SPaMCAST 331 - Coaching Not Managing, Microservices, Channels

This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast is a magazine feature with three columns. This week we have columns from Gene Hughson – Form Follows Function, completing a three-column arc on microservices. In Jo Ann Sweeney’s new Explaining Change column, Jo Ann tackles the concept of communication channels. The SPaMCAST essay this week is on Agile Coaching. Coaches help teams and projects deliver the most value, however many times organizations eschew coaches or conflate management and coaching.  This week we will have an external coach versus management death match! Contest We are having a contest! Anthony has offered a copy of his great new book to a randomly selected SPaMCAST listener, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.  Enter between February 22th and March 7th.  The winner will be announced on March 8th.  If you want a copy of Agile Project Management you have two options: send your name and email address to spamcastinfor@gmail.com (I will act as the broker and notify the winner at which point we can deal with other types of addresses), OR you can buy a copy.  Remember buying a copy through the Software Process and Measurement Cast helps support the podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version Call to action! Can you tell a friend about the podcast? This week Julie Davis introduced two of her co-workers to the podcast and then emailed us at spamcastinfo@gmail.com.  Welcome and Joe and Cindy! Pictures of you and your friends listening to the podcast would be great. If your friends don’t know how to subscribe or listen to podcast, show them how you listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast and subscribe them!  Remember to send us the name of you person you subscribed (and a picture) and I will give both you and the horde you have converted to listeners a call out on the show.   Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the  and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one.  If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast.  Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version  Upcoming Events CMMI Institute Conference EMEA 2015March 26 -27 London, UKI will be presenting “Agile Risk Management.”http://cmmi.unicom.co.uk/ International Conference on Software Quality and Test ManagementWashington D.C. May 31 - June 5, 2015Wednesday June 3, 2015http://qualitymanagementconference.com/ I will be presenting a new and improved version of “The Impact of Cognitive Biases on Test and Project Teams.” Next SPaMCast In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast we will feature our interview with Shirly Ronen-Harel. We began by talking about the book she co-authored (or is co-authoring) The Coaching Booster, which is 80% complete on LeanPub. We branched out into other topics including coaching, lean, Agile and using lean and Agile in startups. This was an incredibly content-rich podcast.  Have your notepad ready when you listen because Shirly provides ideas and advice that can change how you work! Shameless Ad for my book!  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.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here.   Available in English and Chinese.