Software Process And Measurement Cast

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 156! The SPaMCAST 156 features my interview with Linda Rising.  One word, AGILE!  Another word, IMPORTANT!   Linda Rising has a Ph.D. from Arizona State University. Her background includes university teaching as well as work in industry in the areas of telecommunications, avionics, and strategic weapons systems. She is an internationally known presenter on topics related to agile development, patterns, retrospectives, and the change process. She is the author of numerous articles (www.lindarising.org) and has published four books:  Design Patterns in Communications, The Pattern Almanac 2000, and A Patterns Handbook. Her latest book, written with Dr. Mary Lynn Manns, is titled Fearless Change: Patterns for introducing new ideas. Interested in sponsoring the SPaMCAST? If you are interested in being a sponsor please contact me at SPaMCASTinfo@gmail.com for a rate sheet or to discuss options. Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: B

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 155! The SPaMCAST 155 features the first part of my essay Systems Thinking and Process Improvement:  Systems and Systems Thinking, Part 1.  A short part of a larger essay (flying today to Ireland). The essay begins:Have you ever researched, prototyped, piloted and implemented changes to processes only to find that that the final product takes just about as much time, effort and has about the level of quality.  The second or third times that happens strongly suggests that optimizing steps within  a system doesn’t always translate into better overall performance. Interested in sponsoring the SPaMCAST? If you are interested in being a sponsor please contact me at SPaMCASTinfo@gmail.com for a rate sheet or to discuss options. Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the followin

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 154! The SPaMCAST 154 features my interview with Bill Fox.  We discussed process improvement and his publishing project, 5 Minutes to Process Improvement Success. 5 Minutes to Process Improvement Success provides a wealth of process improvement advice and information.   Bill is a project management and performance improvement consultant. Progressive organizations seeking to gain extraordinary value and results through performance improvement value his ability to focus and manage their improvement efforts on the right priorities. Bill is an expert at managing change projects in a way that builds momentum and enthusiasm throughout the organization while keeping the focus on delivering results. Born out of frustration with the way most organizations attempt to improve their operations, Bill created and publishes the popular 5 Minutes to Process Improvement Success interview series. In this work, Bill has established himself as an authority on uncovering and le

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 153! A funny thing happened on the way to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 153, I was distracted by a nice shiny idea therefore we have a short essay titled, "Impetus for Change".  Because this essay was short I have included an essay from SPaMCAST 8 (May 2007) on Involvement.  The topic is just as relevant today as then!   Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team."   Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next! SPaMCAST 154 features my interview with

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 151! The SPaMCAST 152 will features an interview with Ron Rosenhead.  We discussed all things project management!  Are you a project manager, know a project manager or are looking for project management training?  This interview is for you!  Ron's Bio: Ron Rosenhead is and has been the Chief Executive Officer for Project Agency – a London based project management training and consultancy company  While working on a major change programme Ron realised that managers were given huge business change projects but had received no specific training to support them. He set about rectifying this providing them with a range of events which supported them and the change programme. This was a turning point in his career and for the last 16 years Ron has run Project Agency a company dedicated to supporting organisations who want to increase the probability of project success. He has a passion for developing project management skills of professional staff. He is always

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 151! The SPaMCAST 151 features my essay Urgency and Importance:  A Balance? Today's world is complicated. The lines between home and work have all but been erased due to tools that provide 24x7 connections and data feeds. The competition for our attention is daunting.  Interested in being a sponsor?  Contact Tom Cagley at SPaMCASTinfo@gmail.com for a rate sheet or to discuss options. Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team." Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement Cast Email:  spamcastinfo@gmail.com Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111 Website: www.spamcast.net Twitter: www.twitter.com/tcagley Facebook:  http://bi

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 150! The SPaMCAST 150 features my interview Yuval Yeret.  We discussed Kanban, Agile, life, the universe and everything.  Ok I might have gotten a bit carried away but only a bit. SPAMCast listener ordering an AgileSparks Assessment and Management Focusing workshop by end of 2011 will get a 25% discount from list price - Mention SPAMCast when contacting AgileSparks. Yuval is leading the Kanban/Flow practice in AgileSparks, an international lean agile consulting company. He has been in the technology management world since 1994. He graduated top of class from the IDF Mamram Computer School and in the last 17 years held various management positions in IT and Product Development including several VP R&D positions, with a focus on the Networking and Storage worlds. Six years ago Yuval started used Lean/Agile thinking and practices to turn around technology organizations. On top of being a Kanban guru and nominee for the 2011 Lean SSC Brickell Key Award, Yuv

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 149! The SPaMCAST 149 features my simple checklist focusing on CMMI Readiness.  We look at three categories in this checklist; resources, plans and attitude.  Even if you are not contemplating the CMMI this checklist will be of interest. THe SPaMCAST 149 is sponsored by LeanKit Kanban. LeanKit Kanban is a software tool for kanban that is as simple to use as physical kanban. If you put it up on a touchscreen in your team area, it practically IS physical kanban. But your boards are available from anywhere, and updated in real-time. A slew of colors, icons, and avatars take your visual signaling to the next level. And the system tracks the metrics for you, providing analytics on bottlenecks, lead time, work distribution, process efficiency, and variability - for a single board or a whole company. It's kanban for the Lean enterprise.  I have been using LeanKit Kanban for a personal project my wife and I are working on.  This week I was in Canada and we could sh

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 148!The Software Process and Measurement cast 148 is sponsored by LeanKit Kanban.  The interview in the SPaMCAST 148 is with Mattias Skarin.  We talked about kanban, effectiveness and software development philosophy.  I think it was a great interview and I hope you will like it! Biography: Mattias Skarin Sun Tzu once said the ultimate responsibility of generalship is to maneuver  into a position of success. Mr Skarin asks, "How do we do this in software?" This is his quest. He works as a Lean and Kanban coach, creating systems that leverage the combined effort of many. Mattias solves problems, building people, so they can walk on your own. During his journey he has helped software teams deliver with confidence, scaled Scrum over multiple teams (cutting game cycle time from 24 months to 4) and improved life for operations and support using Kanban. He is the author of the book ”Kanban and Scrum, making the most of both” and regularly traina and coaches in Lea

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 147! The Software Process and Measurement cast 147 is sponsored by LeanKit Kanban.  The essay in the SPaMCAST 147, which was edited as I flew to Zurich Switzerland, is titled Selfishness and Process Improvement.  This essay suggests when marketing process changes to critical influencers you must understand the strategies they use to derive value from their career. The essay begins: Successful implementations of process improvement programs are always a reflection of a large number of tactical marketing engagements set within a larger, overarching communications or marketing program.   My experience is that Process improvement implementations generally hinge on the decisions of one or a small group of critical influencers. The Prisoner’s Dilemma, a simple application of game theory can provide a framework for a proactive tactical marketing program that leverages the need of a practitioner to maximize the value of their participation in the process improvemen

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 146! SPaMCAST 146 features my interview with SPaMCAST 146 features my interview with Michael West!  Mr West wrote "Real Process Improvement Using the CMMI." We discussed the book and how and why the CMMI can be a tool for process improvement. Michael West has over 30 years experience innovating how software and systems are developed and delivered. Mr. West is co-founder of Natural Systems Process Improvement, a consultancy providing expertise in process and performance improvement. Mr. West is author of the 2004 book, "Real Process Improvement Using the CMMI," as well as numerous articles and presentations. Contact data: Email: michael@naturalspi.comWeb:  www.naturalspi.com Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received great unsolicited reviews and the book has been picked up as a text book for universit

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 145! In the SPaMCAST 145 we have an entry of the Metrics Minute. IFPUG Function Points are a measure of the functionality delivered by the project or application being counted based on a set of rules documented in the IFPUG Counting Practices Manual. The measure of delivered functionality is a proxy for size which can be used in estimating and measuring work. An analogy for function points is the measure of the number of square feet (or square meters) of a house. Knowing the number of square feet provides one view of the house but not other attributes such as price and number of bedrooms.Knowledge of functional size is a step in understanding development and / or maintenance effort. Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software pr

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 144! SPaMCAST 144 features my interview with Mary Lynn Penn. We discussed the CMMI, Six Sigma, Lean, SCAMPI appraisals and more! Mary Lynn Penn is the Director of Strategic Process Engineering, at Lockheed Martin Corporation, Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS), Lynn oversees policies and process command media, process compliance via audits and process improvement activities. She develops and manages compliance to multiple standards including CMMI DEV, CMMI SVC, ISO 9001/AS910, ISO 20000 and ISO 27001.   Her Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM) involvement began with version 1.0 and has progressed to the current CMMI version 1.3. She has participated in multiple formal SPAs, CBA IPIs, Assessments using the Acquisition Model, Risk Evaluations and supported multiple Software Capability Evaluations per versions 1, 2, and 3. She has supported multiple assessments using both CMMI DEV and CMMI SVC.  She is curren

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 143! In the SPaMCAST 143, I ask, "Do you have management support?" I recently asked many of my colleagues what they thought were the precursors to beginning a CMMI change program. Almost to a person, they began their list with senior management support which makes sense as the CMMI has become the top-down process improvement framework of choice. Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team." Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next!SPaMCAST 144 features my intervi

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 142! SPaMCAST 142 features my interview with Capers Jones.  Capers is an iconic figure in the field of software measurement and estimation.  In this interview we discussed function points, value metrics, software inspections and more.  As always Capers is evocative and thought provoking. Capers Jones is currently the President and CEO of Capers Jones & Associates LLC.  He is also the founder and former chairman of Software Productivity Research LLC (SPR).  He holds the title of Chief Scientist Emeritus at SPR.   Capers Jones founded SPR in 1984. Before founding SPR Capers was Assistant Director of Programming Technology for the ITT Corporation at the Programming Technology Center in Stratford, Connecticut.  He was also a manager and researcher at IBM in California. Capers is a well-known author and international public speaker.  Some of his books have been translated into six languages.  All of his books are translated into Japanese and his newest bo

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 141! In the SPaMCAST 141, I ask, "Are you ready to implement agile?"  It might sound like a simple question but it is imperative that you not only have an answer but a structured rational for the answer.  I propose a simple quiz (part of my simple checklist series) to structure the discussion when you want to know whether you are ready or not.  It should be noted that like any readiness discussion, determining whether you are ready to implement agile should be viewed as a continuum.  Your journey, whether remediating issues or planning for change, shouldn’t be thought of in absolutes; approach readiness as a journey. Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your tea

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 140! SPaMCAST 140 features my interview with Raja Bavani.  We talked about his great article "The ten best influences on software product engineering." The article was originally publised in the SDTime  This was a wide ranging interview went beyond influences and wrestles with the future!   Raja Bavani is Technical Director of MindTree’s Product Engineering Services (PES) group and plays the role of Product Engineering Evangelist and Agile Coach. He has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry and has published papers at international conferences on topics related to Code Quality, Distributed Agile, Customer Value Management and Software Estimation. His PES experience started during the early 90s, when he was involved in porting a leading ERP product across various UNIX platforms. Later he moved onto products that involved data mining and master data management. During early 2000, he worked with some of the niche independent software vendors in

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 139! In the SPaMCAST 139  we begin an exploration of financial metrics.  The first class of financial metrics is those metrics that are used to decide which projects should be done.  I call these return metrics and they ask the questions: Should we do this project? And more broadly, are their better uses for our assets? Generally these are questions are asked at the beginning of a project but can be equally powerful at different times during the project life cycle. Return metrics are focused on the financial aspect of project but less tangible assets can be incorporated.  Attributes such as risk and strategy are examples of attributes that are often quantified and incorporated.  Examples of this class of metric include Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Investment (ROI), payback period and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). In all cases these metrics account for income, a hurdle rate (interest rate or expected rate of return) and a comparison cost either based o

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 138! SPaMCAST 138 features my interview with Jo Ann Sweeney.  I think we would all agree that communication is an important tool for taming the clash of organizational perspectives, for creating a platform for collaboration or in other words for making projects work.  Our interview covered these points and more and is a must for all of my listeners! Meet Jo Ann Sweeney Some years ago my husband and I were having an argument. We had opposite views and seemed to be going round in circles. I couldn’t understand why. Then the penny dropped. It was all about perspective. He sees things in black and white; I see in shades of grey. Once he realised I understood his point of view he expected me to agree with him. For him my understanding equalled agreement. Since then I’ve come to realise this same clash of perspectives happens in organisations all the time. Leaders and employees have very different outlooks that can undermine the whole organisation. Either they tr

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 137! SPaMCAST 137 features an essay titled Abstractions.  The essay begins: The world is complex; it is comprised of a myriad of processes each with their own slice of complexity. We all fear being sucked into whirlpool of complexity as evidenced by the laundry list of best selling books that purport to provide the tools needed to take control of our personal and professional worlds.  Also included in this SPaMCAST is a product review by Joseph Hurtado, a long time SPaMCAST listener, for Agile Board which is an IPad app for agile / Kanban tool.  Thank you for the review Joseph! Shameless Ad for my book!  Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, neither for you or your team."  Have you bought your copy? Contact