Software Process And Measurement Cast

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 613 features our essay on directive and non-directive coaching. DIrective coaches, akin to many athletic coaches, are a hard sell at the team level. Non-directive coaches, akin to mentors, are not always viewed as effective by senior leaders. In reality, it is not cut and dry. Essays in the Directive - Non-directive Series Agile Coaching Techniques: Styles of Coaches -https://bit.ly/2EwFh4X Directive or Non-directive Coaching - https://bit.ly/2Pb364r  Directive or Non-directive Coaching: Why Everyone Needs To Know -https://bit.ly/3hmLf75  In the second spot this week, Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the cast.  We discuss coaching testers. Indirectly we have a discussion about the use of directive and non-directive coaching styles.  You can reach Jeremy at https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Re-Read Saturday News  Today, we re-read Chapter 12, titled Drum-Buffer- Rope Scheduling (DBR). The concept of DBR is critical to using the Theory of Constraints in real-w

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 612 features a conversation with Woody Zuill and Allan Kelly on the topic of being an agile guide. I have felt that the term coach was overused for more than a few years. Woody and Allan put a voice to a topic that I started writing about earlier this summer describing the term 'agile guide'. Over the past 14 years, there have been a number of conversations that changed how I think and work.  This is certainly one of those gestalt moments.   Bios: Allan has pioneered techniques such as Value Poker, Time-Value Profiles and Retrospective Dialogue Sheets. He is the author of seven books including "Continuous Digital", "Little Book of Requirements and User Stories" and his latest book is "Art of Agile Product Ownership." When not writing, Allan consults and coaches, helping companies embrace the agile and digital world, and teams to improve their performance. Links: Me: www.allankelly.net Blog: www.allankelly.net/blog Retrospective cards: www.dialoguesheets.com Twitter: h

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 611 features our conversation with Jeff Smith. Jeff and I talked about his new book, Operational Anti-Patterns with DevOps Solutions. Our conversation branched out to cover DevOps and how writing a book changes your perception of life. The conversation was the most clear-eyed and penetrating conversation on DevOps I have had on the podcast. Jeff challenged all of us to recognize that we can make a difference. Bio: Jeff Smith has been in the technology industry for over 20 years, oscillating between management and individual contributor. Jeff currently serves as the Director of Production Operations for Centro, an advertising software company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Before that he served as the Manager of Site Reliability Engineering at Grubhub. Jeff is passionate about DevOps transformations in organizations large and small, with a particular interest in the psychological aspects of problems in companies. He lives in Chicago with his wife Stephanie and th

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 610 features our essay, An Agile Team In a Waterfall Company – Organizing Around The Product Flow. Focusing on getting features and support for a product to market changes how teams and groups organize to solve business problems.  This is a standalone essay that can be read as part of a larger theme covering the trials faced by an agile team in a waterfall company.  The four separate essays can be found at:  An Agile Team In A Waterfall Company - https://bit.ly/3hXpPy5  Postponing Commitment - https://bit.ly/3dBhCfl  Values, Principles, and Behaviours - https://bit.ly/2ZsoO8t  Organizing Around The Product Flow - https://bit.ly/3k05jhj  We also have a visit from Susan Parente with a discussion that I have named, Agile or Traditional, Pick One!  Many organizations have to make accommodations for mandated classic project management approaches. Susan provides excellent advice for making these types of scenarios work.  Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapters

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 609 features our conversation with Dr. David Rico.  Dave is returning to the Software Process and Measurement Cast to discuss the concept of agile and collaborative contracts. Contracts and agile don’t often work well together. That does not have to be the case! Dr. Rico has been a technical leader in support of NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Army for over 30 years. He has led numerous projects based on Cloud Computing, Lean Thinking, Agile Methods, SOA, Web Services, Six Sigma, FOSS, ISO 9001, CMMI, Baldrige, TQM, Enterprise Architecture, DoDAF, and DoD 5000. He specializes in IT investment analysis, IT portfolio valuation, and IT-enabled change. He has been an international keynote speaker, presented at leading industry conferences, written seven textbooks, published numerous articles, and is a reviewer for multiple systems engineering journals. He is a Certified PMP, CSEP, ACP, CSM, and SAFe Agilist, and teaches at four Washington, DC-area universities.

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 608 features our essay, An Agile Team in a Waterfall Company. Teams like this exist, and sometimes even flourish. Our essay explores how that is possible and how teams in this circumstance can help evolve whole organizations. We have a visit from Gene Hughson with his Form Follows Function column. Gene and I talk about how an architect has to avoid bias generated by the expertise that they have spent years developing.    Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapter 5 (this is the beginning of Part 2) of Tame your Work Flow,  The chapter is titled “Where to Focus Improvement Efforts.” Part 2 transitions us from improving wait time and flow efficiency and begins a deep dive into the Theory of Constraints (ToC). Remember to buy a copy of Tame your Work Flow to support the authors and blog!     Week 1: Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/2LWJ3EY Week 2: Prologue (The Story of Herbie) - https://bit.ly/3h4zmTi Week 3: Explicit Mental Models - https://bit.ly/2U

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 607 features our interview with Mark Tolbert and Susan Parente to discuss their new book Hybrid Project Management: Using Agile with Traditional PM Methodologies to Succeed on Modern Projects. Agile hybrids are often pilloried, Mark and Susan make a strong case that hybrids have a place in delivering value. Without hybrids, there are places that can't go!   Mark’s Bio Mark has over 30 years of experience in IT, including 27 years at Hewlett-Packard. He successfully managed support programs and projects within HP Services from 1994 through 2007. The programs and projects included a large e-selling program, a multivendor support program for a large telecommunications company, data center relocation projects, and MDM (mobile device management) programs. Reach out to Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mark-tolbert-pmp-pmi-acp-90b9b38 Susan’s Bio Susan Parente is a project engineer, consultant, speaker, author, professor, and mentor who leads large complex IT software impl

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 606 features our interview with Marco Faella, author of Seriously Good Software: Code that Works, Survives, and Wins. Marco and I discussed quality, craftsmanship, and how being a passionate coder and academic mix.  Marco Faella teaches advanced programming at a major Italian university. His published work includes peer-reviewed research articles, a Java certification manual, and a video course on Java streams.   His contact data is: Homepage: http://wpage.unina.it/m.faella/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/m_faella Book: https://www.manning.com/books/seriously-good-software I have discount codes (just ask!) Re-Read Saturday News  This week we are taking a break from our re-read of Tame your Work Flow to celebrate the 4th of July and my wife’s birthday. We will be back next week.  Remember to buy a copy of Tame your Work Flow to support the authors and blog!   Week 1: Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/2LWJ3EY Week 2: Prologue (The Story of Herbie) - https://b

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 605 features our interview with Jodie Kane.  Jodie and I discussed involving product owners in retrospectives. Jodie suggests the answer should not be cut and dry but rather context-driven. Jodie is a passionate, value-driven servant leader with a unique, energetic style that brings out the best in people and opens space for teams to be self-organizing high performers focused on delivering customer value and getting things done. She has spent a lifetime honing her servant leadership skills, inviting people to work together, and creating space for human engagement to develop innovative, self-organizing, value-driven teams.  Contact Jodie on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodieenglekane/ Re-Read Saturday News  Chapter 3, Flow Efficiency, Little’s Law and Economic Impact, of Tame your Work Flow  is incredibly important for understanding the overall book. In your re-read spend the time needed understanding how the themes noted in the chapter title inter-relate. 

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 604 features a presentation that I did on the need for organizations to lean into processes improvement as the COVID-19 disaster abates (at least for the time being). Continuous improvement can’t be just a slogan during an economic downturn.  We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley with his Alpha and Omega of Product Development Column. Jon and I talked about the definition of quality and whether the concept of quality is a matter of perception. We don’t exactly agree . . . what are your thought? Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapter 2 in our re-read of Tame your Work Flow by Steve Tendon and Daniel Doiron. Chapter 2 continues to explore mental models and focuses on how multitasking robs value from individuals, teams, and organizations.   Remember to buy a copy of Tame your Work Flow to support the authors and blog!   Week 1: Logistics and Front Matter - https://bit.ly/2LWJ3EY Week 2: Prologue (The Story of Herbie) - https://bit.ly/3h4zmTi Week 3: Explici

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 603 features my interview with Austin Chadwick. Austin and I talked mobbing, but perhaps more importantly to me, Austin talked about the impact of finding joy in everything you do. The latter was one of those serendipitous discoveries that makes the interviews for the podcast so much fun. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.  Austin’s Bio: Austin is a passionate full-stack developer, agile/technical coach, conference speaker, and podcast/videocast co-host with experience in several roles (e.g. coach, developer, tester, scrum master, business analyst). He loves mob programming and working with people, technology, and teams to discover product development joy and continuous improvement. A few links:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-chadwick-3a58151a4 All Mob Mentality links (podcast, youtube, twitter, etc.): https://trello.com/c/YLvquW9E/133-mob-mentality-show https://youtu.be/OzGlpwPNv0Q https://trello.com/c/w0xFv4sV/119-mob-programming-for-the-intr

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 602 features my interview with Duncan DeVore, the co-author of Reactive Application Development. Duncan and I talked about reactive design patterns, adopting a reactive architecture, and how writing a book changes your outlook on life.  It was a really cool discussion that covered technical and non-technical topics. Note -- I am sorry for missing a week. I did not expect a new laptop (less than a month old) would have its motherboard and SSD fail. I am thankful for backups!  Duncan’s Bio: I specialize in the design and implementation of distributed systems using the tenets of the Reactive Manifesto with Scala, Akka, and the Typesafe stack. I believe in responsible design through functional programming with an abundance of test coverage. I love to code, present, and help others work through the challenges of distributed computing. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncandevore/ Twitter: @IronFish Re-Read Saturday News  Week 2 of the journey through Tame Your Work F

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 601 features my interview with Brian Weaver. Brian is the Founder and CEO of Torch.AI. We covered a wide range of topics, including AI and agile, and the role of leadership in creating an environment where extraordinary results are possible.  Brian serves as CEO of Torch.AI and has more than 20 years of experience leading mission-driven, high growth, technology-focused companies. Torch.AI helps leading organizations leverage artificial intelligence in a unique way via a proprietary enterprise data management software solution. Today, Torch.AI supports clients like H&R Block with fraud detection and mitigation and the U.S. Department of Defense with machine learning-enabled background investigations for all federal employees, supporting the determination of an individual’s trustworthiness and security credentialing.   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briangweaver/ Torch.AI - https://torch.ai/   Re-Read Saturday News  This week we begin our journey through Tam

SPaMCAST 600, yes 600, features my interview with Sandy Mamoli.  We talked about teams and the book she co-authored, Creating Great Teams: How Self-Selection Lets People Excel. Sandy’s unique perspective as a world-class athlete and Agile Coach allows her to deliver options about forming teams you didn’t know you had!  Sandy Mamoli Agile advisor, coach, and author Sandy Mamoli is a former Olympian, international keynote speaker, and author of „Creating Great Teams – How Self-Selection Lets People Excel“. From working with global enterprises in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Copenhagen to being one of New Zealand’s leading coaches, she brings her practical flair and passionate advocacy for all things Agile to businesses around the world. She has a master’s degree in artificial intelligence and knows quite a lot about Agile.  Twitter: @smamol Website: https://nomad8.com/   Re-Read Saturday News  This is our last installment of our re-read of Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edit

SPaMCAST 599 will feature my conversation with Steve Tendon. Steve and I talked about his Tameflow books, the genesis of the framework, the Theory of Constraints, and of course Herbie. Steve provides several profound pieces of wisdom for increasing value. Re-Read Saturday News  This week we complete the content portion of our Re-read with Chapter 11 and the Afterword of  Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler.  Next week we will have a few words to wrap-up this book and warp into the next book in the series. The envelope please . . . the next book we will re-read is Steve Tendon and Daniel Doiron’s Tame Your Work Flow. The top three books (Tame Your Work Flow, Great Big Agile, and Fixing Your Scrum) in the pool got more votes than all of the other books we have re-read over the past year. Therefore, my intent is to do something radical: declare that I will read all three of the top three books in order. This should take us through

SPaMCAST 598 features our essay titled, Recognizing A Toxic Meeting Culture. Just because you are meeting remotely doesn’t mean meeting culture has been reset. Now even more than when we are all together, getting meeting culture right is critical to maximizing communication.  We will also return to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy and I talked about continuous learning.  Our discussion was taped earlier this year; it was a different time. I left the references to excitement about the new year in the comments to show how fast the world can change. And it can change again! Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapter 10 of Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler. The subtitle for this chapter is ‘Advice for tough cases.’  In my considered opinion, nothing ever goes perfectly to plan. All conversations are a mixture of things that you’ve run through your head to prepare and parts that are off-script. Having a wide ran

The SPaMCAST 597 features a special panel of leaders discussing working from home now and after the initial reaction to being remote has worn off. One of the important points that we discussed was the need to make space for intentional serendipity. The panel is composed of Paul Laberge, Susan Parente, John Voris, Jo Ann Sweeney, and your host.  Panelist Bios Jo Ann Sweeney FCIM FIIC MCIPR is an engagement and communication consultant. Typically, she acts as change management lead on complex programmes, facilitating development of effective engagement, training, and communication strategies and then assisting as the strategies are implemented. Clients value her deep understanding of audiences. Jo Ann is known for clarifying the complex and for persuading key stakeholders to get involved and actively support change. You are welcome to download a complimentary copy of Jo Ann’s guide How to Explain Change in 8 Easy Steps at https://freeguide.explaining-change.com/ Contact Jo Ann at jo.ann@sweeneycomms.com John

The SPaMCAST 596 features our interview with Tom Henricksen. Tom brings the industry the DevOps and the Agile Online Summits and is an active thought leader in the agile community.  We talked about how events like his Summits foster learning and sharpening the saw. Tom suggests that tuning your skills and capabilities has never been more important as the economy struggles to get going again. Web: https://www.devopsonlinesummit.com/2020 Web: myitcareercoach.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhenricksen/ Twitter: @TomHenricksen  Re-Read Saturday News  This week we tackle Chapter 8 of Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, Switzler. Arguably the feel of this re-read to date has had a bit of book report feel. Since this is a first read of the book for me, consuming what I have read has tended to be a reflection of how I process concepts. We have approximately 3 weeks left, do you have ideas for the next book?   Chapter 8 builds on

Join us to hear great ideas from industry leaders while they share their stories about CMMC, Agile, Transformation, Culture, CMMI V2.0, High Performance, and more! All from the comfort of your couch! Attendance is limited to 100 people, so register today - only $99! Keynote: Ty Schieber, Chairman CMMC Accreditation Body Keynote: Jim Bouchard, The Sensei Leader 16 of your favorite speakers throughout the day - live and virtual! http://www.ideafest2020.org/

The SPaMCAST 595 features our interview with Vladimir Khorikov. Vladimir and I geeked out on unit testing and his new book, Unit Testing Principles, Practices, and Patterns. Our conversations covered the gamut with a discussion of writing from first principles, understanding and tuning the signal-to-noise ratio in unit testing, and tests that are better at proving the negative than the positive.  Vladimir Khorikov is a software engineer and author of several popular Pluralsight courses. He has been professionally involved in software development for over 15 years, including mentoring teams on the ins and outs of unit testing. He's also the founder of the Enterprise Craftsmanship blog, where he reaches 500 thousand software developers yearly. He started as an adviser on general programming topics, but lately shifted his focus to unit testing with a central message of teaching software developers how to make unit testing painless. The biggest advantage of his teaching style, and the one students often praise,