Software Process and Measurement Cast

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 195! The SPaMCAST 195 features my essay, Routines:  The Good and The Bad.  Routines are an important part of how we work. Like many other things routines can givith and can taketh away. The SPaMCAST 195 is sponsored by .  By now, most of you in the Lean-Agile community have heard of LeanKit, recognized by community leaders and practitioners alike as the most flexible and powerful tool available for implementing visual management. Since their launch in 2009, LeanKit has helped hundreds of companies around the world to quickly and easily model even very complex processes as vertical and horizontal lanes on a virtual whiteboard with cards representing work flowing from step to step. Well, LeanKit has now announced the launch of groundbreaking new features that allow even the largest enterprise portfolio and projects to be managed using multiple levels of drill-down Kanban boards, detailed sub-taskboards, and roll-up Lean metrics - as well as a complete overhaul of their user interface that makes LeanKit more attractive, more intuitive, and easier to manage. If you haven't checked out LeanKit or haven't lately, check out the website to explore how they can help Lean-Agile scale within your organization.  ! (and say hello for the SPaMCAST!) Shameless Ad for my book!  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." News just in  . . . We also just got word that the SPM book has been adopted for a class at the University of West Flroida for the Fall. ? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 196 will feature my inteview with Jeff Anderson of Deloitte on topics that spanned lean, kanban and using the ideas from lean startups as a process improvement tool.  Wow . . .

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 194! The SPaMCAST 194 features my interview with Peter Taylor.  We discussed his new book, The Lazy Project Manager and The Project From Hell. We all have had one . . . Peter's book provides a path to avoid your next project from heck! Simply put:  SPEAKER: AUTHOR: TRAINER: COACH: CONSULTANT In depth: Peter is a dynamic and commercially astute professional who has achieved notable success in business.His background is in project management and marketing across three major business areas over the last 28 years and with the last 8 years building and leading PMOs. He is an accomplished communicator, a professional speaker, workshop trainer and PM/PMO consultant. Peter is the author of ‘The Lazy Project Manager’, The Lazy Winner’ and ‘The Lazy Project Manager and the Project from Hell’ (Infinite Ideas), as well as ‘Leading Successful PMOs’ (Gower). More information can be found at www.thelazyprojectmanager.com and www.leadingsuccessfulpmos.com   and www.thelazywinner.com   – and through his free podcasts in iTunes. The SPaMCAST 194 is sponsored by LeanKit Kanban.  By now, most of you in the Lean-Agile community have heard of LeanKit, recognized by community leaders and practitioners alike as the most flexible and powerful tool available for implementing visual management. Since their launch in 2009, LeanKit has helped hundreds of companies around the world to quickly and easily model even very complex processes as vertical and horizontal lanes on a virtual whiteboard with cards representing work flowing from step to step. Well, LeanKit has now announced the launch of groundbreaking new features that allow even the largest enterprise portfolio and projects to be managed using multiple levels of drill-down Kanban boards, detailed sub-taskboards, and roll-up Lean metrics - as well as a complete overhaul of their user interface that makes LeanKit more attractive, more intuitive, and easier to manage. If you haven't checked out LeanKit or haven't lately, check out the website to explore how they can help Lean-Agile scale within your organization.  Visit LeanKit Kanban! (and say hello for the SPaMCAST!) Shameless Ad for my book!  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." News just in  . . . We also just got word that the SPM book has been adopted for a class at the University of West Flroida for the Fall. Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV NextThe Software Process and Measurement Cast 195 will feature my essay on the impact of routine on change, innovaton and goals!

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 193! The SPaMCAST 193 features my essay tilled Hyper-Conectivity and Illusions.  I sat in a meeting a few weeks ago and after about ten minutes I was brought up short.  Everyone was paying attention; not one laptop was open nor was anyone reading an email or text under the table (by the way you really can't hide by texting under the table).  People were taking notes "old school" on paper. The meeting ended on-time after 25 minutes meeting the objective and with the promise of minutes.  I was shocked by the seeming efficiency and effectiveness so I lingered after the meeting to discuss my observations with my sponsor. The SPaMCAST 193 is sponsored by .  By now, most of you in the Lean-Agile community have heard of LeanKit, recognized by community leaders and practitioners alike as the most flexible and powerful tool available for implementing visual management. Since their launch in 2009, LeanKit has helped hundreds of companies around the world to quickly and easily model even very complex processes as vertical and horizontal lanes on a virtual whiteboard with cards representing work flowing from step to step. Well, LeanKit has now announced the launch of groundbreaking new features that allow even the largest enterprise portfolio and projects to be managed using multiple levels of drill-down Kanban boards, detailed sub-taskboards, and roll-up Lean metrics - as well as a complete overhaul of their user interface that makes LeanKit more attractive, more intuitive, and easier to manage. If you haven't checked out LeanKit or haven't lately, check out the website to explore how they can help Lean-Agile scale within your organization.  ! (and say hello for the SPaMCAST!) In the near future the essay componenent of the Software Process and Measurement Cast will be adding new contnent.  The Cast will begin an evolution to a magazine format.  Bill Fox will be the first of the SPaMCAST Magazine's contributors! Interested in participating?  Contact me at spamcastinfo@gmail.com. Shameless Ad for my book!  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." News just in  . . . We also just got word that the SPM book has been adopted for a class at the University of West Flroida for the Fall. Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement Cast Email:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 194 will my interview with Peter Taylor, The Lazy Project Manager, talking about his new book The Lazy Project Manager and The Project From Hell.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 192! The SPaMCAST 192 features my interview with Mitch Lacey.  We discuss his new book, .  Mitch Lacey is an agile practitioner and consultant and is the founder of Mitch Lacey & Associates, Inc., a software consulting and training firm. Mitch specializes in helping companies realize gains in efficiency by adopting agile principles and practices such as Scrum and Extreme Programming. Mitch is a self-described “tech nerd” who started his technology career in 1991 at Accolade Software in San Jose, CA, a computer gaming company. After working as a software test engineer, a test manager, a developer, and a variety of other jobs in between, he settled on his true calling, project and program management. Mitch was a formally trained program manager before adding agile to his project tool belt. He began developing agile skills at Microsoft Corporation, where his team successfully released core enterprise services for Windows Live, where he has two patents pending. Mitch’s first agile team was coached by Ward Cunningham, Jim Newkirk, and David Anderson. Mitch cut his agile teeth working as a product owner or ScrumMaster on a variety of projects. He continued to grow his skills to the point where he was able to help other teams adopt agile practices. Today, with more than 16 years of experience under his belt, Mitch continues to develop his craft by experimenting and practicing with project teams at many different organizations. As a Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and a PMI Project Management Professional (PMP), Mitch shares his experience in project and client management through Scrum Alliance Certified Scrum courses, agile coaching engagements, conference presentations, blogs, and white papers. Mitch works with companies across the world, from Austria to Colombia, California to Florida, Portugal to Turkey, and just about everywhere in between. Mitch has presented at a variety of conferences worldwide, is the conference chair for Agile 2012,  on the board of directors for the Agile Alliance and was on the board of directors of the Scrum Alliance. Web:    Twitter:   mglacey  Buy the (dead tree)   The SPaMCAST 182 is sponsored by LeanKit Kanban.  is a software tool for kanban that is as simple to use as physical kanban. If you put it up on a touchscreen in your team area, it practically IS physical kanban. But your boards are available from anywhere, and updated in real-time. A slew of colors, icons, and avatars take your visual signaling to the next level. And the system tracks the metrics for you, providing analytics on bottlenecks, lead time, work distribution, process efficiency, and variability - for a single board or a whole company. It's kanban for the Lean enterprise.  FYI . . . something special is coming to LeanKit Kanban.  Words like enterprise portfolio and groundbreaking, More to come soon! I am working on several projects with friends that we are using kanban to control flow. We are using LeanKit Kanban as a mechanism to keep the project on track and organized. LeanKit allows us to share the Kanban board across the miles with ease! ! (and say hello for the SPaMCAST!) Shameless Ad for my book!  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." News just in  . . . We also just got word that the SPM book has been adopted for a class at the University of West Flroida for the Fall.  ? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 193 will feature my essay on the impact of routine on change, innovaton and goals!

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 191! The SPaMCAST 191 features part 2 of my essay "Who Owns Estimation In Agile Projects?"  Haven't listened to ?  Click the link! Part two begins:  What does ownership mean in terms of accountability and responsibility?  When something belongs to you or is directly related to your actions, accountability and responsibility are directly inferable.  Unfortunately, even though we are quick to assign ownership, responsibility and accountability we fail to ask, who really should own an estimate or whether they can be   accountable for the estimate if they can’t do the work or control those that do.  In corporate environments, ownership is generally not about ensuring the best flow of information but rather who can be pilloried when an estimate is missed.  Sound like hyperbole?  I recently heard a C level executive say “whose neck can I wring if we miss the date and the budget” when talking about a project, therefore a quick tour of the why estimates are created and who “should” own them in an agile environment is in order if for no other reason than health and human safety. Shameless Ad for my book!  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." News!  . . . We also just got word that the SPM book has been adopted for a class at the University of West Flroida for the Fall. Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 192 features my interview with Mitch Lacey.  We discuss his new book, The Scrum Field Guide.  It was a great interview filled with useful advice.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 190! The SPaMCAST 190 features my interview with Raja Bavani. We discussed distributed agile! Raja Bavani is Chief Architect of MindTree’s Product Engineering Services (PES) and IT Services (ITS) groups and plays the role of agile evangelist. He has more than 20 years of experience in the IT industry and has published papers at international conferences on topics related to Code Quality, Distributed Agile, Customer Value Management and Software Estimation.  His IT experience started during the early 90s, when he was involved in porting a leading ERP product across various UNIX platforms. Later he moved onto products that involved data mining and master data management. During early 2000, he worked with some of the niche independent software vendors in the hospitality and finance domains.  At MindTree, he has worked with some of the top vendors of virtualization platforms, business service management solutions and health care products.  His areas of interests include Global Delivery Model, Agile Software Development, Requirements Engineering, Software Architecture, Software Reuse, Customer Value Management, Knowledge Management, and IT Outsourcing.  He is a member of IEEE and IEEE Computer Society.  He regularly interfaces with educational institutions to offer guest lectures and writes for technical conferences.  Also, he writes for magazines such as Agile Record, Cutter IT Journal and SD Times.   He blogs on Distributed Agile at http://www.mindtree.com/blogs/author/raja-bavani Raja's blog on Software Engineering and his articles and white papers are available at http://se-thoughtograph.blogspot.com He can be reached at raja_bavani@mindtree.com Shameless Ad for my book!  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." News just in  . . . We also just got word that the SPM book has been adopted for a class at the University of West Flroida for the Fall. ? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 191 will return to my essay "Who Owns Agile Estimation."

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 189! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 189 features my essay on the use of experiments to support process improvement programs.  The essay begins: Is the use of experiments part of your process improvement culture? When I’m at conferences or networking events, I get asked whether or not an idea or technique will work in a specific organization or situation.  In many cases the answer I give is that in reality, it depends. I know that sounds like common consultant speak but what “it depends” means is that to really understand if something could work, you need to determine how to balance organizational culture, people, skills and the assets that can be deployed (not all tools are good).  The only way to increase the knowledge needed to forecast success of any specific change is through experimentation in a real world environment. 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." Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV NextIn the SPaMCAST 190 we have a return visit by Raja Bavani of Mindtree.  We discussed distributed agile.  Is was a great interview and a VERY pertinent topic for anyone practicing agile, methodologists or those who manage agile organizations.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 188! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 188 features my interview with Siraj Sirajuddin.  We discussed agile, organizational change, listening, philosophy and a ton more! Siraj has provided excellent change management coaching and leadership to large and medium sized organizations like Extended Stay America, Ft. Huachuca AZ, DKB Household Brands, Railinc, Media Temple, EDF, Springfield TN Middle School, Ultimate Software, LabCorp, Elemica, Inc., ShoreTel, Winn Dixie Stores, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, NIH, CMS and Compaq Computers.  He has 20 years of experience with people and process improvement consulting and coaching. He has deep and varied domain (Social Media, SAAS, IT, Software, Healthcare, Retail, Transport, Education, Finance) and functional knowledge and process improvement experience using Lean, Kanban, Agile, CMMI, Six Sigma, PMBOK, SOX, BASEL and HIPAA. He is also an expert / student of Systems Thinking / Learning Organizations, People Dynamics, Transactional Analysis, MBTI, FIRO(B), Element B, Leadership & Motivation and Team Building.  He invented several unique techniques (Influence Maps, Supplication, Exit & Re-entry, Language of Elegance, The Interview, Clean Slate, Cereal Box, Intensive Collaboration & Discovery) that are now used for managing strategic plans and scaling operations / projects at various client locations.  Siraj completed his MBA in 1992 from BIM and he continues to learn every second!  He loves poetry, travel, music, books and being with people. Most of all he loves his two daughters!  He brings tremendous energy and passion to every engagement Contact Information:  Web:  http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=370174&locale=en_US&trk=tyahTwitter: http://twitter.com/siraju  Shameless Ad for my book!  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." Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 189 will feature Part Two of "Who Owns Estimating In An Agile Project."  THe essay dives more deeply into the role of the PMO and the prorject team in Agile Estimation. I hope we will all still be friends when I am done.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 187! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 187 features my essay on the roles of the PMO and agile team in Agile Estimation. I hope we will all still be friends when I am done. The essay begins: Why is the matter of who owns estimation in an agile project (or any type of project) a discussion that generates passion?  In simplest terms, he who owns the estimate, owns the project agenda. The effect of having the wrong person or group “own” estimate can impact a wide range of behaviors and commitment.  As we all know, budgets, estimates and plans are often construed as commitments, etched in stone, which may or may not make sense to those who actually have to design, code or test.  The many forms of estimation are an integral part of the project landscape getting ownership right will have an impact on motivation, productivity and quality. Shameless Ad for my book!  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." ? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 188 will feature my interview with Siraj Sirajuddin.  We discussed agile, organizational change, listening, philosophy and a ton more.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 185! The Software Process and Measurement Cast 186 features my interview with Jo Ann Sweeney.  We discussed using social media as a tool to support communications inside and outside projects. It was great to have Jo Ann back on the Cast. I recommend going back to to listen to our earlier interview after listening to this interview! Jo Ann Sweeney is a communications consultant who helps transformation teams win the support of their sponsors, senior executives and end users. She is known for her ability to help teams understand the change from their audiences’ perspectives, as well as developing communication activities that catch their interest. Jo Ann specialises in helping clients develop activities that take audiences on a journey from awareness, through understanding, to support, involvement and commitment. Teams are able to deliver sticky change. Programmes have spanned skills development, product launches, office relocations, redundancies and redeployment, business process re-engineering, political lobbying, technology rollouts and brand makeovers for corporates, government departments and charities. Jo Ann shares her knowledge and experience online through the CommsAbilities blog [www.commsabilities.com/blog.asp], [www.worthworkingsummit.com] and the [www.sweeneycomms.com/communicating-projects] She has more than 25 years experience and is a trained journalist, chartered marketer and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, fellow of the Institute of Internal Communications and member of the Institute of Directors. A special Offer from Jo Ann to SPaMCAST listeners!   Jo Ann is offering her new at 50% off.  Follow the link below: http://www.sweeneycomms.com/communicating-projects/specialoffer Also we talked about RSA Animation which can be found at http://www.thersa.org/events/video/animate/rsa-animate-drive More Contact Information:  Web:  http://www.commsabilities.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/commsabilities Shameless Ad for my book!  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." Have you bought your copy? Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement Cast Email:  spamcastinfo@gmail.comVoicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: www.spamcast.netTwitter: www.twitter.com/tcagleyFacebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV Next The Software Process and Measurement Cast 187 will feature an essay on the role of the PMO in Agile Estimation. I hope we will all still be friends when I am done.