Software Process and Measurement Cast

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 124 SPaMCAST 124 features my interview with Gerard "Jerry" Hill. Gerald and I talked about his book specifically and project management generally. A ton of good advice on instituting project management methodology in any organization.   Gerard Hill is the Principal of Hill Consulting Group, and has more than 25 years experience in project management practice design and implementation, information systems integration, and business process engineering.  His specialty is enabling businesses to gain and sustain a competitive edge through development and implementation of total-practice project management solutions.  He has conceived and constructed processes and practices that have enabled Fortune 100 and other client organizations to realize maximum benefit from their investment in project management. Prior to introducing Hill Consulting Group, Mr. Hill was with ESI International, where he served as Vice President of Technical Services.  His work included responsibility for international consulting programs, technical product design and development, and knowledge management. Mr. Hill has led or contributed to the design and development of project management methodologies currently deployed by organizations around the world.  He is the architect of capability and maturity assessments for business and project management.  He also has particular expertise in designing and developing practical Project Management Office (PMO) solutions.  His recent work includes development of the new matrix-based, ProjectPRISM™ Project Management Methodology, and this has been introduced in his new project management methodology publication.  He has refined an approach to “PMO design and implementation” in a workshop based on the content of his first PMO Handbook publication. In recent years, Mr. Hill has chaired two annual and national-scope Project Portfolio Management conferences in the U.S., in 2008 he was an invited keynote speaker and presenter at two professional conferences in Milan, Italy; and in 2009 he was a keynote speaker and presenter at the National PMI Project Management Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and at the Greece PMI Chapter Congress in Athens, Greece. Mr. Hill’s broad competencies are based in an extensive educational background that includes a bachelor degree in Applied Mathematics (NC State University), a master degree in Human Resource Management/Organization Development (Pepperdine University), and completion of the Advanced Management Program for Executives (Duke University, Fuqua School of Business). Mr. Hill also holds a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from The George Washington University, and he is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) by the Project Management Institute. Mr. Hill is author of two books: , Auerbach Publications, 2007 (752pp), and , CRC Press, 2009 (520pp); which includes 96 tools on CD. Email: Website: Remember: Attending:SEPG NA in Portland, Oregon, March 21-24, 2011 Speaker:  QAI Quest 2011 in Boston April 6 - 8 If you are attending and would like to get together just drop me a note, text, tweet or phone call! Shameless Ad for my book! By the way if you liked Gerald's book and I do recommend that you buy it, I also recommend 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:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Next!SPaMCAST 125 I will  begin reading my paper on PMOs in an Agile Orgnaizaition titled "Agile is from Venus and PMOs are from Mars".

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 123! In this week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast we have an entry in the Metrics Minute.  We cover Burn down charts are a critcial part of what makes agile work. The esay begins . . . Burn Down Charts are a graphical representation of the work left to be done and of the progress that has been made. The chart is typically drawn to show progress against predictions. The analogy of a glide path has been used to paint a picture of the slope and the ultimate destination of a burn down chart which targeted at completion. One of the most powerful attractions of the burn down chart is that it involves psychology by emotionally tying the metric to completion through the visual representation of a path counting down to zero. Book Plug . . .Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chemuturi and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing has hit the bookshelves!  According to Robert C. Anderson, Director, Process Development and Quality Assurance, Computer Aid, Inc, "Mastering Software Project Management is a masterpiece of clarity, organization and depth of practical knowledge." If you a project manager or know project managers buy yourself a copy and a second to lend co-workers!  PS -- Want me to sign a bookplate for your copy?  Email me and include a picture of you with your copy of the book and I will send you a personalized, signed bookplate! Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Check out my blog and show notes for upcoming conferences and webinars! Next!In SPaMCAST 124 my interview with Gerald Hill will run.  Gerald and project management are words that go together.  We talk about project management and his book The Complete Project Management Methodology and Toolkit.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 120. SPaMCAST 122 features my interview with Ted Theodoropoulos.  Ted and I talked about technical debt and whether the definition of techincal needs to be expanded to address the needs of our industry.  Ted’s background in technology began in the early 1980s developing applications in BASIC on the first personal computers.  It was during a school project that he first came in contact with technical debt  while collaborating with classmates to develop a video game for the TI-99/4a.  The project was loosely coordinated and faced immediate integration challenges when collaborators submitted their code forcing an extensive refactoring exercise.  Ted went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Masters in Business Administration from the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a Senior Vice President at Bank of America, Ted held a number of leadership roles during his ten years in Technology Audit and Operational Risk Management.  These roles focused on identifying and managing technology related risks throughout the Bank’s vast infrastructure. Ted integrated Six Sigma methodologies into his technology risk management work, earning DFSS Green and Black Belt Certifications.  His Green Belt work led to a United States Patent for which he was recognized with the 2007 Best of Six Sigma Award. Prior to joining Bank of America, Ted was a product specialist at Microsoft providing guidance and support on database technologies where he became a Microsoft Certified Professional and a Certified Scrum Master. Ted is currently the president of Acrowire! Work Website: Ted's Blog:  Email: twitter: 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 is on the bookshelves!  According to Firas Al-Sheikh of Amman,Jordan, "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:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Next!SPaMCAST 123 will talk about burn down charts (and maybe burn up charts) which will be part of the Metrics Minute.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 121! In this week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast we revist an essay originally broadcast in SPaMCAST 2.  We revisit the essay because I believe the events in TUnisia and Egypt over the past few weeks have driven the point home that  gates can impact the value of IT. The essay begins . . . A few weeks ago (now three years later) I attended a lecture by Jared Diamond.  His lecture was in support of his book. (2005).  The ideas in the book concern the anthropology of societies however they are equally relevant to why process improvement programs succeed or fail.  Two of the ideas Dr. Diamond put forth on why societies collapse that are instantly germane to SPI programs were: • Elites isolate themselves, and• An inability to reassess core values Can anyone say gates or silos? Book Plug . . . co-authored by Murali Chemuturi and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing has hit the bookshelves!  According to Robert C. Anderson, Director, Process Development and Quality Assurance, Computer Aid, Inc, "Mastering Software Project Management is a masterpiece of clarity, organization and depth of practical knowledge." If you a project manager or know project managers buy yourself a copy and a second to lend co-workers!  PS -- Want me to sign a bookplate for your copy?  Email me and include a picture of you with your copy of the book and I will send you a personalized, signed bookplate! Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Check out my blog and show notes for upcoming conferences and webinars! Next!The Metrics Minute entry on burn down charts will appear in SPaMCAST 123.  The SPaMCAST 122 will feature my interview with Ted Theodoropoulos. Ted and I discussed technical debt.  Ted has some great ideas on expanding the defintion of technical debt and why taking a broad view matters . . . alot.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 120. SPaMCAST 120 features my interview with Peter Thomas, a techincal specialist in software sizing and related fields at Steria.  He is also a member of the Counting Practice Committee in International Function Point User's Group.  We discussed the attributes of mature metric programs.  Peter is a Chartered IT Professional with experience in project management, design, implementation, test, and deployment of defence and commercial software.He is recognised as a technical specialist in software sizing, IT measurement, and estimating, in Steria, IBM, and the IT industry. Steria is an IT Services company whose revenues have exceeded 1 billion Euros each year since 2005.  He has been an International Function Point User’s Group (IFPUG) Certified Function Point Specialist (CFPS) since the late 90s and a member of the IFPUG Counting Practices Committee, “owner” of International Standards Organisation (ISO) standard ISO/IEC 20926 since January 2007.He was the technical lead of IBM’s Function Point Centre of Competence, which is the successor to Allan Albrecht’s IBM Research team which developed the Function Point software sizing technique. His role in Steria requires him to ensure productivity measurements are performed correctly, in particular Function Point counts to minimise contract penalties.  Also he advises executives responsible for delivery on methods to manage the productivity performance against other targets including off shoring and contribute to bids. His role in IBM involved business operations measurement coordination, quality assurance reviews, estimating support to bids, and Software Engineering Institute Capability Maturity Model Integrated (SEI CMMI) appraisals as well as occasional function point analysis to keep in contact with the real world of project delivery. Since 2004, he has regularly presented at technical conferences in the UK and USA and been invited to speak again as a result of the feedback.  In 2006 & 2010 he presented the Ian Drummond Memorial lecture at the United Kingdom Software Metrics Association annual conference. Work Website: IFPUG Counting Practice Committe Web Page: Linked In: Email: Shameless Ad for my book! co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing is on the bookshelves!  According to Firas Al-Sheikh of Amman,Jordan, "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:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Next!SPaMCAST 121 will talk about burn down charts (and maybe burn up charts) which will be part of the Metrics Minute.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 119! In this week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast we have another installment of the Metrics Minute.  This Metrics Minute is focused on Velocity.  The esay begins . . . The simple definition of velocity, as it is currently used, is the amount of work that is completed in a period of time (typically a sprint). The definition is related to productivity which is the amount of effort required to complete a unit of work and delivery rate which measures the speed that work is completed.  The inclusion of a time box (the sprint) creates a fixed duration which transforms velocity into more of a productivity metric than a speed metric (how much work can be be done in a specific timescale by a specific team). Therefore to truly measure velocity you need to estimate the units of work completed, have a definition of complete and have a time box. Book Plug . . . co-authored by Murali Chemuturi and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing has hit the bookshelves!  According to Robert C. Anderson, Director, Process Development and Quality Assurance, Computer Aid, Inc, "Mastering Software Project Management is a masterpiece of clarity, organization and depth of practical knowledge." If you a project manager or know project managers buy yourself a copy and a second to lend co-workers!  PS -- Want me to sign a bookplate for your copy?  Email me and include a picture of you with your copy of the book and I will send you a personalized, signed bookplate! Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Check out my blog and show notes for upcoming conferences and webinars! Next!SPaMCAST 120 will feature my interview with Peter Thomas. I picked his brains on his presentation on mature measurement programs!

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 118. SPaMCAST 118  features my interview with Elizabeth Harrin author of and the influential blog A Girl’s Guide to Project Management. Elizabeth and I had a wonderful conversation about how social media can improve project and project manager performance.  Elizabeth Harrin, BA (Hons), MA, MBCS is an author and portfolio manager living and working in London.  She has a decade of experience in projects.  Elizabeth has led a variety of IT and process improvement projects including e-commerce and communications developments. She is also experienced in managing business change, having spent eight years working in financial services (including two based in Paris, France).  She writes the award-winning blog, A Girl’s Guide to Project Management and is author of Project Management in the Real World and Social Media for Project Managers.  She is also a founding member of PMI’s New Media Council. Blog: website : Twitter: Shameless Ad for my book! co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing is on the bookshelves!  According to Firas Al-Sheikh of Amman,Jordan, "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:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Next!SPaMCAST 119 will feature an installment of the metrics minute on velocity, news from associations and MAYBE or maybe not a guest essay!

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 117! In this week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast we have a review of Naomi Karten's book Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals: Achieving Excellence.  Remember Naomi appeared in the interview segment last week (check it out at ).  In this week’s Cast we are starting a new segment, Association News.  Kevin Brennan of the International Institute of Business Analysis opens the segment with news from the IIBA (PS Kevin was interviewed on SPaMCAST 69 ).  Finally in the run up to the Software Process and Measurement Cast's 4th Anniversary I am re-mastering some of the essays from year one.  I am including the re-master d essay from SPaMCAST 3 aired February 25th 2007.  The essay is titled, Measurement Proliferation, Guarding the Peace or Mutually Assured Destruction?  The article explores proliferation in depth (measuring the same thing many ways) and breadth (measuring everything).  Strange I still see this issue pop up four years later. co-authored by Murali Chemuturi and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing has hit the bookshelves!  According to Robert C. Anderson, Director, Process Development and Quality Assurance, Computer Aid, Inc, "Mastering Software Project Management is a masterpiece of clarity, organization and depth of practical knowledge." If you a project manager or know project managers buy yourself a copy and a second to lend co-workers!  PS -- Want me to sign a bookplate for your copy?  Email me and include a picture of you with your copy of the book and I will send you a personalized, signed bookplate! Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Check out my blog and show notes for upcoming conferences and webinars! Next!SPaMCAST 118 will feature an interview with Elizabeth Harrin author of Social Media for Project Managers and the influential blog A Girl’s Guide to Project Management. Elizabeth and I had a wonderful conversation about how social media can improve project and project manager performance.  Another eye opening interview!

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 116! The Software Process and Measurement Cast this week features an interview with Naomi Karten discussing her 7th book, . If you have to get up in front people (real or virtual) I commend this interview to you and suggest book marking it as you will be back OFTEN! I also suggest they you buy the book! Naomi Karten (www.nkarten.com) is well-known for delivering serious material with a light touch. As principal of her training and consulting business, she has delivered seminars and presentations to more than 100,000 people in such diverse locations as Oslo, Zurich, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Trinidad, and Costa Rica, as well as throughout the US and Canada. Her services help organizations and individuals improve customer satisfaction, manage change, and strengthen communication skills. Naomi’s 7th book, , which is the subject of this podcast, is packed with tips and advice to help technical professionals develop career-enhancing presentation skills. As a former IT professional who was once terrified of public speaking, she wrote this book to help others excel at presenting with confidence. In addition to speaking, Naomi loves to write. Her books, Managing Expectations and Communication Gaps and How to Close Them, provide proven strategies and techniques for carrying out projects,implementing change, delivering service, and strengthening teamwork. Her other books and ebooks include  How to Survive, Excel and Advance as an Introvert How to Establish Service Level Agreements Naomi’s newsletter, , offers serious advice in a lively, chuckle-generating manner. She has published several hundred articles in print publications and on numerous websites. She also and . Prior to forming her training and consulting business, she earned degrees in psychology and gained extensive experience in technical, customer support, and management positions. Contact naomi@nkarten.com Website: http://www.nkarten.com Newsletter: http://www.nkarten.com/newslet.html Blog: http://bit.ly/F0Dug Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/NaomiKarten This is Naomi's second visit to the Software Process and Measurement Cast.  Naomi was last featured on when she talked about her book Changing How You Manage and Communicate Change. Check it out! co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing has hit the bookshelves!  According to Robert C. Anderson, Director, Process Development and Quality Assurance, Computer Aid, Inc, "Mastering Software Project Management is a masterpiece of clarity, organization and depth of practical knowledge." If you a project manager or know project managers buy yourself a copy and a second to lend co-workers! Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement Cast: Email:  spamcastinfo@gmail.com Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111 Website: www.spamcast.net Twitter: www.twitter.com/tcagley Facebook:  http://bit.ly/16fBWV     Next! SPaMCAST 117 will feature another metrics minute segment,  association news (maybe) and a review of Naomi's book.

Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 115! Recorded in the Marriott Courtyard Dun Loring Fairfax in Virginia.  Happy New Year! Moral Hazards occur when someone insulated from risk behaves differently than they would behave if they were fully exposed to the risk. I recently listened to someone order two pounds of chicken wings and then comment that his high cholesterol drugs would protect him from the potential negative impact.  He felt insulated from the risk therefore made a different choice if he had not been insulated. The discussions financial crises and bank bailouts have embedded the term moral hazard into our day to day vocabulary (not just into discussions of behavioral economics). While it is rare, even today,  to attach the concept of moral hazard to a methodology or software development framework, I would suggest that when applied to the world of project governance, moral hazards do exist and might not be easily recognized or mitigated. While I am not suggesting you will run into any of the four scenarios this essay tackles, knowledge might help immunize you from the mistakes of others. co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing has hit the bookshelves!  According to Robert C. Anderson, Director, Process Development and Quality Assurance, Computer Aid, Inc, "Mastering Software Project Management is a masterpiece of clarity, organization and depth of practical knowledge." If you a project manager or know project managers buy yourself a copy and a second to lend co-workers! Contact information for the Software Process and Measurement CastEmail:  Voicemail:  +1-206-888-6111Website: Twitter: Facebook:  Check out my blog and show notes for upcoming conferences and webinars! Next!SPaMCAST 116 will feature an interview with Naomi Karten.  Naomi returns to discuss her new book, Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals, Achieving Excellence.  What could be a better start to 2011 than Naomi's great wisdom and wonderful style.  I am always amazed by what I learn when we talk.