Software Process and Measurement Cast

107 podcasts ago (just a little over two years ago) on SPAMCAST 601 I interviewed Brian Weaver of Torch.AI about leadership. Lots of things have happened since then, a pandemic, Europe in flames again and Torch.AI thriving. It was great to touch base with Brian to talk about how his perspective as a leader has changed. While not needed for this interview, I highly recommend listening to SPaMCAST 601 either before or after. Brian serves as CEO of Torch.AI and has more than 20 years of experience leading mission-driven, high-growth, technology-focused companies. Torch.AI helps leading organizations leverage artificial intelligence in a unique way via a proprietary enterprise data management software solution. Today, Torch.AI supports clients like H&R Block with fraud detection and mitigation and the U.S. Department of Defense with machine learning-enabled background investigations for all federal employees, supporting the determination of an individual's trustworthiness and security credentialing. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briangweaver/ Torch.AI – https://torch.ai/ Re-read Saturday News Completing a re-read is always bittersweet. Today we say goodbye to a friend, Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work. The final chapter is the Epilogue and interwoven are our final notes. Next week we lay out the logistics for our re-read of Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Arkins https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Week 7: Healthy Constraints - https://bit.ly/3kM8xqh Week 8: Focus - https://bit.ly/3PkE0hg Week 9: Awareness - https://bit.ly/3LBZfIl Week 10: Communication - https://bit.ly/39Tji7Q Week 11: Learning - https://bit.ly/38HQNtJ Week 12: Epilogue and Final Notes - https://bit.ly/3y3LH4M Next SPaMCAST Everyone has a set of attributes they use to describe and measure flow. Let's narrow the field to the most important few and start from there. We will also have a visit from Tony TImbol and his To Tell A Story Column.

In SPaMCAST 707 Susan Parente and I discuss the difference between leadership and management in her Not A Scrumdamentalist column. These two concepts are related but not the same. The votes are in! The next three books for Re-read Saturday are: Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Arkins https://amzn.to/38G0ZD3 Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching by Bob Galen https://amzn.to/3wJsbtS Team Topologies by Matthew Skelton, Manuel Pais, and Ruth Malan https://amzn.to/3yXINzo Re-read Saturday News This week, we are revisiting (and re-editing) the conclusion of the first re-read to tide you over to the completion of Why Limit WIP. I have been backpacking, glamping, and visiting my father for the past eight days. That in its own right would not have precluded completing our re-read, but I also forgot the power cord for my laptop. Next week we will conclude our re-read of Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Week 7: Healthy Constraints - https://bit.ly/3kM8xqh Week 8: Focus - https://bit.ly/3PkE0hg Week 9: Awareness - https://bit.ly/3LBZfIl Week 10: Communication - https://bit.ly/39Tji7Q Week 11: Learning - https://bit.ly/38HQNtJ Next SPaMCAST Brian Weaver returns to the Software Process and Measurement Cast to discuss the impact of AI on business, leadership, and development.

SPaMCAST 706 features a conversation with Tom Henricksen. Tom makes a strong case that ignoring soft skills will limit your ability to deliver real value. Tom says, "Humans Are Hard, Code Is Easy." Tom's Bio: Tom Henricksen is a problem-solving technology professional. He has worked in various roles in technology for over twenty years. Tom has learned how to solve challenging issues in technology and lead technical teams. He can help you develop those skills too! URL: codeiseasy.co LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tomhenricksen Twitter: @tomhenricksen Re-read Saturday News The bottom line to Chapter 10 of Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work is simple (assuming you have been re-reading along): too much WIP interferes with learning. Without the time or inclination to experiment, the best scenario is learning by accident. In Chapter 10, the author discusses how knowledge workers learn. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Week 7: Healthy Constraints - https://bit.ly/3kM8xqh Week 8: Focus - https://bit.ly/3PkE0hg Week 9: Awareness - https://bit.ly/3LBZfIl Week 10: Communication - https://bit.ly/39Tji7Q Week 11: Learning - https://bit.ly/38HQNtJ Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 707 it is back to flow basics with a discussion of the attributes of flow. Scott Ambler described two attributes of flow as smoothness and scent. We will discuss. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who will bring her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast.

In the SPaMCAST 705 we stay with the basics and define the term flow. I recently listened to a conversation where the term flow was used 30ish times in 30 minutes. Each use of the term meant something different. Today we draw a line in the sand to improve communication. We also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault from the QA Corner. Jeremy and I discussed the mistaken belief that Scrum Master and Coach can be translated to administrative assistant. Re-read Saturday News In Chapter 9 of Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work, the author extols the virtues of transparency. The Kanban board provides a platform for everyone (I am not being hyperbolic) to understand how much work is in process. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Week 7: Healthy Constraints - https://bit.ly/3kM8xqh Week 8: Focus - https://bit.ly/3PkE0hg Week 9: Awareness - https://bit.ly/3LBZfIl Week 10: Communication - https://bit.ly/39Tji7Q Next SPaMCAST In SPaMCAST 706 we have a visit from Tom Henricksen. We walked about programmers and soft skills… like communication. As Tom says, "Humans Are Hard, Code Is Easy."

In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 704, we talk leadership with Stuart Leo Founder & CEO of Waymaker.io. One of the reasons I enjoy interviews is that I often stumble across great stories. Stuart's entrepreneurial origin story includes golf balls, icy Tasmanian lakes, and scuba divers -- I will remember this story until I die. Stuart is a global thinker in strategy, systems, and leadership development. As the founder of Waymaker.io he has led the creation of Waymaker's Leadership Curve - a revolutionary way of building clarity, alignment, and remarkable results for any organization. LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/stuartleo Company Website waymaker.io Blog waymaker.io/blog-feed/ Twitter @stuartleo Re-read Saturday News This week's chapter of Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work opens with a quote from The Dalai Lama linking effective self-discipline with awareness of consequences. The chapter, titled Awareness, speaks to me of redemption. Awareness is a precursor to shedding helplessness and ignites the desire to act. I have spent a large part of my career participating, influencing, and/or leading change. Struggle is a common thread in nearly all of these efforts when entrenched leaders push back against ideas that bubble up from teams or other levels of the organization. Whether from fear or myriad other reasons, there are consequences for everyone involved. Learned helplessness, as noted in Chapter 7, or a dawning awareness that there are other possibilities creates an impetus for change. Whether change creates better processes, products, relationships, or changes in the workforce (that means people leaving) boils down to agency. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Week 7: Healthy Constraints - https://bit.ly/3kM8xqh Week 8: Focus - https://bit.ly/3PkE0hg Next SPaMCAST In the SPaMCAST 705 we define the term flow. I listened to a conversation last week. The term flow was used 30ish times in 30 minutes. Each use of the term meant something different. Let's draw a line in the sand to improve communication. We will also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings another fabulous installment of Not A Scrumdamentalist to the podcast.

In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 703, we wrestle with one of the basics of agile. What is the power of making a commitment? Making and keeping commitments are core components of professional behavior. It is a promise to perform. Whether Agile or Waterfall, commitments are used to manage software projects. They are used to drive the behavior of teams. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. Re-read Saturday News Chapter 7 is one of my favorites in Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work. One of the chronic problems I help teams deal with is the perceived need to start everything that comes to them, generating huge amounts of WIP. Many of the items sit in an on-hold status until something else happens. The iron-willed self-discipline of starting is great at creating on-hold items and crap at getting work done. There is a gap in understanding the impact of the consequences. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Week 7: Healthy Constraints - https://bit.ly/3kM8xqh Week 8: Focus - https://bit.ly/3PkE0hg Next SPaMCAST In the SPaMCAST 704, we talk leadership with Stuart Leo Founder & CEO at Waymaker.io. Leadership is incredibly important and requires constant attention.

In SPaMCAST 702, Matthew Stibbe and I talk about the impact of leadership when building a technology-driven business. Mathew shared stories about learning to type, how he has reinvented himself numerous times, and why he blogs at https://geekboss.com/. Note: I have not edited out the parts of the interview just before I welcome Matthew to the podcast. Mr. Stibbe told a couple of very endearing stories that help set the tone for the entire interview. He agreed to allow me to share them. MATTHEW STIBBE is a serial entrepreneur, marketing maven, writer, pilot, and wine enthusiast. But not necessarily in that order. He created marketing strategies, content, and campaigns for clients including Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn, and HP and contributed to Wired, Forbes, and Popular Science. Currently, he is CEO at Articulate Marketing, a UK marketing agency specializing in the technology sector. Also, his geek credentials are strong. Previously, he was founder and CEO at Intelligent Games, a 70-person computer games company where he designed games for LEGO and produced two games based on Dune. Matthew also has his commercial pilots license and an advanced wine diploma. (Have you seen the film Somm? Like that!) At some point in the previous millennium, he studied history at Oxford University. These days, he blogs about modern management at www.geekboss. com, about marketing at www. articulatemarketing.com and wine at www.vincarta.com Re-read Saturday News This week, we talk about Healthy Constraints in Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work. Many years (think decades) ago a friend of mine, Danny Bailus, had a cool mini-bike. He rode it around our neighborhood in Howland, Ohio all summer. It was the third coolest (text me the first two) thing that held my attention that summer. That was until Danny decided that it did not go fast enough and removed the governor from the small engine. He removed the constraint from the system and the engine burned out. His father was not very happy, Danny was not very happy, and I was very happy I was not riding it when it happened. In this chapter, Mr. Benson discusses the difference between healthy and unhealthy constraints. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Week 7: Healthy Constraints - https://bit.ly/3kM8xqh Next SPaMCAST We continue on the basics with an essay on Teams and team design. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who will regale us with tales of the Alpha and Omega of Product Development.

With SPaMCAST 701 we go back to basics. Whether you call that quick meeting to coordinate the day the Daily Scrum, Stand-up, or a huddle is not material. Daily coordination is phenomenally powerful and useful unless it isn't. Just making teams meet without benefit is a really bad idea. What else can be done? We also have a visit from Tony Timbol with another installment from his Tell A Story Column. In this installment, Tony discusses agile requirements. Getting work done in agile is not just user stories and a cloud of dust. Re-read Saturday News The chapter of Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work this week is titled, Creating An Economy. In the past decade, certain words have become toxic. Words like process, waterfall, and output have become taboo in certain corners of software-related industries. Add the word productivity to the mix and many people would grab torches and pitchforks. The vilification of these words (or any words – it is sort of like burning books in my mind) makes it difficult to talk about systemic improvement. As a Kanban practitioner, I focus on flow. But not just flow, I advise my clients that they should keep their eye on continuously improving the flow. Continuous improvement yields better outcomes. Organizations, teams, and individuals that overextend and exceed their WIP limit are not improving their delivery of outcomes but rather in Jim Benson's words "disrespecting your ability to create amazing things." More bluntly they are neither effective nor efficient. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Week 6: Creating An Economy - https://bit.ly/3F1XKkZ Next SPaMCAST Next week, Matthew Stibbe and I talk about the impact of leadership when building a technology-driven business.

SPaMCAST 700 features our interview with Slater Victoroff. Slater suggests that what we think of as AI today will be overtaken by human-machine partnerships. He uses the metaphor of a bionic arm. AI is the future and that future is not very far away. Slater Victoroff is the Founder and CTO of indico data solutions, an Enterprise AI solution for unstructured content with an emphasis on text and NLP. He has been building machine learning solutions for startups, governments, and Fortune 100 companies for the past 5 years and is a frequent speaker at AI conferences. linkedin.com/in/slatervictoroff slater.r.victoroff@gmail.com Twitter: @sl8rv Website: https://indicodata.ai/ Re-read Saturday News The chapters of Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work this week and last are interrelated. Last week we focused on multitasking. For those with a short memory, human multitasking is in the same category as unicorns and shiny vampires: a fun concept but dangerous to believe in. This week we deal with context switching. Because humans don't have multiple cores and processors instead of multitasking we bounce between things. Each bounce requires shifting context – this takes time and effort. Remember that the author established earlier that things that are not done are sitting in the back of your mind sucking up capacity and an occasional conscious thought (another contest switch). Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Week 5: Context Switching - https://bit.ly/3K8KADF Next SPaMCAST Back to basics, whether you call that quick meeting to coordinate the day the Daily Scrum, Stand-up or a huddle is not material. Daily coordination is phenomenally powerful and useful unless it isn't. Just making teams meet without benefit is a really bad idea. What else can be done? We will also have a visit from Tony Timbol with another installment from his Tell A Story Column.

This week we feature our interview with Eric Daimler, PhD. Eric and I discussed how AI can unlock the potential of humanity. Dr. Eric Daimler is an authority in Artificial Intelligence with over 20 years of experience in the field as an entrepreneur, executive, investor, technologist, and policy advisor. Daimler has co-founded six technology companies that have done pioneering work in fields ranging from software systems to statistical arbitrage. Daimler is the author of the forthcoming book "The Coming Composability: The roadmap for using technology to solve society's biggest problems." A frequent speaker, lecturer, and commentator, he works to empower communities and citizens to leverage AI for a more sustainable, secure, and prosperous future. As a Presidential Innovation Fellow during the Obama Administration, Daimler helped drive the agenda for U.S. leadership in research, commercialization, and public adoption of AI. He has also served as Assistant Dean and Assistant Professor of Software Engineering in Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. His academic research focuses on the intersection of Machine Learning, Computational Linguistics, and Network Science (Graph Theory). He has a specialization in public policy and economics, helped launch Carnegie Mellon's Silicon Valley Campus, and founded its Entrepreneurial Management program. A frequent keynote speaker, he has presented at venues including the engineering schools of MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. Daimler studied at Stanford University, the University of Washington-Seattle, and Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned his PhD in its School of Computer Science. Contact Information Twitter: @ead LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ericdaimler Website: http://www.conexus.com/ Re-read Saturday News Multitasking is the first or second greatest LIE in the modern business world. The best description of multitasking would include thrash, waste, and hubris. The problem is that EVERYONE thinks they are special and can multitask their way to the effective delivery of value. Chapter 3 of Why Limit WIP: We Are Drowning In Work blasts away at multitasking (another take on the topic from 2015: Multitasking Yourself Away From Efficiency | Software Process and Measurement https://bit.ly/37XmrSY). Multitasking is bad, don't do it. Remember to buy a copy and read along. Amazon Affiliate LInk: https://amzn.to/36Rq3p5 Previous Entries Week 1: Preface, Foreword, Introduction, and Logistics – https://bit.ly/3iDezbp Week 2: Processing and Memory – https://bit.ly/3qYR4yg Week 3: Completion - https://bit.ly/3usMiLm Week 4: Multitasking - https://bit.ly/37hUh5z Upcoming Events: Final Call! Free Webinar When Prioritization Goes Bad https://www.greatpro.org/Webinar-Live-Register?id=1954 April 19, 2022 11 AM EDT to 1230 EDT Next SPaMCAST Next week for SPaMCAST 700 we will feature our interview with Slater Victoroff. Slater presents an alternate definition for AI. Compare and contrast to Dr. Daimler's definition?