SPaMCAST 521 – User Stories and Legacy Code, Software Catechism, Essays and Discussions

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SPaMCAST 521 features our essay on user stories and legacy code.  A common question is how user stories can be developed for legacy code or for problems that crop up in production.  The implication is that creating user stories is too hard when dealing with legacy code changes or too slow when dealing with production problems.  User stories are a core tenet for most agile approaches.

This week we also have a visit from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries!  Kim talks about training in a column titled, “Software Catechism.”

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Re-Read Saturday News
The Software Process and Measurement Cast and Blog crew is on the road this weekend so we are going to take a day off from our re-read of Bad Blood, Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2018 – Buy a copy and read along!)   Today we re-visit an entry from 2013, In 2013 we ran a series titled “Motivational Sunday”. In this entry, we talked about the relationship between commitment and habits. I have tweaked the works a little but the sentiments are no different.

Habit and Commitment – https://bit.ly/2KbKq13

 

SPaMCAST 511 – Reciprocity in Action, Domain Specific Languages, Retrospectives, Essays and Discussions

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SPaMCAST 511 features our essay on reciprocity.  Reciprocal agreements are part of working and playing well with others that we begin learning on the playground and then bring to the office with us. There are many types of reciprocal agreements in a typical agile project.

Entries in the Reciprocity theme:

Reciprocity and Reciprocal Agreements In Action – https://bit.ly/2MbxIP3

Five Reciprocal Agreements In Agile https://bit.ly/2MguslE

Reciprocity or Manipulation? Seven Simple Questions – https://bit.ly/2CDotIa

Negative and Unhealthy Reciprocity – https://bit.ly/2oZRp3v

Our second column features Kim Pries, the Software Sensei.  Kim discusses the use and impact of domain-specific languages.  The Software Sensei provides sage advice!

The final column this week introduces the Software Process and Measurement Cast listeners to Sandeep Koorse. Sandeep delivers advice on an innovative approach to ensure retrospectives deliver value.  Reach out to Sandeep at sandeep@koorse.com

Re-Read Saturday News

 

SPaMCAST 509 – Demonstrating Incomplete Work, Architects and Root Cause Analysis, Essays and Discussions

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https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=6969007

SPaMCAST 509 will feature our essay discussing if you can demonstrate incomplete work.  My knee-jerk reaction is no…or maybe heck no, but knee-jerk reactions are not always right.

Blog entries in the what happens to incomplete work theme:

Frequently Asked Questions: The Sprint Is Over, What Do I Do With Incomplete Stories? https://bit.ly/2P9mm09

Frequently Asked Questions: Can I Demo Work That Isn’t Done – https://bit.ly/2wfJzXv

Frequently Asked Questions: Can I Resize A Story If It Is Harder Than We Thought? – https://bit.ly/2MvkB0a

Frequently Asked Questions: When Can I Demo Work That Isn’t Done https://bit.ly/2PCs0Zz  

We will also hear from Gene Hughson (Form Follows Function). Gene talks Architects!  Gene and I discussed his essay, So what exactly does an Architect do? Contact Gene on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/genehughson/

Bringing the cast home this week is Jon M. Quigley.  Jon brings his marvelous Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast this week in order to discuss the root cause analysis. Process improvement is most effective when we diagnose the real problem rather than just a symptom.

Re-Read Saturday News

In week 5 of re-read of The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (use the link and buy a copy so you can read along) we tackle Chapter 4, The Idea. In Chapter 4 Gawande shows how checklists can help push decision-making outward, which empowers teams and makes them more responsive.

Current Installment:

Week 5 – The Idea – https://bit.ly/2PCs0Zz

 

SPaMCAST 499 – Trust and Coaching, TameFlow, Software Safety

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SPaMCAST 499 will feature our essay on trust and coaching. Coaches are among most effective tools used to help teams improve. In SPaMCAST 496 – Sam Laing I highlighted the need for trust between a coach and the team or person they are coaching. Without trust, a coach will not be very effective.  Two powerful and related tools!

In the rocker as they call it stock car racing is Wolfram Müller. Wolfram co-authored Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach with Steve Tendon.  We talk about Chapter 23 titled Reliable Scrum and Reliable Kanban. Wolfram can be found on LinkedIn at https://bit.ly/2qXvgnw

Anchoring the cast is the Software Sensei, Kim Pries.  Kim discusses software safety. Tools and software languages can have a major impact on software safety and all of our lives depend on software these days!

Re-Read Saturday News

In week 14 of our re-read of L. David Marquet’s Turn the Ship Around!  we begin Part IV of Turn The Ship Around and tackle chapter 21. The first three parts of the book bring the story to the beginning of deployment of the Santa Fe.  Part IV picks up from that point!

 

SPaMCAST 492- Murali Chemuturi, Software Design

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Software Process and Measurement Cast 492 features our recent interview with Murali Chemuturi.  Murali and I discussed his new book tilted Software Design: A Comprehensive Guide to Software Development Projects (Link https://amzn.to/2qMAgKW).  Murali makes a strong case that design can’t be purely emergent.  Design impacts usability, security and data architecture to name just a few areas. Practical advice and strong opinions.

Note Murali and I co-authored Mastering Software Project Management (buy a copy!) https://amzn.to/2F5LWxB).

Murali’s Bio

Murali Chemuturi is an information technology and software development subject matter expert, hands-on programmer, author, consultant and trainer. Since 2001, he is offering consultancy on information technology and training to organizations in India and USA from Chemuturi Consultants. Chemuturi Consultants also offers a number of products to aid project managers and software development professionals such as PMPal, a software project management tool; and EstimatorPal, FPAPal & UCPPal, a set of software estimation tools. Chemuturi Consultants also offers a material requirements planning software product MRPPal to assist small to medium manufacturing organizations to efficiently manage their materials.

Web: www.chemuturi.com

Email: murali@chemuturi.com

Re-Read Saturday News

In week seven of the re-read of L. David Marquet’s Turn the Ship Around! we begin Part 2 of the book and tackle chapters 8 and 9, titled Change, In a Word and Welcome Aboard Sante Fe.

Current Installment:

Week 7: Change, In a Word and Welcome Aboard Sante Fe –https://bit.ly/2r5l1hk

 

SPaMCAST 477 – Silence: A Powerful Tool, Muddling Through, Monolithic Monolith

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The Software Process and Measurement Cast 477 features our essay on silence.  Silence is a powerful tool to guide conversations and mine information from the stream of consciousness that flows around us. If silence was just a tool to improve our connections with people and to improve listening, it would be worth practicing. But, silence is also a tool to peer deeper into our minds. Silence improves relaxation and helps individuals to focus.  Trust me the podcast is not 30 minutes of silence!

We will also have a column from Kim Pries, the Software Sensi.  Kim brings us part one of his essay, Muddling Through.  The essay is based on the article, “The Science of “Muddling Through” by Charles E. Lindblom.  The article was originally published in 1959 but has an important message that resonates now.

Gene Hughson of Form Follows Function anchors the cast.  He discusses his great article, “What Makes a Monolith Monolithic?” Gene suggests that the problem with the term “monolith” is that, while it’s a powerfully evocative term, it isn’t a simple one to define.  

 

SPaMCAST 472 – Michael Harris, The Business Value of Software

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SPaMCAST 472 features our interview with Mike Harris.  We discussed his new book, The Business Value of Software. We discussed the definition of value and why value matters! In reality, software development, enhancements, and maintenance that don’t deliver value are a waste. Therefore it behooves all of us to understand value, how to recognize it, and how to measure it!