Software Process and Measurement Cast

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 522 features the return of Jeff Anderson.  Jeff returns to discuss scaling agile and getting to a minimum viable product. Many teams and organizations struggle with the concepts of scaling and getting to an MVP, Jeff provides advice for not going crazy! Jeff’s Bio Jeff is the President of Agile by Design.  Over the last decade, Jeff has played a leadership role on a large number of enterprise-scale agile transformations, providing program management, operating model design and change-management services. Jeff frequently blogs about and presents on lean and agile adoption, and is the author of The Lean Change Method, which guides organizations through the application of lean startup techniques. His mission in life: to help knowledge workers be awesome at what they do. LinkedIn:   Website:   Twitter: @thomasjeffrey Re-Read Saturday News The Software Process and Measurement Cast and Blog crew is still on the road this week.  We will publish our thoughts on Chapter 7 next week. Please jump into the re-read of Bad Blood, Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along!).    Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- -   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 523 features our essay on Story Points.  Story points are a tool to help teams manage their flow of work.  Unfortunately, story points aren’t always used properly and can create more problems than they solve. We will also hear from Jon Quigley who brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast.

SPaMCAST 521 features our essay on user stories and legacy code.  A common question is how user stories can be developed for legacy code or for problems that crop up in production.  The implication is that creating user stories is too hard when dealing with legacy code changes or too slow when dealing with production problems.  User stories are a core tenet for most agile approaches and have a lot of value. This week we also have a visit from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries!  Kim talks about training in a column titled, “Software Catechism.” Can you help keep the podcast growing? Here are some ideas: Tell a friend about the cast. Tweet or post about the cast.  Every mention helps. Review the podcast wherever you get the cast. Pitch a column to me. You are cool enough to be listening; you deserve to be heard. Sponsor an episode (text or call me to talk about the idea). Listen. Whether you do one or all six, being here is a big deal to everyone that helps get the podcast and blog together. Thank you! Re-Read Saturday News The Software Process and Measurement Cast and Blog crew is on the road this weekend so we are going to take a day off from our re-read of Bad Blood, Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along!)   Today we re-visit an entry from 2013, In 2013 we ran a series titled “Motivational Sunday”. In this entry, we talked about the relationship between commitment and habits. I have tweaked the works a little but the sentiments are no different. - Previous Entries: Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Week 5 -- - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 522 features the return of Jeff Anderson.  Jeff returns to discuss getting to a minimum viable product. Many teams and organizations struggle with the concepts of an MVP, Jeff provides three ways to get to an MVP without going crazy!

SPaMCAST 520 features our interview with Doc Norton. We talked about his new book Escape Velocity, measurement, and why velocity isn’t generally a good measure for teams. By the time teams get to a point where story point velocity is consistent and predictable, they will have better tools that have fewer negative side effects. Doc’s Bio Doc Norton is passionate about working with teams to improve delivery and building great organizations. Once a dedicated code slinger, Doc has turned his energy toward helping teams, departments, and companies work better together in the pursuit of better software. Working with a wide range of companies such as Groupon, Nationwide Insurance, Belly, and JaTango, Doc has applied tenants of agile, lean, systems thinking, and servant leadership to develop highly effective cultures and drastically improve their ability to deliver valuable software and products. A Pluralsight Author, Clean Coders contributor, frequent blogger, international keynote speaker and coach, in his spare time, Doc has been working on his latest book, Escape Velocity: Better Metrics for Agile Teams. You can find his book on LeanPub at Twitter: Web: Can you help keep the podcast growing? Here are some ideas: Tell a friend about the cast. Tweet or post about the cast.  Every mention helps. Review the podcast wherever you get the cast. Pitch a column to me. You are cool enough to be listening; you deserve to be heard. Sponsor an episode (text or call me to talk about the idea). Listen. Whether you do one or all six, being here is a big deal to me. Thank you! Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue on our journey through by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along!) Today we tackle a single chapter.  Chapter 6, titled Sunny, introduces Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani to the story. Sunny, Holmes’ live-in boyfriend (the stress on the live-in part is to shine a light on just how close Holmes was to Sunny), adds another layer of toxicity to the Theranos story. The toxicity feels extraordinary but is not that uncommon when teams break down.   Current Entry: Week 5 -- - https://bit.ly/2AZ5tRq Past Entries! Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 521 will feature our essay on user stories and legacy code.  A common question is how user stories can be developed for legacy code or for problems that crop up in production.  The implication is that creating user stories is too hard when dealing with legacy code changes or too slow when dealing with production problems.  User stories are a core tenet for most agile approaches. We will also have a visit from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries!

SPaMCAST 519 features our essay on a code of ethics for agile coaches. A code of ethics is a compilation of ethical principles brought together into a framework. Most professions have a code of ethics that guide their behaviors, typically guided by an association that provides credentials. I think it is time to discuss a code of ethics for agile coaches. We also have a visit from Susan Parente, with her Not A Scrumdamentalist column.  Susan discusses how to become an agilist. It is not as easy as learning any individual set of methods and techniques. One of the places to find Susan is at . I know I promised a visit from Jon M. Quigley, but I had a minor problem with the drive and did not get the column into production soon enough to make the deadline.   Interested in supporting the podcast? Here are some ideas: Tell a friend (or better yet listen to the podcast with them) about the cast. Tweet or post about the cast.  Every mention helps. Review the podcast wherever you get the cast. Pitch a column to me. You are cool enough to be listening, you deserve to be heard. Sponsor an episode (text or call me to talk about the idea - . Listen. Whether you do one or all six, being there is a big deal to me.  Thank you! Re-Read Saturday News This week we take a slight detour in our journey through by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along!) As we have noted before, the book is at heart a cautionary tale; however, it is easy to pass the shenanigans (in private I might use stronger language) as confined to the boardroom, and therefore not something that can happen inside the boundaries of an agile team or in a department.  Ahhhh, think again. To establish the basis for this brief respite we published a review of some of the common attributes of and . It would be easy to go through both of the lists and a find points in the first six chapters and tick the attributes off almost like you were watching a slow(ish)-motion train wreck. Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Week 3 -- - Week 4 -- - Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 520 will feature our interview with Doc Norton. We talked about measurement and why velocity isn’t generally a good measure for teams.

SPaMCAST 518 features our interview with Rebecca Staton-Reinstein.  We discussed leadership, the difference between leadership and management, coaching versus mentoring and who should own your improvement program.  Rebecca and I have known each other for years and I have always enjoyed her wisdom and pragmatic advice. She really delivers the goods. Rebecca’s bio: REBECCA STATON-REINSTEIN, Ph.D. is the president of Advantage Leadership, Inc. Where she works with companies around the world that want strategic leaders and engaged employees to increase bottom- and top-line results and delight customers. Clients achieve their goals through strategic planning and leadership, management, team, and organizational development. Rebecca’s team works with clients to craft customized, successful solutions to their complex business issues in all economic sectors. Rebecca’s says, “Our mission is your success.” For over 25 years, Rebecca has contributed improved organizational value as a leader, manager, technologist, keynoter, educator, and consultant honored by organizations on four continents. She is a Ph.D. in organizational development, MBTI® Master Practitioner, a National Speakers Association Professional Member, St. Petersburg Engineering Academy Foreign Member, and Board of Directors Chairperson-Elect, Davie-Cooper City Chamber of Commerce. Contact Information: Rebecca Staton-Reinstein, Ph.D., President Advantage Leadership, Inc. 320 S Flamingo Road, Suite 291, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027 Rebecca@AdvantageLeadership.com Phone: +305-606-9312   Web:   Amazon Author Page: Join me on LinkedIn: Re-Read Saturday News We continue our journey through by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018).  Today based on the advice of Stephen Adams we tackle chapters three, four and five. The chapters  are titled, “Apple Envy”, “Goodbye East Paly” and “Childhood Neighbors.” The chapters we cover this week paint a picture of a toxic culture full of deceit, naiveté, and vindictiveness; this will be a blockbuster movie someday. While Theranos sounds extraordinary, it isn’t hard to find similar corporate train wrecks. Bad Blood needs to be read as a cautionary tale. Current Week:  Week 3 --  -  Week 1 – –    Week 2 -- - Conferences and More! ITMPI Webinar Virtual October 31 Register Now: https://bit.ly/2zo8MAV Webinar:  Agile, Where Agile Fears to Tread Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 519 will feature our essay on a code of ethics for agile coaches.  I am also considering a call to action to begin banding together to support a code of ethics.   We will also have a discussion with Jon M. Quigley.

SPaMCAST 517 is very different from my original plan -- and pretty cool if I do say so my self.  This week I spoke at ISMA 16 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I was originally scheduled to open the session, however, the translators were two hours late. The Portuguese speaking speakers were moved earlier so that the conference could get started.  During my wait, I discovered that I could record sessions on my iPhone, therefore, the SPaMCAST 517 is a recording of my talk, titled Product Owners In Agile – The Really Hard Role! If you would like a copy of the slides please email me at SPaMCASTinfo@gmail.com .   Note:  There is a bit of noise in the audio, shirt pockets might not be the best recording platforms.   Re-Read Saturday NewsToday we continue our journey through by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018).   Today we tackle chapters one and two. They are titled, “A Purposeful Life” and “Gluebot.”  I have not changed the estimate of 20 to 25 weeks, however, Stephen Adams has thrown down the gauntlet by suggesting we can do more than two chapters a week.  We shall see! Links to the re-read! Week 1 – – Week 2 -- - Conferences and More! ITMPI Webinar Virtual October 31 Register Now: https://bit.ly/2zo8MAV Webinar:  Agile, Where Agile Fears to Tread Next SPaMCASTSPaMCAST 518 will feature our interview with Rebecca Staton-Reinstein.  We talk leadership and the difference between a leader and a manager. You need both!

SPaMCAST 516 features our interview with Nishi Grover Garg.  Nishi and I started by discussing the major differences in agile and non-agile testing and ended with a discussion of agile pods. This is a wonderfully idea-rich interview. Note:  I am recording part of this episode remotely from a hotel in Brazil! Nishi’s Bio: Nishi is a Consulting Agile and Software testing trainer. With a decade of experience working in an Agile environment in different product-based companies, she has had a chance to work in all stages of software testing life cycle from a White box, Black box to Automation testing and Usability testing. Having now extended it to her full-time job, Nishi is a coach, trainer, and mentor in areas of Agile and software testing, specializing in conducting QA Induction boot-camps, ISTQB workshops, DevOps Foundation and Selenium Automation courses. She is certified by Agile Testing Alliance (ATA) as a CP-DOF, CP-SAT, CP-AAT, CP-MAT and by ISTQB as a Foundation and Advanced Test Analyst and likes to keep updating her skills periodically. She is also a passionate freelance writer and contributes to many online forums about new topics of interest in the industry like Techwell community’s AgileConnection.com, Stickyminds.com and many more. Check out her blog at www.testwithnishi.com to find her articles and catch up on her latest professional activities! Contact information: Blog: Email: Re-Read Saturday News This week we begin our read of Bad Blood (buy your copy today  and support the blog and the author).  Bad Blood is a new book for me, therefore a “read” rather than a re-read. We begin with the introductory material and a proposed plan for the read. Week 1 – – https://bit.ly/2J1pY2t  Conferences and More! ISMA 16 Sao Paulo, Brazil October 16 Register Now; https://bit.ly/2PXH8A5 Presentation: Product Owners In Agile – The Really Hard Role! ITMPI Webinar Virtual October 31 Register Now: https://bit.ly/2zo8MAV Webinar:  Agile, Where Agile Fears to Tread Next SPaMCASTSPaMCAST 517 will feature our essay on a code of ethics for agile coaches.  I am also considering a call to action to begin banding together to support a code of ethics.   We will also have a discussion with Jon M. Quigley.

SPaMCAST 515 features our essay on transformation and agile metrics. Whether you like the word transformation or not, many in the process improvement and agile communities help to facilitate change. Involvement in any non-trivial change effort requires resources, people, support and the expenditure of political capital. Metrics are tools for getting the people and resources you need. We also feature a visit from the Software Sensi.  Mr. Pries weights in on defining “what is quality”.  Kim mixes theory and practice to make a profound statement. Anchoring the cast this week is Gene Hughson.  Gene writes at the Form Follows Function blog. This week we talk about a piece titled, .  It really is art --  but really a visualization of anti-patterns at the same time. Re-Read Saturday News This week we conclude our re-read of with a few final thoughts and notes and a restatement of a checklist for a checklist that Stephen Adams contributed in the comments for Chapter 9 – they deserve more exposure.   This is an excellent book that is very useful for anyone involved in worrying about whether work is done consistently.  My punchline, “try using a checklist because they make sure our actions matter.” I hope you enjoy the book as much as I do.   Next week we will lay out the plan for our read of (buy your copy today  and support the blog and the author).  Bad Blood is a new book for me, therefore a “read” rather than a re-read. All of the entries for our re-read of the Checklist Manifesto: Week 11 - - Week 10 – – Week 9 – – – – – – – – – Conferences and More! Agile Online Summit 2018 Virtual October 8 - 12 Speaking on Agile Metrics!   ISMA 16 Sao Paulo, Brazil October 16 Register Now; Presentation: Product Owners In Agile – The Really Hard Role!   ITMPI Webinar Virtual October 31 Register Now: Webinar:  Agile, Where Agile Fears to Tread   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 516 will feature our interview with Nishi Garg.  We started by discussing the major differences in agile and non-agile testing and ended with a discussion of agile pods. This is a wonderfully idea rich interview.  Nishi blogs at

SPaMCAST 514 features our interview with John Clapham. John and I talked DevOps, people, agile, and how all those pieces fit together coherently or not. John even quoted Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. This is a big, fun, informative interview! John Clapham is an experienced coach, trainer, and consultant, specializing in DevOps and Agile.  He helps teams to build great products, creating environments and systems which are effective, productive and enjoyable to work in. Often this means introducing Scrum, or developing a deeper understanding of the method and it's principles.  John draws on broad experience as an engineer and lead, he has built web and enterprise applications in government, publishing, telecommunications, commerce, defense, and public sector arenas. Twitter:   Web:   Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 9 of .  The Save is the final chapter in the book.  Next week we will discuss our final thoughts and decide on the next book.  In chapter 9 Atul Gawande talks about his experiences with the surgical checklist he helped to create.  The last chapter is a combination of emotion and evidence. Remember to buy a copy of and READ along! Current Installment: Week 10 - - Previous Installments: Week 9 - - - - - - - - -   Conferences and More! Agile Online Summit 2018 Virtual October 8 – 12 Speaking on Agile Metrics! ISMA 16 Sao Paulo, Brazil October 16 Register Now;  Presentation: Product Owners In Agile – The Really Hard Role ITMPI Webinar Virtual October 31 Register Now:  Webinar:  Agile, Where Agile Fears to Tread   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 515 will feature an essay on transformation and agile metrics. Whether you like the word transformation or not, many in the process improvement and agile communities help to facilitate change. Involvement in any non-trivial change effort requires resources, people, support and the expenditure of political capital. We will also hear from Kim Pries and Gene Hughson.

SPaMCAST 513 features a second essay on reciprocity.  One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn is that some people on a team are passengers and others play different, more involved, roles. Being a passenger long-term on a team or in an organization is a form of rent-seeking and is not valued highly by others. We also have columns from Susan Parente (I Am Not a Scrumdamentalist) and Jeremy Berriault ().  Susan provides a spirited discussion of self-directed teams in agile.  It is a myth that agile teams just get to do what they want. One of the places to find Susan is at . Rounding out the cast is this month’s installment of the QA Corner.   Jeremy discusses one of the thorniest facts of life for a tester -- hard deadlines. Re-Read Saturday News This week we tackle Chapter 8, titled The Hero In The Age of Checklists.  Heroes are a big deal; pick up any newspaper and you will see how much the cult of the hero is celebrated.  Checklists and methods are viewed by many as diminishing the role of the hero which sows the seeds of resistance to change.  What role does the hero play in a disciplined process? If the hero is core to how we view ourselves and our society, do tools like checklists run the risk of being met with hostility?  Chapter 8 dives directly into the deep end to address these topics. We have two or three more weeks left in this re-read, which means it’s time for the poll.  Vote and be heard! Write-in candidates are welcome. [polldaddy poll=10114386] Remember to buy a copy of and READ along! Current Installment: Week 9 - - Previous Installments: - - - - - - -   Conferences and More! Agile Coach Camp 2018 Ann Arbor, Michigan. September 28 - 30 Participating Agile Online Summit 2018 Virtual October 8 - 12 Speaking on Agile Metrics! ISMA 16 Sao Paulo, Brazil October 16 Register Now; Presentation: Product Owners In Agile – The Really Hard Role ITMPI Webinar Virtual October 31 Register Now: Webinar:  Agile, Where Agile Fears to Tread Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 514 will feature our interview with John Clapham. John and I talked DevOps, people, agile, and how all those pieces fit together coherently or not. This a big, fun, informative interview!