Software Process and Measurement Cast

The SPaMCAST 733 features a reflection on a reflection. As I was reading Chapter 5 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (check out the re-read at https://bit.ly/3W4Mzzg) and retrospecting on my own behavior, I replayed some past coaching experiences. The point today is less the linkage to our current re-read than the confluence of continued learning and reflection. We also have a visit from Mr. Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy and I talk about coaches who let their own biases run away with them. Re-read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 5 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link - buy a copy or two and give them to friends). Chapter 5 is titled Badass Agile Coaching Arcs. Coaching and conversations are highly intertwined activities. I am at a loss as to how I would coach without actively interacting with people. I think the idea of a conversation arc is something I naturally understood or perhaps the concept percolated in my mind from sales training (haven't I strongly suggested sales training?). The idea of an arc to a coaching conversation makes perfect sense. Previous Entries in Our Re-read: Week 1: Logistics and Forewords - https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx Week 2: Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching - https://bit.ly/3hcEPMs Week 3: The Mindset of the Badass Agile Coach - http://bit.ly/3Eu0qJu Week 4: Agile Coaching Frameworks - http://bit.ly/3Ok60S7 Week 5: Badass Agile Coaching Agreements - https://bit.ly/3iylnKM Week 6: Badass Agile Coach Arcs - https://bit.ly/3W4Mzzg A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge, building to establishing a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 734 will feature a lightly edited version of the SPaMCASTs annual holiday panel. We are going to talk about engagement and whether being engaged is as important to organizations as it is to all of us in the agile and lean consulting industry.

The SPaMCAST 732 features our interview with Robert Cooke. Robert and I discussed the role of software development in delivering value in non-software product organizations. Robert Cooke is the Founder and Principal Architect at 3Forge, a New York-based provider of data virtualization and visualization technology. 3Forge has achieved significant growth over the years as a result of increasing demand for its award-winning, web-based browser AMI platform. Today, AMI is deployed at three of the five largest global banks, and nearly 20 percent of global equities flow through the platform. 3Forge also has provided its services to hedge funds, broker-dealers, and other financial services firms. The company is the leading provider of "performance at scale" data management systems. Robert's accomplishments have spanned electronic trading, middle and back office, regulatory reporting, compliance, and risk management. Website: https://www.3forge.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robert-cooke-a7835b69 Re-read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 4 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link). Chapter 4, Badass Agile Coaching Agreements, focuses on the need for and structure of…coaching agreements (hence the name of the chapter :)). I use coaching agreements on a regular basis. They are an excellent idea. Galen states, "My point being: never, ever coach without establishing an agreement." Previous Entries in Our Re-read: Week 1: Logistics and Forewords - https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx Week 2: Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching - https://bit.ly/3hcEPMs Week 3: The Mindset of the Badass Agile Coach - http://bit.ly/3Eu0qJu Week 4: Agile Coaching Frameworks - http://bit.ly/3Ok60S7 Week 5: Badass Agile Coaching Agreements - https://bit.ly/3iylnKM A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge, building to establishing a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 733 continues our answer to the question: if one product owner is good, aren't two, three, or four better? We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault who brings his wide-ranging QA corner to the podcast.

The annual Thanksgiving holiday in the US was a few days ago providing space to reflect and give thanks to everyone involved in the 16-plus years history of the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog and podcast. There is a lot to be thankful and grateful for, this week we put the spotlight on everyone that makes the SPaMCAST possible. Also, Jon M Quigley brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the podcast. Jon and I discuss the idea of flow. Re-read Saturday News This week we are taking a break from our re-read of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link). Previous Entries in Our Re-read: Week 1: Logistics and Forewords - https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx Week 2: Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching - https://bit.ly/3hcEPMs Week 3: The Mindset of the Badass Agile Coach - http://bit.ly/3Eu0qJu Week 4: Agile Coaching Frameworks - http://bit.ly/3Ok60S7 A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge, building to establishing a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 732 features our interview with Robert Cooke. Robert and I discuss the role of software development in delivering value.

The SPaMCAST 730 features our conversation with Ramzi Marjaba. Ramzi and I discussed the role of a sales engineer. The role solves customers' problems and is a bridge between customers and technical teams. With all that going for it, why is it a forgotten job path for people with deep technical acumen? Ramzi is an established Sales Engineer and the Founder of We The Sales Engineers and found his calling in helping people change their lives for the better, either by breaking into the difficult world of Sales Engineering or upskilling their current skill levels to get that pay raise and promotion. Contact Information Website https://wethesalesengineers.com/ or wetheses.com Ramzi's LinkedIn Profile linkedin.com/in/ramzimarjaba Email rmarjaba@gmail.com Podcast https://apple.co/3EdrUlb Twitter WeTheSEs Re-read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 3 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link). In Chapter 3, Agile Coaching Framework, the authors create a line in the sand stating "professional badass agile coaching needs to support and model a multivariate framework that supports all aspects (stances) of our craft." Week 4: Agile Coaching Frameworks - http://bit.ly/3Ok60S7 Previous Weeks: Week 1: Logistics and Forewords - https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx Week 2: Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching - https://bit.ly/3hcEPMs Week 3: The Mindset of the Badass Agile Coach - http://bit.ly/3Eu0qJu A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge, building to establishing a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 731 continues our answer to the question: if one product owner is good, aren't two, three, or four better? We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast.

This week we go back to basics and answer a listener's question (name and a bit of the context changed to protect the involved parties). In the essay this week we discuss why it is a rotten idea to have a functional product owner and a technical product owner. When it comes to product owners the old adage, "the more the merrier," does not hold. Also, we have an installment of Tony Timbol's "To Tell A Story" column. In this installment, Tony discusses how to synchronize team-level agile with a waterfall requirements process. This is one of those scenarios that when you run into it you will need to find a way to deal with it until more of the organization embraces agile. Re-read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 2 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link). Chapter 2, The Mindset of the Badass Agile Coach, focuses on the most important part of a coach's arsenal of superpowers: their mindset. This Week: Week 3: The Mindset of the Badass Agile Coach - http://bit.ly/3Eu0qJu Previous Weeks: Week 1: Logistics and Forewords - https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx Week 2: Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching - https://bit.ly/3hcEPMs A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge, building to establishing a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 730 features our interview with Ramzi Marjaba. Ramzi and I discussed the role of a sales engineer and why this is a forgotten job path for people with deep technical acumen.

SPaMCAST 728 features a discussion with Anjali Leon and Nadezhda Belousova. We discussed their new model, Product Leadership Stances. One of my takeaways was how powerful the model was in helping to develop an understanding of product leadership and then highlighting gaps in how the role is practiced in organizations. Anjali and Nadezhda's Bios! Anjali Leon is an Agility, Product, and Professional Coach, Collaboration Facilitator, and Trusted Strategic Advisor. Through her boutique coaching and consulting practice, PPL Coach, She brings her years of experience in technology, leadership, and Agile to help her clients adapt, innovate, and thrive in the new-normal business environment - where the meaning of 'winning' is quickly being redefined as integrating better business outcomes and our collective well-being. You can experience Anjali's authentic head, hearts and hands approach to product, people, and personal leadership through one of her unique value-driven and values-based coaching programs, workshops, and training. Anjali is an accredited trainer through ICAgile and ProKanban, is a trained co-active coach and is a committed lifelong learner. She is recognized as an inspiring speaker, conference organizer, and community leader. She is co-creator of Product Leadership Stances™, co-founder of HitRefresh – a resilience-building practice, founder of Empowering South Florida Women in Agile, and member of the advisory board for ProKanban.org. Anjali's Profile linkedin.com/in/anjali-leon Website ppl-coach.com (Company) Twitter thepplcoach4U awakencoach AnjaliLeon Nadezhda Belousova is an Integral Master Coach™ and an independent Enterprise Business Agility Strategist who deeply cares about high-performing scalable businesses with human-centric approach and sustainability at heart. She brings a combination of psychology, multiple professional coaching approaches (ORSC, Solution-Focused coaching, Clean Language, etc.), years of extensive hands-on consulting experience in various industries, and a can-do-all mindset. Nadezhda sees organizations holistically as living systems and enables them to unleash their potential – to evolve, to re-invent themselves, to thrive. She runs a boutique organizational coaching and management consulting practice serving her clients worldwide from Berlin, Germany. Nadezhda is a mentor, speaker and a passionate contributor to a number of professional communities (European Organizational Design Forum, Agile Alliance, Business Agility Institute, etc.). LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadezhdabelousova Product Leadership Website: https://www.productleadershipstances.com/ Re-read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 1 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link). Chapter 1, Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching, is an overview of the book including thoughts on how to read it and a whole lot more. This Week: Week 2: Introduction to Badassery in Agile Coaching - https://bit.ly/3hcEPMs Previous Weeks: Week 1: Logistics and Forewords - https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge building to establish a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST In the SPaMCAST 729 let's go back to basics and discuss why it is a rotten idea to have a functional product owner and a technical product owner. Tony Timbol will also bring his "To Tell A Story" column to the podcast.

In SPaMCAST 727 we discuss the assumptions behind Little's Law and Neglected WIP. Some of the assumptions you can cheat to generate useful conversations but there are limits and you need to be upfront about what you are doing. We also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast. In this installment, Susan answers a listener's question about the complications of a team with 2 developers and 5 managers. Re-read Saturday News This week we begin our re-read of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link – buy your copy soon and start reading). This week we begin with a few notes on the logistics of the read and then review the two Forewords. Week 1: Logistics and Forewords - https://bit.ly/3zoAYlx A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge building to establish a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 728 we will feature our discussion of product leadership stances with Anjali Leon and Nadezhda Belousova. Developing an understanding of product leadership stances will highlight product leadership gaps and strengthen your product focus. .

In SPaMCAST 726 Mr. Allan Kelly returns! We discussed the fact that backlogs often become dumping grounds. Allan suggested an energetic solution. We also discussed OKRs and whether they are related to backlogs. Are OKRs the chicken or the egg? Allan Kelly advises and mentors managers and teams in using agile approaches and OKRs to accelerate delivery, meet deadlines and execute against strategy. He believes these approaches benefit businesses and create more fulfilling work environments. Allan is a keynote conference speaker and author of several books including "Succeeding with OKRs in Agile", "The Art of Agile Product Ownership" and "Business Patterns for Software Developers". He blogs at allankelly.net and can be contacted there or on Linkedin, https://www.linkedin.com/in/allankellynet/ Re-read Saturday News We complete our re-read of the classic Coaching Agile Teams this week with a few final thoughts. I view Coaching Agile Teams as a tale of two themes. The first is a book of philosophy and the second is a how-to book full of techniques. The full value of this book requires two readings. The first time I read the book, I took the how-to path. This time the philosophies of agile coaching were more important to me than any individual technique. Next week we start our re-read of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link – buy your copy soon and start reading). This will be less of a re-read than it will be me trying to stay one or two chapters ahead because I am reading the book for the first time. We will begin with a few notes on the logistics of the read and then we will review the front matter. Previous Installments Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3A1aNTe Week 2: Will I Be A Good Coach - https://bit.ly/3nzDAHg Week 3: Expect High Performance - https://bit.ly/3Rl4fFf Week 4: Master Yourself - https://bit.ly/3zL8t2n Week 5: Let Your Style Change - https://bit.ly/3Q8zHWa Week 6: Coach as Coach-Mentor - https://bit.ly/3QLcSIi Week 7: Coach as Facilitator - https://bit.ly/3AaP5KY Week 8: Coach As Teacher - https://bit.ly/3AURGdL Week 9: Coach As Problem Solver - https://bit.ly/3C06Gr7 Week 10: Coach As Conflict Navigator - https://bit.ly/3R6tmuc Week 11: Coach As Collaboration Conductor - https://bit.ly/3fXoHOs Week 12: Agile Coach Failure, Recovery, and Success Modes - https://bit.ly/3T0FluQ Week 13: When Will I Get There? and It's Your Journey - https://bit.ly/3MAe00v Week 14: Final Thoughts - https://bit.ly/3z6zJaA A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge building to establish a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 727 we will discuss the assumptions behind Little's Law and Neglected WIP. Some of the assumptions you can cheat on and still get valuable information. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast.

One of the most common problems teams face is starting more work than they complete. Neglected WIP is the gap between all the work you say you are working on and the stuff you are doing. The natural vagaries of office life can cause an item to get stuck due to someone being out sick or because your co-worker hit the lottery - stuff happens. A little might be ok, but more is bad. When neglected WIP passes that hurdle, real flow time will increase and velocity will slow. The combination of getting less work done and taking longer at it is a prescription for your stakeholders to start looking for torches and pitchforks. We also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault who brings his QA Corner to the podcast. In this installment, we discussed the QA Lead's role in agile teams. So just what does a QA Lead do in an agile team . . . Jeremy has some ideas. Re-read Saturday News I am going to combine the conversation of Chapters 12 and 13 of Coaching Agile Teams this week because there is a common core in these two chapters. Chapter 12, When Will I Get There?, discusses when will you know that you have become an Agile Coach, and Chapter 13, It's Your Journey, discusses the journey several coaches have taken to get there. Chapter 12 plots the journey and Chapter 13 provides several travelogues. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! Logistics Note: Next week we will wrap up Coaching Agile Teams and then on to Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link – buy your copy soon and start reading). Buy a copy now and start reading. Previous Installments Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3A1aNTe Week 2: Will I Be A Good Coach - https://bit.ly/3nzDAHg Week 3: Expect High Performance - https://bit.ly/3Rl4fFf Week 4: Master Yourself - https://bit.ly/3zL8t2n Week 5: Let Your Style Change - https://bit.ly/3Q8zHWa Week 6: Coach as Coach-Mentor - https://bit.ly/3QLcSIi Week 7: Coach as Facilitator - https://bit.ly/3AaP5KY Week 8: Coach As Teacher - https://bit.ly/3AURGdL Week 9: Coach As Problem Solver - https://bit.ly/3C06Gr7 Week 10: Coach As Conflict Navigator - https://bit.ly/3R6tmuc Week 11: Coach As Collaboration Conductor - https://bit.ly/3fXoHOs Week 12: Agile Coach Failure, Recovery, and Success Modes - https://bit.ly/3T0FluQ Week 13: When Will I Get There? and It's Your Journey - https://bit.ly/3MAe00v A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge building to establish a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. We recently delivered the workshop at the 2022 Path to Agility in Columbus, OH to rave reviews. Interested? Email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 726 we will chat with Mr. Allan Kelly. I missed talking to Allan so we covered a wide range of topics including OKRs, Product Backlogs, and remote working. Allan brings incredible insight to the podcast.

This week we feature an interview with Indus Khaitan, Founder & CEO at Quolum. A few of the topics covered include: Why do organizations need help in consuming SaaS at scale efficiently? How can looking carefully at how you are using Saas save organizations tons of money? How can organizations refocus on delivering value rather than on overhead? What does it take to take a vision and make it a going concern, more than once? Indus Khaitan is the founder of Quolum. Quolum helps companies manage their SaaS spend. He started Bitzer Mobile, a mobile security startup that Oracle acquired. Earlier, he led growth at Chargebee. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Indus' Profile: linkedin.com/in/khaitan Websites: angel.co/1ndus (AngelList Profile) quolum.com (Company) Email: khaitan@gmail.com Twitter: 1ndus Podcast: Chief Future Officer Re-read Saturday News This week we reread Chapter 11 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3). Chapter 11, Agile Coach Failure, Recovery, and Success Modes, begins Part 3 of Coaching Agile Teams. Part 3 titled " Getting More for Yourself." Chapter 11 hits the topic of failure head-on, sharing both failure and success modes. Anyone that has been in the business of agile coach (coach, Scrum Master, manager, or others) for more than a few years and has pushed the boundaries of culture will have failures on their CV. Coaching is hard, training and continuous learning are important but not enough. A coach without experience is a trainee. A wide range of experience, which opens the door to successes and failures, is a learning opportunity that classes and webinars can't deliver. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! Logistics Note: We will combine the discussion of the last two chapters in this book and then follow that with a recap before starting. Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (Amazon Associate Link – buy your copy soon and start reading). Buy a copy now and start reading. Previous Installments Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3A1aNTe Week 2: Will I Be A Good Coach - https://bit.ly/3nzDAHg Week 3: Expect High Performance - https://bit.ly/3Rl4fFf Week 4: Master Yourself - https://bit.ly/3zL8t2n Week 5: Let Your Style Change - https://bit.ly/3Q8zHWa Week 6: Coach as Coach-Mentor - https://bit.ly/3QLcSIi Week 7: Coach as Facilitator - https://bit.ly/3AaP5KY Week 8: Coach As Teacher - https://bit.ly/3AURGdL Week 9: Coach As Problem Solver - https://bit.ly/3C06Gr7 Week 10: Coach As Conflict Navigator - https://bit.ly/3R6tmuc Week 11: Coach As Collaboration Conductor - https://bit.ly/3fXoHOs Week 12 Agile Coach Failure, Recovery, and Success Modes - https://bit.ly/3T0FluQ A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge building to establish a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. We recently delivered the workshop at the 2022 Path to Agility in Columbus, OH to rave reviews. Interested? Email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 725 we delve deeper into the concept of neglected WIP highlighting the calculation and a quick case study'ette so you can see the concept in action. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault from the QA Corner.