignHill: www.designhill.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/raggarwal1 Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 1 of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg titled Monotasking In A Nutshell. This chapter lays the foundation for translating the Five Axioms of Monotasking into a simple and straightforward approach. Catch up on my experiment using the concepts on Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg as part of the re-read. This week I am going to work on using shortlists and implementing both the panorama cues and panorama sessions. Week 2 - Monotasking In A Nutshell - https://bit.ly/3gGMb72 Previous Entries Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Upcoming Events! ISMA 18 Virtual Conference, June 24th, 2021 8 AM EDT to 11:15 EDT I will host the event. The event will have a host of great speakers on great topics! ISMA 18 will be free for both IFPUG members and non-members. IFPUG members are eligible for 1 credit at the CFPS Extension Program (CEP) and also attract 3 Technical PDUs in the PMI Talent Triangle®, both by attending the full conference! Register: https://www.ifpug.org/isma18/ Real Value of TMMi (SPaMCAST is a Friend of TMMi America) Free webinar from TMMi America featuring Mark Summers June 25th, 2 to 3 PM EDT This webinar will explore the common usages of the TMMi Test Process Improvement framework. We will dive into how: You can leverage this framework to transform the way your organization delivers software. The model can transform your career. Next steps to take on your journey to becoming a Test Process Improvement superhero. The real value of the TMMi is to help you dramatically change the frequency and quality of your software delivery. Register at https://bit.ly/2RtoGpy Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, I will talk with Søren Pedersen. We talked about teams, value streams, and leveraging agile to improve how teams deliver value. We started with the definition of a team and then got into the practical nitty-gritty of defining value streams and coaching teams.

This week we dive into what is often viewed as arcane science by the development community, pricing. Pricing can make or break any product. Everyone in the value chain has to have a good understanding of how pricing decisions are made and how they can impact what should be built and when. One critical part of the conversation focuses on whether there is an ideal pattern for product and development to work together? If not, what are the consequences? Our conversation just skims the surface of Ajit Ghuman's new book Priced to Scale which hit the book stands in April. Ajit is currently Head of Product Marketing at Narvar, an enterprise-grade customer engagement platform that helps retailers inspire loyalty beyond reason by enabling seamless post-purchase experiences. A SaaS Product Marketing veteran, he has helped companies such as Medallia, Helpshift, and Feedzai differentiate their products, grow revenue, and win. Ajit is an expert in software pricing and his upcoming book, Price to Scale, covers an end-to-end approach to packaging and pricing for high-growth technology companies. He is an avid writer and routinely shares his insights as a member of the Forbes Communication Council, the Bizjournals Leadership Trust, and at Sharebird.com. He is an executive member at Revenue Collective, the leading network of commercial leaders working in the fastest-growing companies worldwide. Web https://ajitghuman.com/pricing-book/ LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/ajitpalghuman Twitter apghuman Re-Read Saturday News This week we tack the introduction to Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. The introduction is titled The Five Axioms of Monotasking.; Staffan takes us directly into the deep end. As I noted last week, I will take at least one concept/idea for the charter we are reading forward and try to apply it in my life. As I re-read the introduction, I identified two potential behavior changes based on the five axioms. They are: Resume doing daily retrospectives (focused on Axiom 5) Quiesce Teams and Slack (focused on Axiom 2) I am going to resume daily retrospectives which I stopped doing early last year as I adjusted my work life after I stopped leaving the house on a daily basis. Option 3 would have the biggest impact but will require more groundwork given expectations of instant availability. Has anyone experimented with quiescing chats in Team and Slack (or other similar tools)? Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap Week 2 - Introduction - https://bit.ly/2TXVfwt Upcoming Events! ISMA 18 Virtual Conference, June 24th, 2021 8 AM EDT to 11:15 EDT I will host the event. The event will have a host of great speakers on great topics! ISMA 18 will be free for both IFPUG members and non-members. IFPUG members are eligible for 1 credit at the CFPS Extension Program (CEP) and also attract 3 Technical PDUs in the PMI Talent Triangle®, both by attending the full conference! Register: https://www.ifpug.org/isma18/ Real Value of TMMi (SPaMCAST is a Friend of TMMi America) Free webinar from TMMi America featuring Mark Summers June 25th, 2 to 3 PM EDT This webinar will explore the common usages of the TMMi Test Process Improvement framework. We will dive into how: You can leverage this framework to transform the way your organization delivers software. The model can transform your career. Next steps to take on your journey to becoming a Test Process Improvement superhero. The real value of the TMMi is to help you dramatically change the frequency and quality of your software delivery. Register at https://bit.ly/2RtoGpy Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we stay with an agile product theme with a conversation the Rahul Aggarwal. We discussed building products to support the gig economy and entrepreneurship. Anyone thinking about a side hustle or starting a business will want to listen to Rahul's sage advice.

This week is a doubleheader (baseball term for two games played by the same teams on the same day against each other). We begin our re-read of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg and we have my interview with Staffan. Several years ago I read Staffan's book on Pomodoro which changed how I work. Monotasking might be even more useful and impactful. We discussed how to apply the ideas in the book to improve focus, productivity, and quality of life. Staffan Nöteberg is an enterprise agility coach with years of experience in improving personal productivity. He is also the author of Pomodoro Technique Illustrated (2009) and teaches seminars on monotasking to companies in North America, Europe, and East Asia. Twitter: https://twitter.com/staffannoteberg Website: https://monotasking.staffannoteberg.com/ Re-Read Saturday News We start our re-read of Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg. The book is 237 pages published by Racehorse Publishing (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) and was released in English on June 1, 2021. For most of the readers of the blog and listeners to the podcast, this will be an initial read. The book's contents include a Preface, Introduction, 7 numbered chapters, an Afterword, and then other stuff like index and more (we will not cover the other stuff but I am glad for the index and endnotes). Now the fun part. Instead of a straight re-read and discussion. I am going to read a chapter, highlight the parts I am going to implement in the next week, tell you what I am going to do, and then the following week admit how well I performed. Week 1 - Logistics, Game Plan, and Preface - https://bit.ly/3x1oVap As a reminder, all of the entries from Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller are available! Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Week 11: Sprint Backlog - https://bit.ly/3njezit Week 12 - Reclaiming The Daily Scrum - https://bit.ly/3eNzMgz Week 13: Deconstructing the Done Product Increment - https://bit.ly/3bedTGc Week 14: The Sprint Review - https://bit.ly/3huZvgP Week 15: The Retrospective - https://bit.ly/3bOK2Vg Week 16 - Final Thoughts - https://bit.ly/3p3tbU0v Upcoming Events! ISMA 18 Virtual Conference, June 24th, 2021 8 AM EDT to 11:15 EDT I will host the event. The event will have a host of great speakers on great topics! ISMA 18 will be free for both IFPUG members and non-members. IFPUG members are eligible for 1 credit at the CFPS Extension Program (CEP) and also attract 3 Technical PDUs in the PMI Talent Triangle®, both by attending the full conference! Register: https://www.ifpug.org/isma18/ Real Value of TMMi (SPaMCAST is a Friend of TMMi America) Free webinar from TMMi America featuring Mark Summers June 25th, 2 to 3 PM EDT This webinar will explore the common usages of the TMMi Test Process Improvement framework. We will dive into how: You can leverage this framework to transform the way your organization delivers software. The model can transform your career. Next steps to take on your journey to becoming a Test Process Improvement superhero. The real value of the TMMi is to help you dramatically change the frequency and quality of your software delivery. Register at https://bit.ly/2RtoGpy Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we talk with Ajit Ghuman, Head of Product Marketing at Narvar. Ajit and I talk pricing, marketing, product engagement/ownership, and development. Is there an ideal pattern for product and development to work together? If not, what are the consequences?

Work Entry: An Introduction, focuses on what work entry is and why it is the single most important part of determining whether a team is dependable, predictable, and even remotely agile. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley and his Alpha and Omega of Product Development. Jon and I discuss, wrestle, and chew on how the idea of a product backlog can exist in a project environment. Re-Read Saturday News We have read or re-read Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems by Todd Miller and Ryan Ripley cover-to-cover if you don't count the index at the back of the book (and I certainly do not). As a wrap-up, I briefly consider three points that came to mind during the re-read. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems Next week we will start our re-read of Monotasking by Staffan Noteberg by laying out an approach. I am contemplating combining the re-read with experience reports as I try to put the ideas in the book to use. More on that next week. This Week's Installment Week 16 - Final Thoughts - https://bit.ly/3p3tbU0v Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Week 11: Sprint Backlog - https://bit.ly/3njezit Week 12 - Reclaiming The Daily Scrum - https://bit.ly/3eNzMgz Week 13: Deconstructing the Done Product Increment - https://bit.ly/3bedTGc Week 14: The Sprint Review - https://bit.ly/3huZvgP Week 15: The Retrospective - https://bit.ly/3bOK2Vg Next SPaMCAST Speaking of Monotasking by Staffan Noteberg, in the next podcast, we will feature the interview I did with Staffan covering the book that we are about to re-read. We discussed how to apply the ideas in the book to improve focus, productivity, and quality of life.

Intellectual property protection impacts almost everyone whether they are aware of it or not. Trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets are all part of a wide-ranging discussion of IP protection in the software environment. Rick provides great insight into a rapidly evolving field. Rick Martin is the owner and founder of Martin IP Law Group which is based in Evansville, Indiana but serves clients throughout the United States. He is a graduate of the Purdue University School of Industrial Engineering and the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. Prior to beginning his career as an Intellectual Property Attorney, Rick worked as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Rick has obtained hundreds of patents for inventors in a variety of fields, including timing systems, mine safety devices, broadband antennas, RFID, electronics, ranging, oil & gas, semiconductors, and other mechanical and electro-mechanical devices. For over 25 years, he has been helping entrepreneurs and businesses protect their ideas, inventions, and identities through patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and related contracts, licenses, and agreements. Email: [email protected] Website: https://ipsolutionslaw.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rickmartinlaw Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 15 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, covers the retrospective. The retrospective, I think, is the most important part of Scrum. Helping it to work well is important. Next week we will conclude our re-read with a few closing remarks. Make sure I have your input on what to re-read next by voting in the poll that can be found in the show notes. Don't like polls? Email me your choice at [email protected]. If you have noT bought your copy of Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems -- what are you waiting for? This Week's Installment Week 15: The Retrospective - https://bit.ly/3bOK2Vg Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Week 11: Sprint Backlog - https://bit.ly/3njezit Week 12 - Reclaiming The Daily Scrum - https://bit.ly/3eNzMgz Week 13: Deconstructing the Done Product Increment - https://bit.ly/3bedTGc Week 14: The Sprint Review - https://bit.ly/3huZvgP Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature a longer essay titled, Work Entry: An Introduction. This essay brings together a number of concepts to focus on what work entry is and why it is the single most important part of determining whether a team is dependable and predictable. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley and his Alpha and Omega of Product Development.

This week Dr. Eric Cole and I talk cybersecurity and entrepreneurship. Most of you will have been on the edge of your seat while you tracked the news of the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline. Security can not be an afterthought. Remember this is not a drill; this not hype. Also, preorder Dr. Cole's new book Cyber Crisis which will be released on June 1st. Dr. Cole is a world-renowned cybersecurity entrepreneur and founder of Secure Anchor Consulting, Eric understands the dangers of cybersecurity and knows how to build successful companies. Today, Dr. Cole shares the many lessons learned from overcoming adversity and staying committed to your purpose. Dr. Cole focuses on security and innovation with a mission to make cyberspace safe in a world where it can be an unrecognized danger and threat. Website: https://secure-anchor.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericcole1/ The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit which starts tomorrow! The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 14 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, shines its spotlight on the Sprint Review. This event is geared to generating feedback to help the team and organization deliver value. We are getting close to the end of the book and I would like your input on what to tackle next. There is a poll in the show notes to collect your ideas! If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 14: The Sprint Review - https://bit.ly/3huZvgP Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Week 11: Sprint Backlog - https://bit.ly/3njezit Week 12 - Reclaiming The Daily Scrum - https://bit.ly/3eNzMgz Week 13: Deconstructing the Done Product Increment - https://bit.ly/3bedTGc Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, I talk with Rick Martin about intellectual property, and why everyone involved in software needs to understand how IP law can impact the value they deliver. Copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets are all part of protecting intellectual property.

Work entry, in its simplest form, is the steps needed for work to be triaged to ensure that it is the right work, that it is ready to be worked on, and the priority of the work. This week we talk about five common patterns. On Tuesday I will include the PDF in the feed to see if I can spur a discussion about other patterns. We also have a visit from Tony Timbol with his To Tell A Story column. In this installment we discuss different forms of user stories and when to use them. The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 13 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, discusses the concept of a deployable product increment and done. What we deliver is a big deal, getting it right is the difference between satisfaction and all sorts of stress. We are getting close to the end of the book and I would like your input on what to tackle next. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 13: Deconstructing the Done Product Increment - https://bit.ly/3bedTGc Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Week 11: Sprint Backlog - https://bit.ly/3njezit Week 12 - Reclaiming The Daily Scrum - https://bit.ly/3eNzMgz Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we talk to Dr. Eric Cole. We talk cybersecurity and entrepreneurship. If you did not understand the potential impact of security, just find any major newspaper for Sunday, May 9th, and read about the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline. This not a drill, this not hype.

Experimentation is a dirty word in many organizations, however, it can be a powerful tool to drive and guide change. Tammy Gretz shares how she adopted experiments in her practice and how she uses them to change the behavior and culture of people and organizations. I am occasionally asked why I enjoy meet-ups so much. Meeting people like Tammy is a major part of the reason. Thanks to the Women in Agile, Cleveland for the great introduction which lead to this interview! Tammy's bio: Tammy is an "Agile Coach Making Shift Happen" "I exist to generously collaborate, embrace tension and use it to make shift happen." I have been influencing change through servant leadership, elbow grease, and lattes for over 20 years. I am a massive maker and the majority of my education comes from experimenting and the relentless pursuit of understanding team dynamics, embracing tension, and using it to fuel innovation and change in the workplace and beyond. https://tammygretz.com/ linkedin.com/in/tammygretz [email protected] The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 12 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, talks about the daily scrum. The daily "meeting" might be a ubiquitous feature of corporate life but it can be better! If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 12 - Reclaiming The Daily Scrum - https://bit.ly/3eNzMgz Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Week 11: Sprint Backlog - https://bit.ly/3njezit Next SPaMCAST In the next SPaMCAST, we will chew on work entry patterns. There are 5 basic patterns which are you? Why is one better than another (some are downright not useful for agile). We will also have a visit from Tony Timbol bringing the story on user stories to the Software Process and Measurement Cast listeners

Alex Omeyer and I discussed defining, tracking, and measuring technical debt. Technical debt generates a liability that every organization must deal with. As Alex states, "tech debt might not be the sexiest topic" but if teams and organizations don't address their liabilities it will be difficult to deliver the value customers need and expect. We also talk about the practicalities of pivoting life ambitions and entrepreneurship. Alex is the Co-founder and CEO of Stepsize. Alex personally spends most of his time speaking to the best software development teams in the world about how they handle technical debt. Hit him up to talk tech debt. He loves to share what they taught him. Alex and his co-founders are building Stepsize—a free tool for engineering teams to track and prioritize technical debt. Stepsize's mission is to make software development more accessible, efficient, and powerful. Website: https://www.stepsize.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandre-omeyer-060a0175/ Twitter @AlexOmeyer The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the DevOps Online Summit. Last call! The DevOps Online Summit is nearly here! During the week of April 26th – 30th Tom Henricksen and crew will deliver the third summit. The goal is to bring together 5000 DevOps professionals. Grab a ticket! Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 11 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, talks about the sprint backlog. The sprint backlog is the work teams do on a day-to-day basis. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 11: Sprint Backlog - https://bit.ly/3njezit Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Next SPaMCAST In the next SPaMCAST, we talk to Tammy Gretz. Experimentation is a dirty word in many organizations. Tammy explains how she uses powerful experiments to change the behavior and culture of people and organizations. Thanks to the Women in Agile, Cleveland for the great introduction!

The majority of work entry problems are caused by eight problems. The eight problems often occur in clusters and are a reflection of organizational culture. Knowing that there are eight problems is useful when they can be recognized. Unless people wear their motivations on signs hung around their neck, recognition requires conversation and observation. Fixing any problem starts with recognizing that problem. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her, Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast. Today Susan and I discuss the concept of Hybrid Agile and the new book Hybrid Project Management https://amzn.to/3al4b4F that Susan wrote with Mark Tolbert The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the DevOps Online Summit. Next Week! The DevOps Online Summit is nearly here! During the week of April 26th – 30th Tom Henricksen and crew will deliver the third summit. The goal is to bring together 5000 DevOps professionals. Grab a ticket! Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 10 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, dives into planning. Sprint planning is one of the major events in Scrum. All sprints should start with planning (not planning is one of the silliest, but a common antipattern). If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 10: Sprint Planning - https://bit.ly/3stWOhx Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Next SPaMCAST In the next SPaMCAST, Alex Omeyer and I talk about technical debt. Everyone uses the term and sometimes they even mean the same thing! Mr. Omeyer describes why tech debt is such an important concept, how we can agree on a definition, and how to measure it.

In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 646, Albert Ahdoot and I focus on discussing the impact of strong off-premise infrastructure on the delivery of value, the impact on the bottom line, and the mitigation of risk. Albert Ahdoot is a successful entrepreneur focused on building IT businesses through meaningful relationships. His flagship company, Colocation America, was founded to serve as the premier data center provider for IT solutions looking for a secure and scalable IT. Albert is a highly respected business development expert who has helped many technology companies achieve great success. Albert received his Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UCLA and his masters in Bio-Technology from NYU. Albert A.'s Profile linkedin.com/in/albertahdoot Website ColocationAmerica.com (Company Website) Email [email protected] Twitter AlbertAhdoot The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the DevOps Online Summit. Tick Tock! The DevOps Online Summit is nearly here! During the week of April 26th – 30th Tom Henricksen and crew will deliver the third summit. The goal is to bring together 5000 DevOps professionals. Grab a ticket! https://bit.ly/3syp2c5 Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 9 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, addresses the ubiquitous concept of sprints. I have observed teams using weekly sprints and have even run into a team doing 6-month sprints (it did not end well). Everyone is sprinting; Todd and Ryan address some of the more critical antipatterns in this chapter. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 9: Thinking In Sprints - https://bit.ly/321wXTg Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Next SPaMCAST Broken record time, work entry is the single most important process for any team's health. Teams with little to no control of work entry will always be running around like their hair is on fire...which actually might be more pleasant. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her, Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast.

The headlines of 3 and 4 April 2021 are stark - the data of 533 million Facebook users available on the web (change your password now). You have 533 MILLION reasons to take Paul Katzoff's message on data security to heart. Paul Katzoff (Twitter) For almost a decade, Paul has worked with technology companies seeking manageable growth and brand loyalty/expansion. His career has ranged from being an integral part of a new business start-up team to becoming a key driver in the business enabling it to become both sustainable and profitable. Currently, Paul serves as the CEO of White Canyon Software -- a data security company used by 44 of the fortune 100 companies. As a leader in the data security industry, Paul would love to chat about how to mitigate any potential data breaches with work-from-home becoming the new norm. The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the DevOps Online Summit. DevOps professionals throughout the world come together and share their learnings here at the DevOps Online Summit. This coming April 26th – 30th we are having our third summit. Our goal is to bring together 5000 DevOps professionals. Grab a ticket! https://bit.ly/3syp2c5 Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 8 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, tackles management. The gap between labor and management is an age-old problem. I am sure that the artisans and workers that constructed the pyramids had their own version of Dilbert. The focus on the team, a core tenant of agile and Scrum, is perceived as exacerbating the management versus worker dichotomy. By identifying anti-patterns and proposing approaches to solving those issues this chapter is useful for bridging the gap. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 8: Management - https://bit.ly/31Kv39l Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Next SPaMCAST In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 646, Albert Ahdoot and I ocus on discussing the impact of strong off-premise infrastructure on the delivery of value, the impact on the bottom line and the mitigation of risk.

In the SPaMCAST 644, we talk teams. At the core of agile is the belief that the team is the fundamental building block of work. Because they are so important, organizations put tons of effort into helping and guiding teams. The problem is not that teams aren't important or that we aren't working hard to make them better, teams are still chronically messed up. We discuss a framework for guiding support for teams. We also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault who brings his QA Corner to the podcast. Jeremy and I discuss the differences between static and dynamic testing. Understanding the definition of each is an important step in improving quality. The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the DevOps Online Summit. DevOps professionals throughout the world come together and share their learnings here at the DevOps Online Summit. This coming April 26th – 30th we are having our third summit. Our goal is to bring together 5000 DevOps professionals. Grab a ticket! https://bit.ly/3syp2c5 Re-Read Saturday News In SPaMCAST 642 Vasco Duarte made the startling statement that a Scrum Master will be your next CEO. Chapter 7 in Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller echoes the power of that statement by emphasizing the definition of a scrum master. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 7: Embracing The Scrum Master Role - https://bit.ly/3m0HB5D Previous Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Next SPaMCAST Next up is data security. We live in frightening times in the cyber world. Paul Katzoff and I discuss why data security is more important than ever and what we can do to make the cbyer-world less scary. Everyone in the value chain is responsible for data security.

This week, Caleb Woods, CEO and Senior Software Craftsman at RoleModel Software joins the podcast. Caleb and I talk about the role of craftsmanship in developing and maintaining software (or really anything else). Caleb Woods - RoleModel's CEO - Caleb is a proven leader with extensive experience evaluating technology trends, leading teams, and implementing best practices. As CEO, Caleb promotes continuous improvement while cultivating a collaborative work environment. Caleb is a technologist who understands and solves complex business problems. He has a passion for software craftsmanship and producing sustainable software and has become the visionary leader of the next generation of RoleModel Software. Caleb began his software career as a web developer at an academic coaching company, where he gained experience in infrastructure migrations, team leadership, and business analysis. He's continued that dedication to technology advancement. At his previous position as Chief Technology Officer for RoleModel, Caleb led the expansion of the company's technical and design craftsmanship capabilities. That background helps Caleb effectively develop and evaluate RoleModel's technology landscape. Caleb sets the vision for the company's strategic full-stack architecture and is an expert at putting together high-performance teams and matching them to clients/projects' needs. Caleb also applies the ideas of continuous improvement to his personal life through effective micro habits and is a big believer in intermittent fasting. He also enjoys playing disc golf, cycling, and watching Michigan State football and basketball. He and his wife, Kimberly, have three young kids. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/calebwoods Websites: calebwoods.com (calebwoods.com) rolemodelsoftware.com (RoleModel Software) Twitter calebwoods The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the DevOps Online Summit. DevOps professionals throughout the world come together and share their learnings here at the DevOps Online Summit. This coming April 26th – 30th we are having our third summit. Our goal is to bring together 5000 DevOps professionals. Grab a ticket! Re-Read Saturday News This week we read Chapter 6 of Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller. This chapter discusses some of the antipatterns for the second role in Scrum, the development team. The development team covers the people that aren't the scrum master or product owner — the group of people that actually takes an idea and converts it into something tangible. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems Installments Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Week 6: The Development Team - http://bit.ly/2OLVAAs Next SPaMCAST Next, we will revisit the topic of teams and what constitutes a team. Putting six people together (in-person or virtually) and assigning a manager does not a team make. In order to get work done effectively and efficiently, we need to get this right!

Vasco Duarte returns to the podcast to discuss the Scrum Master. Scrum Masters are the face of agile in many organizations. Helping team facilitators get the role right benefits not only the agile community but every business they are involved with! Vasco has been working in the software industry since 1998 and has learned the hard way what works (most of the time) and what does not work (almost never). His goal is to help our industry evolve. We can't become better without trying out new and innovative approaches to software development. The majority of our businesses run on software. We owe it to our society to get better at an activity that affects so much our lives and our countries' economies. Vasco consults companies that understand software is a key component of their business model. Get in touch via twitter: @duarte_vasco; or on his company's web-site: http://www.oikosofy.com/. Check out the Scrum Master's Toolbox Podcast: https://scrum-master-toolbox.org/ The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the Global Scrum Master Summit. The First Global Scrum Master Summit Coming Soon. Sign-up to be notified when registrations open Week of May 17th, 2021, Live and Recorded Organized by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast http://bit.ly/scrummastersummit21 The Software Process and Measurement Cast is a proud media sponsor of the DevOps Online Summit. DevOps professionals throughout the world come together and share their learnings here at the DevOps Online Summit. This coming April 26th – 30th we are having our third summit. Our goal is to bring together 5000 DevOps professionals. Grab a ticket! https://bit.ly/3syp2c5 Re-Read Saturday News This week we read Chapter 5 of Fixing Your Scrum, Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems, by Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller. Chapter 5 dives into fixing the antipatterns that hover around the product backlog. This chapter reinforces that a team and product owner are only as good as the backlog they are working from. If you have not bought your copy -- what are you waiting for? Fixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems This Week's Installment Week 1: Re-read Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/3mgz9P6 Week 2: A Brief Introduction To Scrum, and Why Scrum Goes Bad - https://bit.ly/37w4Dv9 Week 3: Breaking Bad Scrum with a Value-Driven Approach - http://bit.ly/3stGc9Q Week 4: The Product Owner - https://bit.ly/3qpKvSn Week 5: The Product Backlog - http://bit.ly/3cAEk9c Next SPaMCAST Next week we will talk with Caleb Woods, CEO and| Senior Software Craftsman at RoleModel Software. Caleb and I talk about the role of craftsmanship in developing and maintaining software (or really anything else).