Software Process and Measurement Cast

SPaMCAST 684 posts on January 2nd, 2022. The new year evokes both retrospection and expectations for the future. 2021 was quite the year; SPaMCAST 635 marked the beginning of our 15th year of publishing with a conversation with Johanna Rothman (SPaMCAST 635 - Practical Ways to Manage, A Conversation with Johanna Rothman). That was our most downloaded cast of 2021. In late August I lost a podcast . . . (a summer rerun), SPaMCAST 668 has attained the status of the Lost Show. Somehow while I was backpacking on Isle Royale the preprogrammed show failed to post. I have a backup but it is more fun to have a lost cast. I will rectify the situation at some point when I stop being amused. The year ended with my 12-year-old mixer going to the electronics recycler. The new mixer should be delivered soon. Even with all of the hassle, I have been able to do three great interviews and two related panel discussions that will round out year 15 and kick-off year 16. That's the long way to say that even though I am struggling through a website issue and a switchover of hardware, I am currently planning years 16 and 17. Happy New Year, and now back to our regularly scheduled programming with Tony Timbol and his To Tell A Story column. This installment tackles product owners and work entry. Re-Read Saturday News Starting a re-read is a great way to start the new year. Today we start into Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick by charting the predicted course of the re-read and touching on the introduction. The version of the book I am reading is the paperback version copyrighted 2020 by IT Revolution. The book consists of an introduction, seven numbered chapters, a conclusion, and 20 pages of end matter. All of this is over 223 pages. It is my intent to cover this book over 9 weeks using the chapters as pacing. This book has similarities with Monotasking by Staffan Nöteberg in that this book demands action. Therefore like that re-read, as we get to chapter 2 I will begin identifying how I will experiment with the knowledge each chapter delivers. As I have discovered over the years reading technical and self-improvement books, if you do not experiment with ideas they fade quickly regardless of their value. https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - Next SPaMCAST Next week features part 1 of a 2 part panel discussion (both parts have slightly different participants), discussing the world of knowledge work circa 2021 and pontifications about the shape of work in 2022.

Ben Woznicki and I talk about the book and ideas inside the covers of Team Topologies. Ben provides a great deal of advice on creating teams that are fit for purpose. Ben and I have worked together, hosted a video podcast together, and more -- it is a great conversation. Ben is an Organizational Health Coach: Helping you deliver sooner, with higher confidence, and more consistency. Ben has 10 years of experience with all facets of technical and business agility and organizational transformation. He collaborates with, trains, mentors, and coaches at all levels to smooth the transition to Lean and Agile ways of delivering value. And aligns transformation efforts to organizational objectives so everyone is on the same page. Contact InformationLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benwoz/ Email: b@benwoz.com Re-Read Saturday News We have just completed our re-read of Project to Product ( https://amzn.to/2WzvPac - Amazon Affiliate link). Next week we begin our re-read of Agile Conversations: Transform Your Conversations, Transform Your Culture – https://amzn.to/3sfK55q (affiliate link). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Week 10:Value Stream Management - https://bit.ly/3ESfhv2 Week 11: The Conclusion - https://bit.ly/3e5d83c Next SPaMCAST Next week we begin 2022 with a reflection on the economic rationale for breaking work down into smaller pieces. We will also have a visit from Tony Timbol and his To Tell A Story Column.

At the end of the year, planning and prioritization take center stage. We can only really prioritize work, needs, and dreams that are within our span of control. That does not stop people from trying to prioritize work that is not theirs to prioritize. We also have a visit from Susan Parente who brings her I'm Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the cast. This month we talk about getting leadership right. It is possible! Re-Read Saturday News As 2021 comes to a close we bring our re-read of Project to Product to a close as well (buy a copy and dive into the book https://amzn.to/2WzvPac - Amazon Affiliate link). The conclusion of the book brings the discussion back as a reflection on the turning point of the Age of Software. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Week 10:Value Stream Management - https://bit.ly/3ESfhv2 Week 11: The Conclusion - https://bit.ly/3e5d83c Next SPaMCAST Next week, we will have a special show. Ben Wozniki and I talked about team topologies (the idea and the book). Ben and I have worked together, hosted a video podcast together, and more -- this was more of a conversation than an interview.

This week we touch on a topic that is near and dear to my heart, work entry, with an essay titled Prioritization Without Control of Work Entry. I am tempted to suggest that without control over what you can say yes to, the whole idea of prioritization is a farce. The answer is more complicated, but only a little. We also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault who brings his QA Corner to the cast. This week we discuss measuring testing -- it is more than just pass/fail. Re-Read Saturday News Chapter 9 of Project to Product (buy a copy and re-read the book with us https://amzn.to/2WzvPac Amazon Affiliate Link) ties the three layers of the author's model together and exposes the third epiphany from his visit to the BMW plant that has been the central plot element of the book. The chapter puts all the parts together. But instead of relating how he connects the infrastructure, I want to focus on how important it is to generate an end-to-end view of work for any software-intensive product. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Week 10:Value Stream Management - https://bit.ly/3ESfhv2 Next SPaMCAST Next week, more on work entry and prioritization (it is at the top of my priority list unless I don't have control over my work entry). We will also spend time with Susan Parente and her I Not A Scrumdamentalist column.

This week Mauricio Aguiar and Christine Green join me to discuss the state and future of Software Measurement. Mauricio, Christine, and I are all recent Past Presidents of the International Function Point Users Group (the largest international software measurement association). The conversation is both provocative and enlightening. Note, the audio of my voice is a little muffled but the important parts of the conversation come from Christine's and Mauricio's lips. I know what the issue was and have added a step to my interview checklist. Bios Mauricio Aguiar is the founder of TI Metricas, a leading software measurement company based in Brazil. He holds a bachelor's degree in Engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Mauricio was elected President of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) for 2005-2007 and also for 2017-2019, after serving on the IFPUG Board since 2000. Mauricio was involved with the implementation of function point analysis and metrics programs in many Brazilian and multinational organizations. As a second career, he now does pro-bono work as a hypnotherapist. Christine is the founder of IP by Green, senior consultant, and past president of IFPUG. Re-Read Saturday News This week, Chapter 8 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). The chapter is titled Specialized Tools and the Value Stream. I was presented with a scenario this week in which product, UX, development, testing, and security operated within their own boundaries with their own goals and tools — silos. Chapter 8 has something to say about the impact of silos. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Week 9: Specialized Tools and the Value Stream - https://bit.ly/332OuhC Next SPaMCAST Next week we will continue our exploration of the team lead's role in agile frameworks. As with anything that involves humans and hierarchies the role is not straightforward. We will also return to the QA Corner to visit Jeremy Berriault

As we begin counting down to the end of the year, I would like to consider the team lead's role. It is a nearly ubiquitous role in organizations, but is almost never talked about in agile frameworks. We begin our journey into the role by establishing three examples to help understand how the role is practiced and why it can generate friction if not addressed when adopting frameworks. We also have a visit from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the cast. This week we talk about the idea of descoping and its role in work entry. Done early, descoping is a tool while done after you have made commitments it makes a tool out of you. Re-Read Saturday News Nearly 30 hours of driving, Thanksgiving, and far too few hours with a large part of my extended family kept me from completing the re-read of Chapter 8 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). We will be back next week to talk about the problems caused by role and tool disconnection across the value chain (silos). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Next SPaMCAST Next week Mauricio Aguliar and Christine Green join me to discuss the state and future of Software Measurement. Mauricio, Christine, and I are all recent Past Presidents of the International Function Point Users Group (the largest international software measurement association). The conversation will be provocative and enlightening.

This week we are taking a quick journey into a discussion of prioritization outside of a team or an organization's span of control. It is easy to confuse influence and actually be able to exert control over an outcome. Wishful thinking often can lead to frustration. Tony TImbol also brings his "To Tell A Story" column to the cast building on the ideas that are central fro good user stores. Check out Tony's Product Owner training events at http://tonytimbol.com/events/ This week to talk about the product owner's role in writing and maintaining user stories. Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 7 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). This week we consider Mik's first two epiphanies and introduce the topic of network value streams. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 7: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Week 8: The Ground Truth of Enterprise Tool Networks - https://bit.ly/3DHO5OU Next SPaMCAST Next week an essay on the role of the team lead in Scrum. As Mellisa Greller points out, the role of the TL is often overlooked. When a role is overlooked it causes friction. Unless you are starting a campfire, friction is not a great idea. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley (i know I said that last week but this week we recorded the next few Alpha and Omega of Product Development columns).

Today we will speak to Kit Merker, COO of Nobl9 about Service Level Objectives (SLO). Kit provides down-to-earth advice for adopting and using SLOs to benefit teams AND organizations. Kit's bio: Kit Merker's 20+ year career spans product management, engineering, evangelism and community-building roles at Google, Microsoft, JFrog, and the governing board of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). He is currently Chief Operating Officer for Nobl9, driving community and growth for service reliability for enterprise development teams. Contact information: linkedin.com/in/kitmerker (LinkedIn) kitmerker.com (Personal Website) nobl9.com (Company Website) @KitMerker (Twitter) Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 6 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). In the chapter the author tells four stories of disruption -- they are interesting in their own right. Still, if we look for a common thread I would suggest the communication needed to manage the balance between flow items (features, defects, risks, and debts). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Week 8: Tracking Disruptions -https://bit.ly/3neIs5h Next SPaMCAST Next week an essay on the role of the team lead in Scrum. As Mellisa Greller points out, the role of the TL is often overlooked. When a role is overlooked it causes friction. Unless you are starting a campfire, friction is not a great idea. We will also have a visit from Jon M Quigley.

Today we feature our interview with Vincent Hendersen. We talked about scaling agility up -- not the same as scaling agile. Mr. Hendersen and I discussed thinking about agile as a service to align team and portfolio. This is a most thought-provoking interview. The idea of thinking about agile teams as a subscription model shifts the whole agile paradigm. Vincent's bio: Vincent Henderson is an operations and product executive in B2B organizations that use knowledge and technology to create value. He has transformed information supply chains and content-driven businesses across 10 countries, 5 industries, and 3 decades. Vincent is a business technologist. He enjoys building rational and purposeful teams that focus on concrete, meaningful outcomes. He had his first Agile workshop about 10 years ago with Tom Cagley and Anthony Mersino. Since that watershed moment of insight, he has implemented and run Agile product development in the 4 different organizations that he has led since. As a business leader who rolls out Agile as part of his leadership practice, he has developed unique insights around how Agile fits within the broader context of business management. Contact information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vhenderson/ https://www.ludditesandexecutives.io/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we re-read Chapter 5 of Project to Product https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). As the previous chapters have highlighted, we can measure the flow items that enter and exit a value stream. There are a number of suitcase words (words that have many ideas packed in them) in that statement, such as value streams and flow items. Chapter 5 of Project to Product connects flow items and metrics to business results. The integrated view is where the real power of the model is found (but only if you bite the bullet and understand the value streams in the organization). Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Week 6: Connecting to Business Results - https://bit.ly/3BTROqQ Next SPaMCAST Next week, another interview takes center stage. We will speak to Kit Merker, COO of Nobl9 about Service Level Objectives (SLO). Kit provides down-to-earth advice for adopting and using SLOs to benefit teams AND organizations.

This week we continue the priority theme with an essay titled, "What is a Priority?" I wish it was a simple question. Since the whole idea of priority is premised on a group of people having a shared perspective and definition this is a question that needs to be asked and answered. We also have a visit from Susan Parente with her I'm Not A Scrumdamentalist column. In this installment, we tackle bad leadership (I wish tackle was not used metaphorically). Upcoming Events Out of Control Work Entry Means "No Agile For You" November 4, 2021 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EST In this webinar, we will use five common patterns of work entry to highlight team dysfunctions of poor work entry practices. We will also explore a path forward for each work entry pattern to help improve the delivery of business value. Register Now: https://bit.ly/3q1yWnw Re-Read Saturday News I was busy preparing for my webinar, Out of Control Work Entry Means "No Agile For You" and did not complete Chapter 5's re-read of Project to Product. https://amzn.to/2WzvPac (Amazon Affiliate Link). We will be back next week. Catch up on previous installments: Week 1: Foreword and Introduction - https://bit.ly/39gIt0A Week 2: Age of Software - https://bit.ly/2XYvqyI Week 3: From Project to Product - https://bit.ly/3mhwJBb Week 4: Introducing The Flow Framework - https://bit.ly/3lqJTwd Week 5: Capturing Flow Metrics - https://bit.ly/3GjCffC Next SPaMCAST Next week we will feature our interview with Vincent Hendersen. We talked about scaling agility up -- not the same as scaling agile. Mr. Hendersen and I discussed thinking about agile as a service to align team and portfolio.