Software Process and Measurement Cast

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 345 features our essay on Cognitive Biases and two new columns. The essay on cognitive bias provides important tools for anyone that works on a team or interfaces with other people! A sample for the podcast: "The discussion of cognitive biases is not a theoretical exercise. Even a relatively simple process such as sprint planning in Scrum is influenced by the cognitive biases of the participants. Even the planning process itself is built to use cognitive biases like the anchor bias to help the team come to consensus efficiently. How all the members of the team perceive their environment and the work they commit to delivering will influence the probability of success, therefore, cognitive biases need to be understood and managed." The first of the new columns is Jeremy Berriault's QA Corner. Jeremy's first QA Corner discusses root cause analysis and some errors that people make when doing root cause analysis. Jeremy, is a leader in the world of quality assurance and testing and was originally interviewed on the Software Process and Measurement Cast 274. The second new column features Steve Tendon discussing his great new book, Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance. Our intent is to discuss the book chapter by chapter. This is very much like the re-read we do on blog weekly but with the author. Steve has offered the SPaMCAST listeners are great discount if you use the link shown above. As part of the chapter by chapter discussion of Steve's book we are embedding homework questions. The first question we pose is "Is the concept of hyper-productivity transferable from one group or company to another?" Send your comments to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox's The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don't have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version Next . . . The Mythical Man-Month Get a copy now and start reading! We will start in four weeks! Upcoming Events 2015 ICEAA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING WORKSHOPJune 9 – 12 San Diego, California http://www.iceaaonline.com/2519-2/I will be speaking on June 10. My presentation is titled "Agile Estimation Using Functional Metrics." Let me know if you are attending! Also upcoming conferences I will be involved in include and SQTM in September. More on these great conferences next week. Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our will interview with Jon M Quigley. We discussed configuration management and his new book Configuration Management: Theory, Practice, and Application. Jon co-authored the book with Kim Robertson. Configuration management is one of the most critical practices anyone building a product, writing a piece of code or working on a project with other must learn or face the consequences! 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, neither for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 344 features our conversation with Susan Parente. We talked about Agile risk management. Risk is not always discussed in polite Agile circles however Susan suggests that if you do not have a plan to address risk you are asking for pain for yourself and everyone around you. Susan’s Bio Susan Parente is a Principal Consultant at S3 Technologies, LLC and an Associate Professor at Post University. She is an author, mentor and teacher focused on project and risk management. Her experience is augmented by her Masters in Engineering Management with a focus in Marketing of Technology from George Washington University, DC, along with a number of professional certifications. Ms. Parente has 16+ years’ experience leading software and business development projects in the private and public sectors, including a decade of experience implementing IT projects for the DoD. Contact Data: Email: parente@s3-tec.com Phone: 203-307-5246 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanparente Risk Management Resources: www.techriskmanager.com Company website: www.s3-tec.com Agile Risk Management LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostRecent=&gid=4020498&trk=my_groups-tile-flipgrp Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version Next . . . The Mythical Man-Month Get a copy now and start reading! We will start in four weeks! Upcoming Events 2015 ICEAA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING WORKSHOPJune 9 – 12 San Diego, Californiahttp://www.iceaaonline.com/2519-2/I will be speaking on June 10. My presentation is titled “Agile Estimation Using Functional Metrics.” Let me know if you are attending! Also upcoming conferences I will be involved in include and SQTM in September. More on these great conferences next week. Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our will essay on Cognitive Bias. The core of software development, enhancements and maintenance is people. Knowledge of cognitive biases can help us understand and predict team behaviors. Will will also have the first installment Jeremy Berriault’s QA Corner. QA Corner is all about testing. 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 344 features our conversation with Susan Parente. We talked about Agile risk management. Risk is not always discussed in polite Agile circles however Susan suggests that if you do not have a plan to address risk you are asking for pain for yourself and everyone around you. Susan’s Bio Susan Parente is a Principal Consultant at S3 Technologies, LLC and an Associate Professor at Post University. She is an author, mentor and teacher focused on project and risk management. Her experience is augmented by her Masters in Engineering Management with a focus in Marketing of Technology from George Washington University, DC, along with a number of professional certifications. Ms. Parente has 16+ years’ experience leading software and business development projects in the private and public sectors, including a decade of experience implementing IT projects for the DoD. Contact Data: Email: parente@s3-tec.com Phone: 203-307-5246 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanparente Risk Management Resources: www.techriskmanager.com Company website: www.s3-tec.com Agile Risk Management LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostRecent=&gid=4020498&trk=my_groups-tile-flipgrp Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version Next . . . The Mythical Man-Month Get a copy now and start reading! We will start in four weeks! Upcoming Events 2015 ICEAA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING WORKSHOPJune 9 – 12 San Diego, Californiahttp://www.iceaaonline.com/2519-2/I will be speaking on June 10. My presentation is titled “Agile Estimation Using Functional Metrics.” Let me know if you are attending! Also upcoming conferences I will be involved in include and SQTM in September. More on these great conferences next week. Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our will essay on Cognitive Bias. The core of software development, enhancements and maintenance is people. Knowledge of cognitive biases can help us understand and predict team behaviors. Will will also have the first installment Jeremy Berriault’s QA Corner. QA Corner is all about testing. 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 343 includes two features. The first is our essay, Commitment, Revisited: Is Commitment Anti-Agile? We think not! Commitment is a core behavior for delivering business value effectively. Our second feature is a visit from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim reflects on hiring practices for software development. Among the nuggets from Kim is the reminder to keep in mind that the perfect employee does not exist, and you are unlikely to ever find someone who fulfills every item on your job description. How does that simple fact impact hiring? A Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version Our next re-read is The Mythical Man-Month Get a copy now and start reading!We will start in 4 weeks! Upcoming Events 2015 ICEAA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING WORKSHOPJune 9 – 12San Diego, Californiahttp://www.iceaaonline.com/2519-2/I will be speaking on June 10. My presentation is titled “Agile Estimation Using Functional Metrics.” Let me know if you are attending! Also upcoming conferences I will be involved in include and SQTM in September. More on these great conferences next week. Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our conversation with Susan Parente. We talked about Agile risk management. If you do not have a plan to address risk, you are asking for risk to transform into pain for you and everyone around 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese._

Software Process and Measurement Cast 342 features our interview with Ellen Gottesdiener and Mary Gorman. We discussed their great book, Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis, requirements and Agile. Ellen and Mary provided penetrating insight into how to work with requirements in an Agile environment, from discovery to delivery and beyond. This is the second time Ellen, Mary and I talked Agile requirements. After listening to this interview turn back the hands of time and listen to SPaMCAST 200. Ellen Gottesdiener is an internationally recognized leader in the convergence of agile + requirements + product management + project management. She is founder and principal of EBG Consulting, which helps organizations adapt how they collaborate to improve business outcomes. Ellen’s passion is helping people use modern product requirements practices to build valued products and great teams. She provides coaching, training, and facilitates discovery and planning workshops across diverse industries. Ellen is a world-renowned writer, speaker, and presenter. Her most recent book, co-authored with Mary Gorman, is Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis. Ellen is author of two other acclaimed books: Requirements by Collaboration and The Software Requirements Memory Jogger. Here’s where you digitally connect with Ellen: Blog | Twitter | Newsletter | LinkedIn Mary Gorman, a leader in business analysis and requirements, is Vice President of Quality & Delivery at EBG Consulting. Mary coaches product teams, facilitates discovery workshops, and trains stakeholders in collaborative practices essential for defining high-value products. She speaks and writes for the agile, business analysis, and project management communities. Mary is co-author with Ellen Gottesdiener of Discover to Deliver: Agile Product Planning and Analysis. A Certified Business Analysis Professional™, Mary helped develop the IIBA®’s A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® and certification exam. She also served on the task force that created the PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)® Examination Content Outline. You can reach Mary via: Twitter | LinkedIn Call to action! Reviews of the podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version Next up on Re-Read Saturday: The Mythical Man-Month Get a copy now and start reading! Upcoming Events 2015 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING WORKSHOPJune 9 – 12San Diego, Californiahttp://www.iceaaonline.com/2519-2/I will be speaking on June 10. My presnetaiton is titled “Agile Estimation Using Functional Metrics.” Let me know if you are attending! Also upcoming conferences I will be involved in include and SQTM in September, BIFPUG in November. More on these great conferences next week. Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on Commitment, Part 2. Is commitment anti-Agile? We think not! Commitment is a core behavior for effective Agile! 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 341 features our essay titled Agile Team Decision Making. Team-based decision-making requires mechanisms and prerequisites for creating consensus among team members. The prerequisites are a decision to be made, trust, knowledge and the tools to make a decision. No one should assume that that team members have the required tools and techniques in their arsenal to effectively make decisions. Remember: Jo Ann Sweeney, author of the Explaining Change column, is running her annual Worth Working Summit. Please visit http://www.worthworkingsummit.com/ Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version I am beginning to think of which book will be next. Do you have any ideas? Upcoming Events CMMI Institute Global CongressMay 12-13 Seattle, WA, USAMy topic - Agile Risk Managementhttp://cmmiconferences.com/ DCG will also have a booth! Also upcoming conferences I will be involved in include ICEAA in June and SQTM in September. More on these great conferences next week. Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Ellen Gottesdiener and Mary Gorman. We discussed their great book, Discover to Deliver, requirements and Agile. Ellen and Mary are provided penetrating insight into how to work with requirements in an Agile environment from discovery to delivery and beyond. 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 340 features our interview with Tom Howlett. Tom is a Scrum Master. We talked about teams, collaboration and how to effectively be Agile in distributed teams. Tom’s bio: Tom's been building and working with teams that focus on continuous improvement for 15 years. In that time he's written about the difficulties he faced and how he overcame them in over 100 blog posts on "Diary of a Scrummaster", and a book called "A Programmer's Guide To People". He has a strong focus on breaking down the barriers that restrict collaboration (whether remote or co-located) and ensuring the people who do the work can effectively decide how it's done. He's becoming well known in the Agile community through his speaking and running his local group the "Cheltenham Geeks'. His company LeanTomato provides help forming new teams and helping existing ones meet people’s needs more effectively. Contact informationBlog: Diary of a ScrumMasterTwitter: @diaryofscrumWebsite: LeanTomato Remember: Jo Ann Sweeny (Explaining Change) is running her annual Worth Working Summit. Please visit http://www.worthworkingsummit.com/ Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version I am beginning to think of which book will be next. Do you have any ideas? Upcoming Events CMMI Institute Global CongressMay 12-13 Seattle, WA, USAMy topic - Agile Risk Managementhttp://cmmiconferences.com/ DCG will also have a booth! Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on Agile team decision making. Team based decision making requires mechanisms and prerequisites for creating consensus among team members. The prerequisites are a decision to be made, trust, knowledge and the tools to make a decisions. In many instances team members are assumed to have the required tools and techniques in their arsenal. In many instances team members are assumed by management and other team members to have the required tools and techniques in their arsenal. Next week we will explore decision making and give you tools to make decisions. 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 339 features our essay on demonstrations and a new Form Follows Function column from Gene Hughson. Demonstrations are a tool to generate conversations about what is being delivered. Because a demonstration occurs at the end of every sprint the team will continually be demonstrating the value they are delivering, which reinforces confidence and motivation. The act of demonstrating value provides the team with a platform for collecting feedback that will help them stay on track and focused on delivering what has the most value to the business. Gene continues his theme of microservices. This week we tackle, “Microservices, SOA, and EITA: Where To Draw the Line? Why to Draw the Line?” Gene says, “we recognize lines to prevent needless conflict and waste.” Two special notes: Jo Ann Sweeny of the Explaining Change column is running her annual Worth Working Summit. Please visit http://www.worthworkingsummit.com/ Jeremy Berriault will be joining the SPaMCAST family. Jeremy will be focusing on testing and the lessons testing can provide to a team and organization. Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version I am beginning to think of which book will be next. Do you have any ideas? Upcoming Events CMMI Institute Global CongressMay 12-13 Seattle, WA, USAMy topic - Agile Risk Managementhttp://cmmiconferences.com/ DCG will also have a booth! Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Tom Howlett. Tom is the author of the Diary of a Scrummaster and is a Scrum Master’s Scrum Master. Tom and I talked Agile and being Agile outside of the classic software development environments. 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 338 features our new interview with Stephen Parry. We discussed adaptable organizations. Stephen recently wrote: “Organizations which are able to embrace and implement the principles of Lean Thinking are inevitably known for three things: vision, imagination and – most importantly of all - implicit trust in their own people.” We discussed why trust, vision and imagination have to be more than just words in a vision or mission statement to get value out of lean and Agile. Need more Stephen Parry? Check out our first interview. We discussed adaptive thinking and command and control management! Stephen’s Bio Stephen Parry is an international leader and strategist on the design and creation of adaptive-lean enterprises. He has a world-class reputation for passionate leadership and organisational transformation by changing the way employees, managers and leaders think about their business and their customers. He is the author of Sense and Respond: The Journey to Customer Purpose (Palgrave), a highly regarded book written as a follow-up to his award-winning organisational transformations. His change work was recognised when he received Best Customer Service Strategy at the National Business Awards. The judges declared his strategy had created organisational transformations which demonstrated an entire cultural change around the needs of customers and could, as a result, demonstrate significant business growth, innovation and success. He is the founder and senior partner at Lloyd Parry a consultancy specialising in Lean organisational design and business transformation. Stephen believes that organisations must be designed around the needs of customers through the application of employee creativity, innovation and willing contribution. This was recognised when his approach received awards from the European Service Industry for the Best People Development Programme and a personal award for Innovation and Creativity. Stephen has since become a judge at the National Business Awards and the National Customer Experience Awards. He is also a Fellow at the Lean Systems Society. Website: www.lloydparry.com Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version I am beginning to think of which book will be next. Do you have any ideas? Upcoming Events QAI Quest 2015April 20 -21 Atlanta, GA, USAScale Agile Testing Using the TMMihttp://www.qaiquest.org/2015/ DCG will also have a booth! Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on demonstrations! **** Meg June 24 – 29 2013 / / /**** Demonstrations are an important tool for teams to gather feedback to shape the value they deliver. Demonstrations provide a platform for the team to show the stories that have been completed so the stakeholders can interact with the solution. It is unfortunate that many teams mess them up. We can help demonstrate what a good demo is all about. 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.

In this episode of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we feature three columns! The first is our essay on the Agile release plans. Even after 12 years or more with Agile we are still asked what we will deliver, when a features will be delivered and how much the project will cost. Agile release plans are a tool to answer those questions. Our second column this week is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim asks why is baselining so important. Kim posits that if we do not baseline, we cannot tell whether a change is negative, positive, or indifferent—we simply do NOT know. Finally Jo Ann Sweeney will complete the communication cycle in her Explaining Change column by discussing delivery with a special focus on social media. Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners. Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice? Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast! Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one. If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version I am beginning to think of which book will be next. Do you have any ideas? Upcoming Events QAI Quest 2015April 20 -21 Atlanta, GA, USAScale Agile Testing Using the TMMihttp://www.qaiquest.org/2015/ DCG will also have a booth! Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Stephen Parry. Stephen is a returning interviewee. We discussed adaptable organizations. Stephen recently wrote: “Organizations which are able to embrace and implement the principles of Lean Thinking are inevitably known for three things: vision, imagination and – most importantly of all - implicit trust in their own people.” We discussed why trust, vision and imagination have to be more than just words in a vision or mission statement to get value out of lean and Agile. 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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.