Software Process and Measurement Cast

SPaMCAST features our interview with Julia Wester.  Julia returns to the cast to discuss spectrum thinking.  Specturn thinking is an important tool in system thinking and required to address complexity.  Even though using binary thinking is rarely the most effective path, it is rare to use spectrum thinking to address problems. Julia provides a path to more effective decision making. Julia’s Bio Julia is a Co-Founder of and its Principal Consultant. Lagom Solutions is an outcome-focused consulting and product company. Julia leads the consulting side of Lagom Solutions. When working with customers, she leverages her 18 years of experience working in and managing high-performing teams at companies such as Turner Broadcasting, F5 Networks, and LeanKit. Julia is passionate about teaching others how to tame the chaos of everyday work by embracing transparency, continuous improvement, and a lagom mindset. She also loves talking about how management doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Julia blogs at and tweets at @everydaykanban. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of by Malcolm Gladwell. In Chapter one, Gladwell suggests that there are three factors that impact whether an idea or product crosses a tipping point; they are the law of the few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context. Chapter one introduces these concepts and presents real-life examples to illustrate the factors. Dust off your copy or . Current entry: Week 2 - - Previous entries Week 1 – - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 533 will feature our essay titled, We will also hear from Jeremy Berriault.  In this installment of the QA Corner, Jeremy tackles the “why” of testing.

SPaMCAST 531 features our essay on Balancing Control and Self-Organization to Avoid Heat Death.  Control and self-organization represent a classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears problem. We discuss whether there is a solution. Interested in more on this topic?  Other blog entries include: Balancing Control and Self-Organization to Avoid Heat Death -https://bit.ly/2UnzfGu   Balancing of Autonomy with Alignment - https://bit.ly/2Sg1xFy   VUCA, Heat Death and Gray Goo - https://bit.ly/2RhlGq8 In the second spot this week we hear from Jon M Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast.  Jon discusses the impact of cognitive biases on product development. Fighting biases is an important role for product owners and developers alike. The fight is rarely easy. Re-Read Saturday News This week we begin our re-read of The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. We are re-reading this book because it is important for any person involved in leading or participating in change (this is all of us).  Dust off your copy or buy a new copy. Current entry: Week 1 – Plans and Introduction -https://bit.ly/2S8PPwc Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 532 will feature our interview with Julia Wester.  Julia returns to the cast to discuss her passion for the topic of spectrum thinking.  Rarely is using binary thinking the most effective path; however, it is rare to use spectrum thinking to address problems. Julia provides a path to more effective decision making.

On January 18, 2007 show zero was posted.  Show zero established the RSS feed and let me get some of the bugs out of our workflow.  We begin year 13 next week. Thank you for being part of the Software Process and Measurement Cast. SPaMCAST 530 features our interview with Justin McPherson. Justin and I talked about the role of the enterprise architect in agile. Organizations struggle with the role of the architect as they embrace agile methods.  However it is not all about agile, the multiple layers of architecture such as solution, application and enterprise add to the confusion and the perception that people need to jump through too many hoops. Justin’s experience provides direction. Justin’s LinkedIn Bio: Executive consultant with 25 years of experience in IT Strategy, Enterprise Architecture and Business Transformation leadership. Specializing in Establishing the Office of the Architect, Enterprise Architecture Design & Performance Management, Enterprise Architecture Platforms, Application Portfolio Optimization, Operating Model Frameworks, Business Transformation, Enterprise Risk Management and Information Security & Regulatory Compliance Contact Information LinkedIn: Email:  Re-Read Saturday News Re-Read Saturday News I have been vacillating between an intense discussion of Bad Blood and a terse and blunt statement about Theranos.  In the end, I took a middle path. If you want to dive into the detail again, grab the book and the follow our re-read through it.  If you want the later, check final thoughts to get the bottom line! Remember that we will re-read by Malcolm Gladwell next (get a copy). Next week we will lay out our approach to . Current Entry: Week 13 - -   Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Week 6 - -   Week 7 - - Week 8 - - Week 9 - - Week 10 - - Week 11: - Week 12 : e -   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 531 will feature our essay on Balancing Control and Self-Organization to Avoid Heat Death.  Control and self-organization represent a classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears problem. We discuss whether there is a solution. We will also have a visit from Gene Hughson or Jon M Quigley.

SPaMCAST 529 features our essay titled  We are still early enough in the year to be pursuing new beginnings and the New Year resolutions you made a few weeks ago.  Commitment and habits can be positively interrelated. Commitment is being dedicated to a cause or activity. Habits reflect a more or less fixed routine. We also have a visit from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries.  Kim discusses nonlinear and analog thinking. Kim’s essay is a perfect counterpoint to Habit and Commitment Re-Read Saturday News I decided to complete the content portion of the re-read of Bad Blood this week.   From a team-level perspective, I believe we can all recognize some if not all of the behaviors seen in Bad Blood, albeit on a far less sociopathic scale. If this were a business novel, it would be easy to assume that the behavior shown in the book is hyperbole used to make a grand point.  In Theranos’s case, the supporting reading I have done suggests the book is somewhat understated. Why do people take the abuse? Why is money the only thing that matters to some? Why do some people say yes to doing work they know is ethically wrong? I am not sure this book answers those questions nor do I think my analysis can shed light on the psychological rationale of individuals; however, next week we will wrap up our re-read by reflecting on the impact of Theranos like behavior at the team level.  Remember that we will re-read by Malcolm Gladwell next (get a copy soon). Current Entry: Week 12 : e - Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Week 6 - -   Week 7 - - Week 8 - - Week 9 - - Week 10 - - Week 11: - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 530 features our interview with Justin McPherson.  Justin and I talked about the role of the enterprise architect in agile.  Many organizations struggle to incorporate enterprise architecture into agile practices, Justin’s experience provides direction.

SPaMCAST 528  features our interview with Allan Kelly.  Allan makes his third appearance on the cast to talk about his book and the state of agile.  A great way to start the year! Allan’s Bio: Allan Kelly helps companies large and small enhance their agility and boost their digital offering. Past clients include Virgin Atlantic, Qualcomm, The Bank of England, Reed Elsevier and many small innovative companies you've never heard of. He invented Value Poker, Time-Value Profiles and Retrospective Dialogue Sheets. He is the author of "Dear Customer, the truth about IT" and books including "Project Myopia", "Continuous Digital", "Xanpan" and  "Business Patterns for Software Developers". His blog is at and on twitter he is @allankellynet. Re-Read Saturday News My intent is to complete our re-read of Bad Blood, Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup in three more weeks.  The book has 24 chapters and an epilogue, therefore there will be two more weeks on the book and then a wrap-up. We will re-read by Malcolm Gladwell next. This week we tackle three more chapters in which we learn money is thicker than blood (something I learned working in a department store during college), and that people with a moral basis for ethics always have a breaking point (something I have only had to tangentially face). Week 11: - Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Week 6 - -   Week 7 - - Week 8 - - Week 9 - - Week 10 - - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 529 will feature an essay titled  Commitment and habits can be positively interrelated. Commitment is being dedicated to a cause or activity.  Habits reflect a more or less fixed routine. We will also have a column from Kim Pries.

SPaMCAST 527, is our last podcast of 2018.  We say goodbye to 2018 by talking about user story maps.  User story maps are both versatile and an underused tool. Perhaps something that we can address in 2019? We also have a visit from Susan Parente.  Susan brings her Not a Scrumdamentalist column to the cast to discuss agile risk management.  Risk management is a requirement for any form of work. Why do some in the agile community feel it is not needed?   Re-Read Saturday News We are re-reading  by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along).  This week we move through three chapters. These three chapters continue to show the same pattern of abuse of the truth and employees that we have seen in other chapters. Arguably, conflating Theranos’s mission with a religion (chapter 14) might take the story to a new level of crazy but it is only that, a new level. Week 10 - - Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Week 6 - -   Week 7 - - Week 8 - - Week 9 - - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 528 rings in the new year with an interview with Allan Kelley.  Allan makes his third appearance on the cast to talk about his book Continuous Digital and the state of agile.  A great way to start the year!

SPaMCAST 526 features an interview with Freddie Clark.  Mr. Clark is a tester and Scrum Master by day and video game entrepreneur in the evening.  We had an in-depth conversation about using Scrum and other agile techniques in a lean startup environment.  It is not the same as the standard corporate environment. Freddie’s Bio Freddie hails from Cleveland, Ohio where he discovered an enthusiasm for games at an early age. When he was not forced to play outside, he was enjoying co-op games with his friends at home. This excitement led him to earn a degree in Game Design and Development at Rochester Institute of Technology. During his college career, Freddie found a passion for the production process, which he fostered through various experiences in this industry. More recently, Freddie has been exploring the world of Agile and independent game development, which he is using as he oversees the production and design of his new independent game studio, Misfitmakers. Email: Twitter: @gwaanybyte   Company Twitter: @misfitmakers Re-Read Saturday News We are re-reading  by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along).  This week we tackle two related chapters. Over the course of the book to date, we have seen secrets and lies (hence the title), intellectual theft, poor diagnostics and careers being destroyed.  This week we add a suicide to the hot mess that is Theranos. Week 9 - - Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Week 6 - -   Week 7 - - Week 8 - -   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 527, our last podcast this year, will feature our essay revisiting user story maps.  User story maps are a versatile tool. A tool that is underused -- we seek to rectify that situation. We will also have a column from Susan Parente!

SPaMCAST 525 continues our conversation about story points.  Many teams find that story points are only a partially useful tool to facilitate the flow of work within a team. Today we will highlight a behavioral fix and talk RATS. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault with a discussion from the QA Corner.  Jeremey and I talked about how the concept of a minimum viable product (MVP) impacts testing.  Check out Mr. Berriault’s blog at Re-Read Saturday News We are re-reading  by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along).  Chapter 10 focuses on what when Hollywood makes a movie from Bad Blood will be a titanic battle between the indomitable Elizabeth and a career military officer, but what is really a struggle between right and wrong. Week 8 - - Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Week 6 - -   Week 7 - -   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 526 will feature an interview with Freddie Clark.  Mr. Clark is a tester and Scrum Master by day and video game entrepreneur in the evening.  We had a fun conversation about using Scrum in both environments, highlighting where they are the same and where they differ. Note: Freddie and I work together in our day jobs --I think the knowledge we have of each other helped the interview look more deeply at certain issues rather than keeping the discussion at surface levels.

SPaMCAST 524 features the return of Matt Heusser.   Matt and I talk about the nuts and bolts of being a tester in today’s software environment including agile testing.  Matt and I had covered difficult areas that anyone that is interested in quality and risk needs to think about. Matt’s bio: The Managing Director of Excelon Development and a member of the board of directors for the Association for Software Testing, Matt Heusser leads test training and change efforts while making as many contributions as he can to active projects. Learn more about Matt at follow him on twitter at @mheusser or check out the testing show podcast on iTunes or online at    Re-Read Saturday News We are re-reading by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along!). Chapter 9, titled Wellness Play, continues the focus on overpromising and the toxicity overpromising generates inside and outside Theranos. Week 7 - - Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Week 6 - -   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 525 will continue the conversation on story points.  Many teams find that story points are only a partially useful tool to facilitate the flow of work within a team. Can story points be fixed, or better yet can story points still be useful? We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault with a discussion from the QA Corner.

SPaMCAST 523 features our essay on story points.  Story points were a tool designed to give teams a rough understanding of their flow of work. It was a great idea at the time, but that time has passed. Unfortunately, story points now are being used improperly creating more problems than they solve. In addition, Jon M Quigley brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast. In this installment, Jon discusses the risks of Centers of Excellence.  They are another great idea that can and has been ill-used by many in the industry. Re-Read Saturday News We are back with Chapter 7 of by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along!). Chapter 7, titled The miniLab, focuses on overpromising and continues to layer on toxicity to the Theranos story. Week 6 - -   Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 524 will feature our interview with Matt Heusser.  Matt is the Managing Director of Excelon Development, speaker and podcaster.  Matt and I talk about the nuts and bolts of testing and agile testing.