Software Process and Measurement Cast

SPaMCAST 515 features our essay on transformation and agile metrics. Whether you like the word transformation or not, many in the process improvement and agile communities help to facilitate change. We also feature a visit from the Software Sensi.  Mr. Pries weights in on defining “what is quality”.   Anchoring the cast this week is Gene Hughson. This week we talk about a piece titled, Dependency Management – Anti-Patterns as Art from The Daily WTF.

SPaMCAST 514 features our interview with John Clapham. John and I talked DevOps, people, agile, and how all those pieces fit together coherently or not. John even quoted Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. This is a big, fun, informative interview!

SPaMCAST 513 features a second essay on reciprocity. One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is that some people on a team are passengers and others play different, more involved, roles. We also have columns from Susan Parente (I Am Not a Scrumdamentalist) and Jeremy Berriault (QA Corner). Susan provides a spirited discussion of self-directed teams in agile. Jeremy discusses one of thorniest facts of life for a tester -- hard deadlines.

SPaMCAST 512 marks the return of Jeff Dalton.  Jeff and I talked about the CMMI Version 2.0 and the Agile Performance Holarchy.  The CMMI is often maligned as promoting anti-agile behaviors. Jeff makes the case that Version 2.0 promotes agile.  We dive into the Agile Performance Holarchy during the second half of the interview. The Agile Performance Holarchy provides technology leaders with a model to guide agile adoption.

SPaMCAST 511 features our essay on reciprocity.  Reciprocal agreements are part of working and playing well with others. There are many types of reciprocal agreements in a typical agile project. Our second column features Kim Pries, the Software Sensei.  Kim discusses the use and impact of domain-specific languages. The final column this week introduces Sandeep Koorse. Sandeep delivers advice on an innovative approach to ensure retrospectives deliver value.  

We are doing something special in SPaMCAST 510.  Over the past couple of years we have talked to Steve Tendon and Wolfram Müller about their book, Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban. Today as part of our conversation Steve and Wolfram shine a light on some of the finer points in the book! They also share how they became collaborations on the book.  

SPaMCAST 509 will feature our essay discussing if you can demonstrate incomplete work.  My knee-jerk reaction is no, but knee-jerk reactions are not always right. We will also hear from Gene Hughson. Gene talks Architects!  Gene and I discussed his essay, So what exactly does an Architect do? Bringing the cast home this week is Jon M. Quigley.  Jon brings his marvelous Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast this week in order to discuss the root cause analysis.

SPaMCAST 508 features our interview with Vasco Duarte!  Vasco and I discuss vision and product owners. The product owner role is crucial. To be effective, the product owner must be able to articulate a vision for the product they champion.

SPaMCAST 507 opens with our essay on consensus decision making. Consensus decision-making techniques are used by almost every team. In our second column, Susan Parente brings her I Am Not a Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast.  In this installment, Susan talks about the myths of agile and how falling into the traps that the myths create affect the delivery of value. Jeremy Berriault (QA Corner) anchors the cast this week with a discussion of what happens when you make bad decisions.

SPaMCAST 506 - Distributed Agile Teams, an Interview With Mark KilbySPaMCAST 506 features our interview with Mark Kilby.  Mark and I explored distributed agile teams. Agile in distributed environments is doable, but it isn’t easy. Mark provides guidance and advice. Mark recently co-authored From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams with Johanna Rothman (LeanPub).

SPaMCAST 505 features our recent essay titled, Coaching: Six Modes of Operation. On the surface, coaching is a fairly simple role. A coach has six basic modes of operation.   In the second spot of this week's magazine have the penultimate session of our read of Steve Tendon and Wolfram Müller’s Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance.   We complete this edition of the SPaMCAST with an essay on servant leadership from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries.  

SPaMCAST 504 features our interview with Gerie Owen.  Gerie and I discussed continuous testing, DevOps, and testing in an agile culture! We worked through big ideas that can have a big impact on how you work and deliver value immediately.

SPaMCAST 503 features our essay “Culture: The Knife’s Edge of Change.”  I have often heard, culture eats change for breakfast. Aligning cultures so that change is possible requires seeing the differences. We also have an installment of the Alpha and Omega of Product Development w/ Jon M Quigley.  In this installment, we discuss the muda of underutilizing people. We conclude with a visit with Gene Hughson.  We discuss  “When asked for the time, don’t explain how your watch works”.

SPaMCAST 502 features our interview Marcus Hammarberg.  Marcus returns to talk about his new book Salvation: The Bungsu Story (https://amzn.to/2u1ndYs).  The story provides a real-life example of how agile can save the world — or at least part of it. This is one of the most important and inspirational interviews I have done.

SPaMCAST 501 features our essay on Agile Metrics. Progress is easy to visualize when we use the yardstick of calendar time. Cycle time metrics are ways to generate answers to ‘how long’ questions in a manner that is valuable and predictable. Our second column features Jeremy Berriault.  In the QA Corner, Jeremy and I discussed the idea of self-reliance rather than using third-party testing organizations.   Anchoring the cast is Susan Parente. Susan discusses certification.