Software Process and Measurement Cast

SPaMCAST 723 features our essay on neglected WIP. Work that has been started and is now just sitting around is neglected. Running a team or organization above their natural level WIP for any length of time causes flow velocity (throughput) to slow and flow time (cycle time) to increase. When there is too much work, people try all sorts of techniques to get work done. Multitasking is the grandfather of them all and we all know how that turns out (need a hint – badly). In the end, all approaches to trying to do too many ends up with some things being juggled and ignored. That is neglected WIP. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley and his Alpha and Omega of Product Development Column. In this column Jon and I discuss time. Speaking of time, this is a lost episode…we started the episode discussing snow, last year's snow. We talked last week and were discussing when the first snow will be this year. Sometimes time flys and sometimes it doesn't. Re-read Saturday News This week we reread Chapter 10 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3). The chapter is titled Coach as Coordination Conductor. The two most important items for me during this read of chapter 10 are found in the first part of this chapter. Reflecting back on my previous cover-to-cover read, I think that the number of great facilitation techniques in this chapter caused me to overlook two very important concepts. The first is an approach for differentiating collaboration and coordination. The approach is simple but very powerful. Why would any coach care about observing the difference? Because the two concepts are different and are useful in different scenarios. Logistics Note: We have three more chapters in this book which we will follow 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. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 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 Next week we will feature an interview with Indus Khaitan, Founder & CEO at Quolum. Indus and I talked about SaaS, controlling SaaS spending, and serial entrepreneurship.

We are back with new content this week! The bears did not eat us as we trekked in three national parks. We did see bears but kept a respectable distance from them. Today the SPaMCAST 722 features an interview with Scott Showalter, Agile Career Accelerator. We discussed the definition of an agile coach. Building on that definition we wrestled with how to scale the business of agile coaching. Note - I mispronounced Scott's name at the beginning of the interview, rather than re-record the faux pax, it triggered a great story so I left it in. Scott is an active enterprise agile coach working in the trenches with execs and leaders at a Fortune 10 organization, and what he has learned throughout the journey of his career is that what feels impossible only becomes achievable once we shift our perspective. Scott has a passion for helping people design, grow and automate their products and their lives so that they can focus on what's truly important and have a greater impact on this planet. He coaches IT professionals and entrepreneurs on income growth and career advancement, and on the weekends he has been known to perform laugh-out-loud stand-up comedy. Scott's LinkedIn Profile linkedin.com/in/scottrageous Website scottshowalter.com (Personal) Twitter scottrageous Re-read Saturday News During the last few weeks, I have read and reread Chapter 9 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3). The chapter titled Coach as Conflict Navigator talks about the value and danger of conflict. What stuck with me was the model of levels of conflict and how at a certain point there can be no constructive outcome. Teams aside, scary thoughts for the world we live in. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 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 Next week SPaMCAST 723 will feature an essay on neglected WIP. Work that has been started and is now just sitting around is neglected. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley and his Alpha and Omega of Product Development Column.

The SPaMCAST is on a three-week hiatus. We will be back with new programming on September 25. In the interim, I asked the SPaMCAST columnists (Jeremy, Jon, Susan, and Tony) for a couple of favorite columns they delivered. Today we have: Jeremy Berriault from SPaMCAST 571 Jiu-Jitsu and Teams, Want to listen to the full podcast? http://bit.ly/2pCtlHI Susan Parente from SPaMCAST 556 Agile In Name Only, Want to listen to the full podcast? http://bit.ly/2JRGTFk Tony TImbol from SPaMCAST 692 Agile Requirements, Want to listen to the full podcast? https://bit.ly/3hng3WY Enjoy! Do you have questions that you would like Susan, Jon, Jeremy, Tony, or myself to answer? Leave a voice message at 01.440.668.5717 or an email at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Re-read Saturday News I am packaging this show well ahead of time therefore all I can say for sure about the re-read is to remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate link https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 Next week we are back…unless bears have eaten me (I've been hiking in the Rockies). SPaMCAST 722 will feature an interview with Scott Showalter, Agile Career Accelerator. We discussed the definition of an agile coach. Building on that definition we wrestled with how to scale the business of agile coaching.

The SPaMCAST is on a three-week hiatus. We will be back with new programming on September 25. In the interim, I asked the SPaMCAST columnists (Jeremy, Jon, Susan, and Tony) for a couple of favorite columns they delivered. Today we have: Jon M Quigley - SPaMCAST 397 – Project Strategy - Want to listen to the full podcast? https://bit.ly/3pLztbU (Note: this was Jon's debut column and he doesn't know I am slipping this in.) Susan Parente and Jon M Quigley- SPaMCAST 585 - Most Agile Transformations Ignore Technical Skills - Want to listen to the full podcast? http://bit.ly/2Haa4CE Enjoy! Do you have questions that you would like Susan, Jon, Jeremy, Tony, or myself to answer? Leave a voice message at 01.440.668.5717 or an email at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Re-read Saturday News I am packaging this show well ahead of time therefore all I can say for sure about the re-read is to remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 Next week we feature more of Jeremy Berriault, Susan Parente, and Tony Timbol.

The SPaMCAST is on a three-week hiatus. We will be back with new programming on September 25. In the interim, I asked the SPaMCAST columnists (Jeremy, Jon, Susan, and Tony) for a couple of favorite columns they delivered. Today we have: Jeremy Berriault - Your Scrum Master Is Not Yout Team Admin from SPaMCAST 705 Want to listen to the full podcast? https://bit.ly/3wXIguD Tony Timbol - Agile Requirement Lifecycle from SPaMCAST 709 - Want to listen to the full podcast? https://bit.ly/3OnjHyJ Susan Parente - Virtual Agile from SPaMCAST 589 - Want to listen to the full podcast? http://bit.ly/2PVUP59 Enjoy! Do you have questions that you would like Susan, Jon, Jeremy, Tony, or myself to answer? Leave a voice message at 01.440.668.5717 or an email at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Re-read Saturday News I am packaging this show well ahead of time therefore all I can say for sure about the re-read is to remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 Next week we feature Jon M Quigley and Jon and Susan Parente together (a Jon and Susan-polza?)

Earlier this year I attended Agile 2022; It was a fantastic conference. One of the undercurrent themes was the use of OKRs (objectives and key results for the uninitiated) to enable agility, align organizations, and cure Covid. There is no such thing as a silver bullet, especially with the wide range of interpretations of what an OKR is and how to apply them. Luis Gonçalves retunes to the podcast to set us straight. Luis's Bio Luis Gonçalves is an Entrepreneur, Best Seller Author, and International Keynote Speaker. When consulting he works exclusively with Entrepreneurs, Founders, and Senior Leaders on the implementation of his game-changing "ADAPT Methodology". By following the "ADAPT Methodology" Executive Leaders will be able to transform their traditional project-oriented companies into modern digital product companies. OKR Guide: https://adaptmethodology.com/okr-guide-en Website: https://adaptmethodology.com/ Website: evolution4all.com Podcast: https://adaptmethodology.com/podcast/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/luismsg Re-read Saturday News This week, Chapter 7 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins. While observing and facilitating might be the most prolific coach activities, at times teaching takes front and center. Teaching encompasses a wide range of behaviors, but the goal is always the same - to elevate the person or team you are teaching. Teachers are there to help PEOPLE to become better at something. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 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 Do you have questions that you would like Susan, Jon, Jeremy, Tony, or myself to answer? Leave a voice message at 01.440.668.5717 or an email at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST will be on a three-week hiatus. We will be back with new programming on September 25. In the interim, I asked the SPaMCAST columnists (Jeremy, Jon, Susan, and Tony) for a couple of favorite columns they delivered. For the next three weeks, we will serve you the best of the best.

Flow Load has a special place in flow metrics, it is a leading indicator of value delivery as exhibited in flow velocity (throughput) and flow time. We review one experiment and propose another. In the end, you either control work entry or it controls you. 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 Also this week we are joined by Tony TImbol and his To Tell A Story column. In this installment, Tony focuses on the impact of delayed requirements on agile teams. Do you have questions that you would like Susan, Jon, Jeremy, Tony, or myself to answer? Leave a voice message at 01.440.668.5717 or an email at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Re-read Saturday News Chapter 6 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins is titled Coach as Facilitator. As a coach, I suspect I spend more time facilitating and observing than playing any other sub-role. Chapter 6 provides a number of gems that piqued my interest more during this read than in the first. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 718 features our most recent discussion with Luis Gonçalves. Luis and I talked about OKRs. We will cover the gamut; the good, the bad, and the OMG they've turned into annual reviews all in one session! Luis last appeared on the cast in SPaMCAST 670.

This week Jeff Perry and I discussed learning how to consciously guide your technology career. We are all problem solvers, and Jeff provides a ton of hard-won advice. We also wrestled with the difference between a series of jobs and a career. Jeff's Bio: Jeff Perry is the founder of More Than Engineering and serves as a leadership and career coach for engineers and technology professionals. His innovative programs and coaching help people take a mindful, intentional, and purposeful approach to career transitions, leadership, and personal development goals. Listeners of the SPaMCAST can find some free resources including the Career Clarity Checklist at https://www.engineeringcareeraccelerator.com/spamcast. They can also find and follow Jeff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffcperry/. Do you have questions that you would like Susan, Jon, Jeremy, Tony, or myself to answer? Leave a voice message at 01.440.668.5717 or an email at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Re-read Saturday News Chapter 5 begins Part 2 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins and is titled Coach as Coach-Mentor. During my initial reading of this book, I found Part 2 the most immediately useful. During this re-read, I reflect less on techniques to engage people and teams and more on engagements that I have had and where my remit and my behavior took me off track. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 717 we will focus on why Work in Process, flow load, is the leading indicator of flow metrics. We will also be joined by Tony TImbol who brings his To Tell A Story column to the podcast.

A funny thing happened on the way to the essay this week. I was distracted by feedback from a colleague on a workshop Jeremy Willets and I developed and delivered this week. We discuss why the phrase work entry describes how work gets to teams and organizations, and why "work intake" masks problems in the real world. We also have a visit from Susan Parente and her Not A Scrumdamentalist column. This month Susan answers a listener's question about whether it makes sense for a Scrum Master to also play other roles on a team. Do you have questions that you would like Susan, Jon, Jeremy, Tony, or myself to answer? Leave a voice message at 01.440.668.5717 or an email at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Re-read Saturday News Chapter 4 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins, discusses the idea that a team, individual, or organization follows a path from a learner to mastery to a teacher using the Shu Ha Ri metaphor. The concept of Shu Ha Ri represents a continuum of learning. In martial arts or any demonstrable activity, practitioners must learn and practice before they can take the next step forward. Carol Dweck, in her book Mindset, postulated that even the most gifted athletes need an open mindset to succeed in the long run. To progress across the continuum of learning everyone needs to put in the work. I suspect that for many, the Shu state is the hardest to accept because we all want to believe we are special and we are all impatient to meet the prize of mastery. Remember to buy a copy of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3) and read along! 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 Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 716 features our interview with Jeff Perry. Jeff and I talked about consciously guiding a career in technology. We also wrestled with the difference between a series of jobs and a career. Jeff delivers a ton of hard-won advice.

Today Jonathon Wright will shift us…right? After decades of listening to the mantra shift left, you probably think you are entering the twilight zone. Maybe, but not on our account! Jonathan and I talked about putting customers first, testing AI, quality, and leadership. Jonathon Wright is the Chief Technology Evangelist and heads up Solution Engineering (R&D) for Eggplant a Keysight Technologies company. He is a strategic thought leader and distinguished technology evangelist. He specializes in emerging technologies, innovation, and automation, and has more than 25 years of international commercial experience within global organizations. Jonathon combines his extensive practical experience and leadership with insights into real-world adoption of Cognitive Engineering (Enterprise A.I. and AIOps). Thus, he is frequently in demand as a speaker at international conferences such as TEDx, Gartner, Oracle, AI Summit, ITWeb, EuroSTAR, STAREast, STARWest, UKSTAR, Guild Conferences, Swiss Testing Days, Unicom, DevOps Summit, TestExpo, and Vivit Community. Jonathon also hosts the QA lead (based in Canada) and is the author of several award-winning books (2010 – 2022) the latest with Rex Black on 'AI for Software Testing. Podcast: https://theqalead.com/podcasts/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/automation Twitter: @Jonathon_Wright Webpage: https://www.keysight.com/zz/en/home.html Upcoming Events Jeremy Willets and I have been accepted as speakers for this year's Path to Agility! Our workshop is titled "Managing Work Entry: How the Mushy Middle is Killing Your Agility." I'm very excited to be part of this wonderful conference and hope to reconnect with long-time colleagues at a fabulous venue — The Ohio Union at The Ohio State University. See you soon Columbus! August 1 - 2 in Columbus, Ohio Register Today: https://bit.ly/3otqg7u Re-read Saturday News I am still recovering from a Covid infection I picked up at or getting to Agile 2022. All in all I have been lucky (and prepared) and have weathered a mild brush with this disease. My chest still feels like I was mugged, but every day I am getting better. The lack of self-awareness that I was getting sick until things were full-blown is fairly startling. It was more startling when I was re-reading Chapter 3 of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins (SPaMCAST Amazon affiliate line https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3 - buy a copy) again this week in preparation to write this essay. 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 Next SPaMCAST We will map the attributes of flow explored in SPaMCAST 708 to a basic palette of flow metrics. This will complete the circle defining flow, establishing basic attributes, and then identifying how to measure flow through its attributes. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who will bring her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast!