March 26, 2023
SPaMCAST 748 features our interview with Bob Galen. Bob and I discuss Extraordinary Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond. With the interview, we wrap up the re-read and then moved on to talk about improving coaching and the agile industrial complex.
(more…)March 18, 2023
Today we re-read Chapter 20 of Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond. Bob notes that Stephen Covey’s seventh habit in his classic, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is sharpening the saw. This is a reminder that who and where we are today can’t be who or where we are tomorrow. This habit is a prescription for balanced self-renewal. This is the last chapter of Extraordinary Badass; next week we will discuss the afterword and final thoughts. It is fitting to end this book with this call to action. When I announced I was going to re-read this book, a friend and colleague said “I am not sure I want to be badass, it is way too much work.” Yes, getting to be a good — not even badass — coach is a lot of work. Continuous sharpening of your saw, while you are using it, is table stakes in this profession. Ask yourself at least one of these questions every day – then act on the answer:
(more…)March 12, 2023
This week we discuss the Manifesto for Organizational Agility with Jeff Bubolz and Chad Beier. Jeff and Chad developed the manifesto to help organizations get agile and stay agile. Many organizations rush into agile finding early success that turns sour a few months or years down the road. This pattern is indisputable. The Manifesto seeks to highlight the core issues that lead to this pattern (you will also want to listen to the interview with Bob Galen on SPaMCAST 748 due to be posted on 26 March).
You can read the Manifesto for Organizational Agility at http://bit.ly/3mOnBaU
Chad and Jeff’s Bios:
Chad is an organizational agility advisor and external change agent with Wisconsin Agility and Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org. He promotes organizational agility and positive pressure for change through speaking, advising, coaching, and training.
Jeff is a Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) with Scrum.org, organizational agility advisor, podcast host, and speaker. Jeff brings storytelling, a broad array of experience, along with a collaborative approach to teaching and speaking.
Contact information and More:
Wisconsin Agility: https://www.wisconsinagility.com/
Agile Wire Podcast (one of my favorites): https://www.wisconsinagility.com/pages/the-agile-wire-podcast
Chad Beier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadbeier/
Chad Beier’s Agile Songs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrE4EJKhiUtc3j5aAnRlskg
Jeff Bubolz: linkedin.com/in/jeffbubolz
(more…)March 5, 2023
Fatalism stops process improvement and agile transformations in their tracks. One of the definitions of fatalism is the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. Just accepting the status quo because it is the status quo isn’t pragmatism it is stagnation.
We also have a visit from Tony Timbol who brings his To Tell A Story column to the podcast. Sign up for his free newsletter (https://forms.aweber.com/form/73/322717473.htm) and get a copy of the ebook on agile requirements we discussed.
(more…)February 12, 2023
This week, Jorgen Hesselberg discusses the efficacy of assessments in helping to guide an agile journey. Assessments are a tool to help coaches coach and to answer the question of where are we in our journey toward being more agile.
Jorgen appeared in SPaMCAST 557 in 2019 (http://bit.ly/2MiBw4K).
Jorgen Hesselberg is the author of Unlocking Agility and co-founder of Comparative Agility, a leading agile assessment, and continuous improvement platform. A proven thought leader of numerous successful enterprise transformation efforts since 2009, Jorgen provides strategic guidance, executive counsel, and coaching to some of the world’s most respected companies, both as an internal change agent and an external consultant. He has trained thousands of people on agile and Scrum, disruptive innovation, and enterprise transformation strategy.
(more…)January 8, 2023
A funny thing happened on the way to this week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast, I was asked about managing risk in Agile. In preparation for answering the question, I reviewed and updated some of my work on the topic. So instead of flow metrics, we have an essay on risk. That is just the chance you take when you ask me a question. Note — I have a great question on risk to ask Susan Parente, @techriskmanager, the next time we record.
We also have a visit from Tony Timbol. Tony discusses agile requirements in an installment of his To Tell A Story column. Check out Tony at http://tonytimbol.com/
(more…)December 31, 2022
Chapter 7 of Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond introduces The Agile Coaching Wheel and begins the second section of Extraordinary Badass Agile Coaching, which is focused on coaching models and practice.
(more…)December 18, 2022
While preparing for this week’s podcast I ran across a recording of a presentation I did at IDEAfest 2020. The topic was the seven macro trends driving software development behavior. The presentation was crafted just at the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic but the topics are still relevant, perhaps even more relevant than they were in March 2020. So to make a long story short, I re-edited the recording and decided to share the talk with those that weren’t at IDEAfest 2020 or have blanked the last two years from their memory.
I will also post the presentation in the feed for your pleasure and to spark conversation.
(more…)November 6, 2022
SPaMCAST 728 features a discussion with Anjali Leon and Nadezhda Belousova. We discussed their new model, Product Leadership Stances. One of my takeaways was how powerful the model was in helping to develop an understanding of product leadership and then highlighting gaps in how the role is practiced in organizations.
(more…)October 23, 2022
In SPaMCAST 726 Mr. Allan Kelly returns! We discussed the fact that backlogs often become dumping grounds. Allan suggested an energetic solution. We also discussed OKRs and whether they are related to backlogs. Are OKRs the chicken or the egg?
Allan Kelly advises and mentors managers and teams in using agile approaches and OKRs to accelerate delivery, meet deadlines, and execute against strategy. He believes these approaches benefit businesses and create more fulfilling work environments.
Allan is a keynote conference speaker and author of several books including “Succeeding with OKRs in Agile”, “The Art of Agile Product Ownership” and “Business Patterns for Software Developers”. He blogs at allankelly.net and can be contacted there or on Linkedin, https://www.linkedin.com/in/allankellynet/
(more…)
Software Process and Measurement 