

Software Process and Measurement Cast
Thomas M. Cagley Jr
SPaMCAST explores the varied world of software process improvement and measurement. The cast covers topics that deal with the challenges found in information technology organizations as they grow and evolve.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 17, 2016 • 53min
SPaMCAST 415 - Risk Tolerance in Agile, Kotter Change Model, Innovation Bandwagon, Requirements Part 3
The Software Process and Measurement Cast features four columns. We begin with our essay on recognizing risk and risk tolerance. Any discussion of risk begins with acknowledging that risk exists and then recognizing specific risks. Once we know risks exist we need to determine which risks we care about. Risk tolerance affects how everyone in an organization behaves. Kim Pries the Software Sensei discusses change models, focusing on the Kotter model of change. Kim discusses how change models can be used for hardware, software, processes and procedures. Gene Hughson brings his wonderful Form Follows Function Blog the podcast. In this installment, Gene and I discuss All Aboard the Innovation Band Wagon. We talked a lot about how to define innovation AND why innovation and change is powerful. Jon M Quigley anchors the cast with the third installment in a three-part arc on requirements in his "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development" column. This week Jon discusses managing requirements. Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). We seem to be moving from cliffhanger to cliffhanger over the past few weeks, and we shall do so again today. Lencioni uses crises to illustrate common problems that make teams into dysfunctional collections of individuals. This week we tackle the sections from Entering the Danger to Rebound. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 416 will feature our interview with Kirk Botula. Kirk is the CEO of the CMMI Institute. Kirk and I talked about organizational capability and why capability is crucial for organizational health and agility! Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Oct 10, 2016 • 56min
SPaMCAST 414 - Marcus Hammarberg, Agile In the Real World
The Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Marcus Hammarberg. We often think of Agile as a tool to build or maintain software. In some cases, people have recognized the applicability of Agile and lean techniques in other parts of the business. In even rarer circumstances people, like Marcus, have found a way to use Agile techniques to have a huge impact in the real world. Marcus tells use how he was able to use Agile and lean techniques and philosophy to save a clinic and more importantly to change lives of real people. It is an amazing and uplifting story. Marcus's Bio Get agile to work in practice - is Marcus's motto. This has led him to take interest in all kind of things: Lean, TDD, Kanban, Specification by example, Node, Continuous Delivery, Nancy, and Koa. Marcus spent 2 years working for the Salvation Army in Indonesia to help the health services there to become more effective. Marcus has also, written Kanban in Action (http://bit.ly/theKanbanBook) and is writing another book, about the lean/agile-inspired work he used to save a hospital in Indonesia (http://bit.ly/bungsustory. Contact Information: Skype: marcushammarberg Email: marcusoft.net@gmail.com Twitter: @marcusoftnet Blog: www.marcusoft.net LinkedIn: http://se.linkedin.com/in/marcushammarberg Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/marcusoftnet/ My Book - Kanban In Action: http://www.amazon.com/Kanban-Action-Marcus-Hammarberg/dp/1617291056/ Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business novel that uses a story to get important ideas across to the reader in a less threatening manner. This week we discuss the first crisis with Martin and we end this week's re-read by exposing the second crisis. The sections we are reading begin with Drawing the Line and finish with Pushing Back. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 415 will include essays and columns from Gene Hughson, Jon M Quigley, Kim Pries, and myself! Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Oct 3, 2016 • 36min
SPaMCAST 413 - Scaling Management, Throughput Accounting, QA Tools
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 413 features our essay on Scaling Agile and Management Styles. This essay builds on our recent discussion of servant leadership. It is not as simple as adding teams or building a hierarchy. Steve Tendon joins the SPaMCAST this week to discuss Chapter 11 in Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published J Ross (buy a copy here). We discussed the concept of throughput accounting. A powerful concept that that focuses on the delivery of value through the overall process. Visit Steve at www.tendon.net. We cap this edition of the Software Process and Measurement Cast with a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy discussed the impact of testing tools. There are significant plusses for using tools if you don't let the tools use you! Connect with Jeremy on Linkedin. Re-Read Saturday News We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business novel that uses a story to get important ideas across to the reader in a less threatening manner. This week we discuss the sections covering the background for the first major team crisis. Lots of behaviors you might, unfortunately, recognize in teams around you! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 414 will feature our interview with Marcus Hammarberg. We often think of Agile as a tool to build or maintain software. Marcus used Agile techniques to save a clinic and to change lives. It is an amazing and uplifting story. Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Sep 25, 2016 • 28min
SPaMCAST 412 - XP Explained a Discussion with Steven Adams
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 412 features our discussion of XP Explained, Second Edition with Steven Adams. It was a great talk that helped me understand why the book has (and continues to have) such a large impact on how I view Agile and software development. Steve lives in the San Francisco Bay Area (a.k.a, Silicon Valley) where he has a successful career in software development. Steve has worked for Hewlett Packard, Access Systems Inc,, Trilliant Inc., and Sony Mobile Communications; plus has consulted at Cisco Systems. Steve has a computer science degree from California State University at Chico, learned software project management at Hewlett-Packard and, in 2009, started his Agile journey with Sony Ericsson. Steve enjoys listening to technical podcasts, and SpamCast was one of the first and is a favorite! Steve is also an avid bicyclist (road) and is on track to log over 3,500 miles in 2016. Blog: https://sadams510.wordpress.com/Twitter: @stevena510 Re-Read Saturday News We begin the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business novel that uses a story to get important ideas across to the reader in a less threatening manner. This week we address the introduction and some of the backstory. All of this provides the background for us to recognize the impact of poor teamwork! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 413 will feature our essay on Scaling Agile and Management Styles. This essay builds on our recent discussion of servant leadership. We will also have columns from Steve Tendon talking about another chapter in his great book Hyper Productive Knowledge Work Performance, The Tame Flow Approach and a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Sep 19, 2016 • 52min
SPaMCAST 411 - Servant Leadership, Systems Thinking, Craftsmanship, Requirements
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 411 includes four columns! The first is our thoughts on servant leadership. A servant leader facilitates collaboration not only by creating a learning environment but also by helping the team to establish a vision and goals. Servant leadership is a powerful tool to unlock the ability of teams or groups to deliver value. Many of the links between servant leadership and Agile are because servant leadership enables several of the principles in the Agile Manifesto, but servant leadership doesn't work in every scenario. This essay will explore the origins of servant leadership, its ties with Agile and when to apply a servant leadership approach. Jon M Quigley anchors the cast with the second installment in a three-part arc on requirements in his "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development" column. This week Jon discusses managing requirements. Gene Hughson brings his Form Follows Function blog to the Software Process and Measurement Cast. In this visit, Gene discusses his recent blog entry titled, "Organizations as Systems – "Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown". Gene points out that software development organizations live in a complex world where single factor explanations are dangerous. Kim Pries, the Software Sensi, brings a great discussion of the concept of craftsmanship in software development to the Cast. Craftsmanship and quality are related, but craftsmanship is a more intimate and personal attribute. Re-Read Saturday News This week we complete our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with final thoughts on a book that has shaped a generation's thinking on Agile, while at the same time being eminently practical. Next week we begin our read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). This will be a new book for me, therefore an initial read, not a re-read! Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy, and next week we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 412, if you thought we were done with XP Explained, Second Edition, you would be wrong. One of the SPaMCAST's long term listeners, Steven Adams and I recently sat down to discuss our thoughts on the book. It was a great conversation that we look forward to sharing with you! Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Sep 11, 2016 • 25min
SPaMCAST 410 - Jessica Long, Storytelling in Agile
In Software Process and Measurement Cast 410, we feature our interview with Jessica Long. Jessica and I discussed storytelling. I find that storytelling is a useful tool to help individuals, teams, and organizations. Projects can use stories to generate user stories and as a tool in retrospectives. Stories are also a tool in generating a vision of the future in organizational transformations. Those are just a few of the multitude of uses for storytelling in changing how value is delivered! Jessica and I will both be presenting on using stories at the Agile Philly, Agile Tour 2016 on October 10th. If you are in the Philadelphia area please register and attend! Jessica's bio:Jess Long is an Agile Coach, a writer, a speaker and a mother with a passion for driving meaningful stories across multiple iterations in all facets of life. Transforming Corporate America and living to tell about it is no small feat. She keeps some level of sanity by finding humor in otherwise absurd situations. Twitter: https://twitter.com/scrumandgingerBlog: https://scrumandginger.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-long-pmi-acp-csp-cspo-87626614 Re-Read Saturday News This week we reach the penultimate week in our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 24 and 25. Chapter 24 discusses the value and power in communities. Chapter 25 is Beck's conclusion and reflection on the book: XP is about people! Next week we'll wrap this re-read up and get ready to to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass). This will be a new book for me, therefore an initial read, not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years. Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy, and in a few weeks we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 411 will be a big show featuring our thoughts on servant leadership. In SPaMCAST 411 we will have a visit from the Kim Pries, the Software Sensei. We will have more from Steve Tendon on the Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). And anchoring the cast will be Gene Hughson with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog. Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Sep 4, 2016 • 48min
SPaMCAST 409 - Team Structure, QA Presentations, Eliciting Requirements
Special Note - SPAMCAST 409 was due to be posted last week, but bad things happened to my main computer and my backup decided to air-gap itself from the Internet. That said, #409 is going up a week later so the Re-read Saturday news is a week out of date. This week we talk about Chapters 22 and 23. I have declared that last weekend was a very stressful vacation from posting. Now the show goes on! In Software Process and Measurement Cast 409, we feature our essay on advice I recently provided to a listener to the podcast on whether a team is really one or two teams. While the essay is a result of answering a friend's question, the ideas in the essay can be applied when you are building any sort of team. Our second column this week features a visit to Jeremy Berriault's QA Corner. Jeremy and I discussed how QA should communicate with other leaders in the organization. In the third and final column, Jon M. Quigley begins a three-part arc on requirements in "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development." This week on discusses the elicitation of requirements. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 20 and 21. Chapter 20 is a discussion of applying XP. The short version is that there is no one perfect way to apply XP, which dovetails nicely with Chapter 21 which addresses the concept of purity and certification. IF there is no one perfect way to apply XP, how can there be an absolute litmus test for XP purity? Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next we are going to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. This will be a new book for me, therefore an initial read, not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years. Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy, and in a few weeks we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we will feature our interview of Jessica Long. Jessica and I discussed storytelling. Storytelling is useful in all types of organizations for both projects and as a tool in organizational transformations. Jessica and I will both be presenting on using stories at the Agile Philly, Agile Tour 2016 on October 10th. If you are in the Philadelphia area please register and attend! Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Aug 21, 2016 • 41min
SPaMCAST 408 - Kupe Kupersmith, Business Analysis and Agile
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 408 features our interview with Kupe Kupersmith. Kupe and I discussed the role of the business analyst in today's dynamic environment. It is critical to defining and facilitating the delivery of value. Weighty topics, but we also had a bit of fun. "Kupe" Kupersmith, President, B2T Training, possesses over 18 years of experience in software systems development. He has served as the lead Business Analyst and Project Manager on projects in the energy, television and sports management and marketing industries. Additionally, he serves as a mentor for business analysis professionals. Kupe is the co-author of Business Analysis for Dummies, a Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP®) and a former IIBA® Board Member. Kupe is a requested speaker and has presented at many conferences around the world. Being a trained improvisational comedian, Kupe is sure to make you laugh while you're learning. For a feel for Kupe's view on business analysis topics check out his blog on BA Times. Kupe is a connector and has a goal in life to meet everyone! Contact Information https://www.linkedin.com/in/kupetheba https://www.b2ttraining.com/ Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 18 and 19. Chapters 18 and 19 provide a view into two very different management philosophies that shaped software development in general and have had a major impact on XP. Chapter 18 discusses Taylorism and scientific management; a management knows best view of the world. Chapter 19 talks about the Toyota Production System, which puts significant power back in the hands of the practitioner to deliver a quality product. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next, we are going to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Jossey-Bass. This will be a new book for me, therefore, an initial read, not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years! Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy and in a few weeks, we will begin to read the book together. Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we will feature essay on whether a team is really one or two teams. While the essay is a result of answering a friend's question, the ideas in the essay can be applied when you are building any sort of team. We will also have columns from Jeremy Berriault's QA Corner and Jon M. Quigley' column, "The Alpha-Omega of Product Development." Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Aug 14, 2016 • 42min
SPaMCAST 407 - Magazine with Cagley, Hughson, Pries, and Tendon
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 407 includes four separate columns. We begin with a short essay refreshing the pros and cons of Test Driven Development. Test Driven Development promises a lot of benefits but all is not light, kittens and puppies. Still, TDD is well worth doing if you go into it with your eyes open. Our second column features Kim Pries, the Software Sensei. Kim discusses what makes software "good." The Software Sensei puts the "good" in quotes because it is actually a difficult word to define but Kim is willing to give the discussion a go! In our third column, we return to Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). We tackle Chapter 10 which is titled The Thinking Processes. Thinking processes are key to effectively using Agile, lean and kanban processes. Gene Hughson anchors the cast with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog. In this installment, we discuss the blog entry titled "Learning to Deal with the Inevitable." Gene and I discussed change which is inevitable and innovation which is not quite as inevitable. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 16 and 17. Chapter 16 ends Section One with an interview with Brad Jensen. Section Two addresses the philosophies of XP. Chapter 17 tells the creation story of XP from Beck's point of view. We are going to read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Jossey-Bass . This will be a new book for me, therefore, an initial read (I have not read this book yet), not a re-read! Steven Adams suggested the book and it has been on my list for a few years! Click the link (The Five Dysfunctions of a Team), buy a copy and in a few weeks, we will begin to read the book together. Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast, we will feature our interview with Kupe Kupersmith. Kupe brings his refreshing take on the role of the business analyst in today's dynamic environment. This interview was informative, provocative and entertaining. Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Aug 7, 2016 • 36min
SPaMCAST 406 - Erik van Veenendaal, Quality, Agile and the TMMi
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 406 features our interview with Erik van Veenendaal. We discussed Agile testing, risk and testing, the Test Maturity Model Integrated (TMMi), and why in an Agile world quality and testing still matter. Erik van Veenendaal (www.erikvanveenendaal.nl) is a leading international consultant and trainer, and a recognized expert in the area of software testing and requirement engineering. He is the author of a number of books and papers within the profession, one of the core developers of the TMap testing methodology, a participant in working parties of the International Requirements Engineering Board (IREB). He is one of the founding members of the TMMi Foundation, the lead developer of the TMMi model and currently a member of the TMMi executive committee. Erik is a frequent keynote and tutorial speaker at international testing and quality conferences. For his major contribution to the field of testing, Erik received the European Testing Excellence Award (2007) and the ISTQB International Testing Excellence Award (2015). You can follow Erik on twitter via @ErikvVeenendaal. Re-Read Saturday News This week we continue our re-read of Kent Beck's XP Explained, Second Edition with a discussion of Chapters 14 and 15. This week we dive into design and scaling. These chapters address two critical and controversial topics that XP profoundly rethought. I am still collecting thoughts on what to read next. Is it time to start thinking about what is next: a re-read or a new read? Thoughts? Use the link to XP Explained in the show notes when you buy your copy to read along to support both the blog and podcast. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog (www.tcagley.wordpress.com) to catch up on past installments of Re-Read Saturday. Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will focus on our recent revisit of Test Driven Development (TDD). TDD is an important feature of XP that can be (and should be) used if quality and efficiency are important to your organization. We will also have a new column from Steve Tendon (welcome back Steve!) and Gene Hughson AND maybe one more but we will see! Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.


