Software Process And Measurement Cast

Show 36 is part two of my interview with Phil Armour.  The interview focused on estimation and just a bit of philosophy, powerful stuff that may change how you view estimation and the goal of software development.  Phillip G. Armour is VP for Systems Development and a Senior Consultant at Corvus International Inc.  Phil has been developing software for over thirty-five years.  He has been a programmer, analyst, project manager, DBA, systems architect, process engineer, metrics engineer, consultant, and executive coach and has worked for organizations as diverse as United Airlines, Motorola, Argonne National Laboratory, General Dynamics, the IRS, the premier software consulting company in India, and the largest cellular service provider in Central West Africa.  In the last fifteen years, Phil has personally taught software development techniques and management principles to over 20,000 developers, engineers, managers, and executives.  Phil’s primary professional focus is currently in two related area

Show 35 is my interview with Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies.  The use of social media is a fact of life, we are now challenged with how we take advantage of the possibilities.   Charlene Li, Vice President & Principal Analyst, primarily contributes to Forrester's offerings for the Interactive Marketing professional. She is one of the driving forces behind Forrester's Social Computing and Web 2.0 research, and examines how companies can use technologies like blogs, social networking, RSS, tagging, and widgets for marketing purposes. During her eight years at Forrester, Charlene has also led the marketing and media research team, and ran the San Francisco office. In her research, Charlene covers such marketing-related topics as consumer portals, search, and media site design. She also leverages her background in newspaper publishing and looks at online local media and online classifieds. In the past, she has also written about online advertisi

Show 34 is the beginning of my interview with Phil Armour.  I am calling this interview, “Estimation Ain’t Planning”.  I must admit that I have been quoting this interview since I taped it.  Amazingly powerful concepts, so powerful I decided to revisit estimation. Phillip G. Armour is VP for Systems Development and a Senior Consultant at Corvus International Inc. Phil has been developing software for over thirty-five years.  He has been a programmer, analyst, project manager, DBA, systems architect, process engineer, metrics engineer, consultant, and executive coach and has worked for organizations as diverse as United Airlines, Motorola, Argonne National Laboratory, General Dynamics, the IRS, the premier software consulting company in India, and the largest cellular service provider in Central West Africa.  In the last fifteen years, Phil has personally taught software development techniques and management principles to over 20,000 developers, engineers, managers, and executives.   Phil’s pr

SPaMCAST 33 - Donnellan, Software Metrics Programs Part 2, Guest Essay   Show 33 is part two of my interview with Rob Donnellan discussing the trials and tribulations of metrics programs.  Rob has provided a plethora tips for developing and marketing metrics programs if you are in the metrics business make sure you list to both this interview and the first part of the interview in show 30.    Rob Donnellan, IT Excellence Value Builder, has more than 28 years of industry experience.   Rob delivers executive-level "IT Excellence" consulting.  Prior to joining Q/P Management Group, Rob was a Director with META Group, Nautilus Advisors (an outsourcing consultancy), and Cap Gemini.  His key responsibilities have been to develop next-generation consulting services, and to lead IT management consulting projects primarily devoted to process improvement, IT portfolio management, IT diagnosis, performance engineering/measurement, and benchmarking.  He has been a regular speaker for industry organizations such as the

Show 32 is part two of my interview with Murali Chemuturi on the topic of estimation.  You might think part two is just more of the same but think again.  Murali has laid out some interesting theories and data.   Mr Chemuturi has made a very gracious offer, for every comment SPaMCAST gets on Murali’s interview Murali has authorized me to send a PDF copy of his new book on estimation.    Mr. Chemuturi has over thirty four years of total experience out of which about 23 years have been spent in the field of information technology.  Has worked at TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES for five and half years and at ELECTRONICS COROPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED for nineteen. Murali also worked at SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES LTD., METAMOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD. and Vistaar eBusinesses Pvt Ltd.  His CV includes numerous publications and he is the author of an upcoming book on estimation which I will review on a future Software Measurement and Process Cast.    Mr. Chemuturi can be contacted by email at murali@chemuturi.com or by phone

Show 31 features an interview with Scott Ambler of IBM discussing Test Driven Development and other Agile topics.    Scott W. Ambler is the Practice Leader Agile Development with IBM Rational and he works with IBM customers around the world to improve their software processes.  He is the founder of the Agile Modeling (AM), Agile Data (AD), Agile Unified Process (AUP), and Enterprise Unified Process (EUP) methodologies.  Scott is the (co-)author of 19 books, including Refactoring Databases, Agile Modeling, Agile Database Techniques, The Object Primer 3rd Edition, and The Enterprise Unified Process.  Scott is a senior contributing editor with Dr. Dobb’s Journal.    Check out Mr. ambler’s blogs at: Personal home page: www.ibm.com/rational/bios/ambler.html Agile at Scale blog: www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/ambler.   The essay for this cast is titled “Are Words a Predictor of Change Adoption".  The essay explores the relationship between words and what they predict about success

SPaMCAST 30 – Donnellan, Metrics Programs, Passion and Success   Show 30 begins a two part interview with Rob Donnellan on the topic of metrics programs.     Rob Donnellan, IT Excellence Value Builder, has more than 28 years of industry experience.   Rob delivers executive-level "IT Excellence" consulting.  Prior to joining Q/P Management Group, Rob was a Director with META Group, Nautilus Advisors (an outsourcing consultancy), and Cap Gemini.  His key responsibilities have been to develop next-generation consulting services, and to lead IT management consulting projects primarily devoted to process improvement, IT portfolio management, IT diagnosis, performance engineering/measurement, and benchmarking.  He has been a regular speaker for industry organizations such as the APQC, PMI, SPIN, SIM, IFPUG, and The Balanced Scorecard Collaborative.  He holds a Masters Degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Connecticut.

  Show 29 begins a two part interview with Murali Chemuturi on the topic of estimation.  This is not the first time the Cast has examined estimation however I think you will find that Murali’s thoughts will add your knowledge base and might even spark heated debate.      Mr. Chemuturi has over thirty four years of total experience out of which about fourteen years have been spent in the field of information technology.  Has worked at TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES for five and half years and at ELECTRONICS COROPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED for nineteen. Murali also worked at SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES LTD., METAMOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD. and Vistaar eBusinesses Pvt Ltd.  His CV includes numerous publications and he is the author of an upcoming book on estimation which I will review on a future Software Measurement and Process Cast.    Mr. Chemuturi can be contacted by email at murali@chemuturi.com or by phone at 91-40-27220771, 91-0-988-501-9461 and in the USA at 1- 347-394-3138.  His web site can be found at http://www

Show 28 features Part Two of an interview with Ivar Jacobson, author, pundit and one of the creators of UML.  The discussion covered topics ranging from methodologies to his new concept, practices.   If process improvement and methodology are important to you, this is an important interview full of new concepts. An abridged version of Mr. Jacobson’s Wikipedia biography notes that he is a Swedish computer scientist he holds a Masters of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg and a Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. In 1967 he proposed the use of software components in the development of the new generation of software controlled telephone switches Ericsson was developing. In doing this he invented sequence diagrams, and developed collaboration diagrams. He also applied state transition diagrams to describe the message flow between the components. At Ericsson he also invented use cases as a way to specify functional software requirements.

Show 27 features part one of an interview with Ivar Jacobson, author, pundit and one of the creators of UML.  The discussion covered topics ranging from methodologies to his new concept, practices.   If process improvement and methodology are important to you, this is an important interview full of new concepts. An abridged version of Mr. Jacobson’s Wikipedia biography notes that he is a Swedish computer scientist he holds a Masters of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg and a Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. In 1967 he proposed the use of software components in the development of the new generation of software controlled telephone switches Ericsson was developing. In doing this he invented sequence diagrams, and developed collaboration diagrams. He also applied state transition diagrams to describe the message flow between the components. At Ericsson he also invented use cases as a way to specify functional software requ

SPaMCAST 26 - Carr, The Big Switch, Center   Show 26 features an interview with Nicolas Carr, author of “The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google" and “Does IT Matter".  The discussion ranged from computing as a utility to the impact of ubiquitous computing on business and society.    Mr. Carr is a former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review. He writes and speaks on technology, business, and culture. His 2004 book Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage, published by Harvard Business School Press, set off a worldwide debate about the role of computers in business. His new book, The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google, examines the future of computing and its implications for business and society. He also edited and wrote the introduction for The Digital Enterprise, a book of HBR writings on the Internet, and contributed to World View, Organizing Business Knowledge, and When Good People Behave Badly. Check

SPaMCAST 25 - Booch, Omnibus Framework A few hours late . . . for some reason Audacity and Vista had a wrestling match this afternoon.  A couple of reinstalls later we are back in action however I think the interview and essay might be the some of the best of year one! Show 25 features an interview with Grady Booch.  The interview covers topics ranging from high ceremony processes, anarchy, and organizational governance to virtual worlds.  Humboldt Curve and even Moore’s Law even make appearances.  Grady is recognized internationally for his innovative work on software architecture and software engineering. A renowned visionary, he has devoted his life's work to improving the effectiveness of software developers worldwide. Grady served as Chief Scientist of Rational Software Corporation since its founding in 1981 and continues to serve in that capacity within IBM. Grady is one of the original authors of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and was also one of the original developers of several of

SPaMCAST SIX Estimation Interview with Michael Bragen The Software Process and Measurmeent Cast Six continues the the theme arc on estimation with a conversation with Michael Bragen of Software Productivitity Research, LLC (SPR).  This is an interview where having a pencil and paper to take notes will come in handy (at least it did for me and I was there).   SPR's website is www.spr.com Mr. Bragen's email address is  michael.bragen@spr.com The essay in this cast is titled 'An Estimate Is Just A Number, Right?'  It is way too easy to forget that an estimate carries alot of wieght even when it is given off-the-cuff.  The full text version of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com. Next Cast: The next cast will be posted on Sunday April 22 (programing notes on April 15) and will feature an interview with Kenji Hiranabe in which we will talk about using Mind Maps in Agile projects.  The essay I hae planned will be titled 'Whay Are Requirements So Hard To Get Right'.  Your thoughts on the topic

SPaMCAST 24 - Edelson, Coaching, Specialization ** Note – Traceability paper will be out on the feed this week. ** Show 24 features an interview with Marilyn Edelson, a Principal at IT Decisions Coaching LLC.  The interview covers project management, leadership, the similarities, differences and how coaching can make both better.  This was a wide ranging interview with lots of tips and take “aways"! Marilyn Edelson, cofounder, is a Master Certified Coach, entrepreneur and certified Best Year Yet® program leader with over 25 years experience in behavioral management. She has has been coaching executives, managers and corporate teams for the past 10 years and was voted 'Top 10 Coach 2007' by Women's Business Boston (a division of The Boston Herald). She has a strong behavioral background and easily integrates the principals of emotional and social intelligence with the structured, measurable results oriented approach provided by the Best Year Yet® system and DiSC behavioral and values assessment t

SPaMCAST 23 - Rothman, Project Management , Traceability ** I believe I am back on track since the motherboard failure.  We should be back on track for delivering your favorite process improvement and measurement content every other week! **   Show 23 features an interview with Johanna Rothman.  The interview is titled, “Project Management in the Post Waterfall World".  While the title is a bit fanciful I would suggest that the ideas espoused are very powerful and pertinent to how work is done and managed.    Johanna Rothman consults, speaks, and writes on managing high-technology product development. She assists managers, teams, and organizations to become more effective by applying her pragmatic approaches to the issues of project management, risk management, and people management. She’s helped Engineering organizations, IT organizations, and startups hire technical people, manage projects, and release successful products faster.   Johanna is the author of Manage It! Your Guide

** I know this show is a week late.  I had a motherboard failure; I am working on a replacement. **   Show 22 features an interview with Joe Levens of Wolters Kluwer discussing Configuration Management (CM).  Joe has worked in development, testing, configuration management, and process improvement roles for 24 years. He formed and led the Configuration Management group at Reuters for 8 years, which performed a unique process of integrity checking on software releases, to significantly improve product quality delivered to the customer. His group managed an average of 1000 software and document releases per year, distributed globally. Joseph is currently a Program Manager for Wolters Kluwer, where he chairs a Software Process Improvement Collaboration Forum among organizations throughout North America.                                                       The essay is titled "Attention as an Asset in Outsourcing".  The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.c

Software Process and Measurement Show 21! Show 21 features an interview with Miranda Mason of Accenture on metrics consulting and sourcing programs.  The interview has a ton of information on how to make metrics programs useful and how to approach sourcing these kinds of programs. MS Mason is the global Performance Management and metrics lead for Accenture’s Outsourcing practice. She has extensive experience in IT metrics, Balanced Scorecards, Six Sigma, and application outsourcing. Miranda lives in Denver with her husband and 3 year old son.                                The essay is titled “Marine Corp Marathon 10k and Process Improvement, One Year Later . . ." The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome! Remember that comments and feedback are welcome!  There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111 Twitter – w

Software Process and Measurement Show 20! Show 20 features Part 2 of an interview with Dave Garmus discussing IFPUG Function Points.  David Garmus is one of the Founders of The David Consulting Group (DCG). David is an acknowledged authority in the sizing, measurement and estimation of software application development. He is a Past President of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) and a member of their Counting Practices Committee. Mr. Garmus is also a member of PMI, SEI and QAI. He has a BS from UCLA and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. He has spoken at numerous conferences and has written many articles and several books, including: ·        Measuring The Software Process: A Practical Guide To Functional Measurements, Prentice Hall, 1996 ·        Function Point Analysis; Measurement Practices for Successful Software Projects, Addison-Wesley, 2001 ·        IT Measurement; Practical Advice from the Experts, Addison-Wesley, 2002 as

Software Process and Measurement Cast Show 19! Show 19 features an interview with Dave Garmus discussing IFPUG Function Points.  David Garmus is one of the Founders of The David Consulting Group (DCG). David is an acknowledged authority in the sizing, measurement and estimation of software application development. He is a Past President of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) and a member of their Counting Practices Committee. Mr. Garmus is also a member of PMI, SEI and QAI. He has a BS from UCLA and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. He has spoken at numerous conferences and has written many articles and several books, including: ·        Measuring The Software Process: A Practical Guide To Functional Measurements, Prentice Hall, 1996 ·        Function Point Analysis; Measurement Practices for Successful Software Projects, Addison-Wesley, 2001 ·        IT Measurement; Practical Advice from the Experts, Addison-Wesley, 2002 a

Software Process and Measurement Show 18! Show 18 features an interview with Kent Beck discussing transparency.  Kent Beck is the Founder and Director of Three Rivers Institute (TRI). His career has combined the practice of software development with reflection, innovation, and communication. His contributions to software development include patterns for software, the rediscovery of test-first programming, the xUnit family of developer testing tools, and Extreme Programming. He currently divides his time between writing, programming, and coaching. Beck is the author/co-author of Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change 2nd Edition, Contributing to Eclipse, Test-Driven Development: By Example, Planning Extreme Programming, The Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns, and the JUnit Pocket Guide.  He received his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Oregon.   The Three Rivers Institute can be found at www.threeriversinstitute.org/ The essay in this cast is three mini-segments o