SPaMCAST 743 – Diversity, Communion, Essays and Conversations

This week, we take a detour thanks to Extraordinary Badass Agile Coaching. Over the past two chapters, the book has drilled us on recognizing and adapting to situational nuances as a crucial skill for effective coaching. I will admit that my first few years of coaching were formulaic. I did not spend the needed time to understand and address nuances of context or differences in individuals’ journeys through life. I do not remember when I learned that roles and situations change the trajectory of coaching, as does the starting point of the person or persons you are coaching. At some point, I got the point. In this chapter, diversity is an omnibus term used to describe inclusiveness across a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, life experiences, and more. Galen-Personick focuses on four specific areas. Rather than recounting the four, what struck me during this read was the impact privilege has on both delivering and being coached. That’s what I discuss in today’s podcast. 

Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the podcast. This week we communicated on the topic of communication.  

 

SPaMCAST 740 – Supply Chain Concepts In Agile, A Presentation by Jeremy Berriault

Today we begin year 17 of the Software Process and Measurement Cast with a presentation that Jeremy Berriault did at IdeaFest 2020. The presentation covered using supply chain concepts in an agile environment. When I originally recorded the session, I felt the idea was interesting but not very useful. But I am a bit of a packrat; I don’t throw anything away. Last week I listened to the presentation again. This time I could see that the idea of using supply chain concepts is a great approach to implementing value chains and mirrors why flow metrics are such a valuable concept. Jeremy was just a bit ahead of the rest of the world.

Note, the recording is not perfect. There is some external noise from unmuted microphones in the feed. I think the bit of interference does not diminish the message. The content is great; stay with it and you will have a lot to think about. 

 

SPaMCAST 736 – Does Engagement Matter? A Panel Discussion

Today we share our year-end panel discussion with the SPaMcast contributors and occasionally our dogs (once one gets going everyone needs to get in on the action). The topic this year is engagement. Is being on two calls at once, engagement? Does just being present tick the engagement box?  Patterns and antipatterns abound, but Is engagement really that important?

The panelists for this installment are:

Jeremy Berriault linkedin.com/in/jeremy-berriault-mba

Jeremy Willets linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets

Susan Parente linkedin.com/in/susanparente

 

SPaMCAST 733 – Reflections, Coaching Bias, Essays and Conversations

The SPaMCAST 733 features a reflection on a reflection. As I was reading Chapter 5 of Extraordinarily Badass Agile Coaching: The Journey from Beginner to Mastery and Beyond (check out the re-read at https://bit.ly/3W4Mzzg) and retrospecting on my own behavior, I replayed some past coaching experiences. The point today is less the linkage to our current re-read than the confluence of continued learning and reflection.

We also have a visit from Mr. Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy and I talk about coaches who let their own biases run away with them.  

 

SPaMCAST 721 – The Best of Jeremy Berriault, Susan Parente, and Tony Timbol

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The SPaMCAST is on a three-week hiatus. We will be back with new programming on September 25. In the interim, I asked the SPaMCAST columnists (Jeremy, Jon, Susan, and Tony) for a couple of favorite columns they delivered.  Today we have:

Jeremy Berriault from SPaMCAST 571 Jiu-Jitsu and Teams, Want to listen to the full podcast? http://bit.ly/2pCtlHI

Susan Parente from SPaMCAST 556 Agile In Name Only, Want to listen to the full podcast? http://bit.ly/2JRGTFk 

Tony TImbol from SPaMCAST 692  Agile Requirements, Want to listen to the full podcast?  https://bit.ly/3hng3WY

Enjoy!

 

SPaMCAST 719 – Some of The Best of Susan Parente, Tony Timbol, and Jeremy Berriault

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The SPaMCAST is on a three-week hiatus. We will be back with new programming on September 25. In the interim, I asked the SPaMCAST columnists (Jeremy, Jon, Susan, and Tony) for a couple of favorite columns they delivered.  Today we have:

Jeremy Berriault – Your Scrum Master Is Not Yout Team Admin from SPaMCAST 705 Want to listen to the full podcast?   https://bit.ly/3wXIguD

Tony Timbol – Agile Requirement Lifecycle from SPaMCAST 709 – Want to listen to the full podcast?  https://bit.ly/3OnjHyJ

Susan Parente – Virtual Agile from SPaMCAST 589 – Want to listen to the full podcast?  http://bit.ly/2PVUP59

Enjoy!

 

SPaMCAST 705 – Flow, Agile Basics, Scrum Master Not Your Admin, Essays and Conversation

In the SPaMCAST 705 we stay with the basics and define the term flow. I recently listened to a conversation where the term flow was used 30ish times in 30 minutes. Each use of the term meant something different. Today we draw a line in the sand to improve communication. 

We also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault from the QA Corner.  Jeremy and I discussed the mistaken belief that Scrum Master and Coach can be translated to administrative assistant. 

 

SPaMCAST 696 – Why Limit WIP, Re-Read Saturday Introduction, Relative TIme, Conversations and Essays

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We began the Re-Read Saturday feature in 2014 with a re-read of John Kotter’s classic Leading Change. The list of books we have re-read is quite long — I am going to have to create a list. All that said, last week a person that regularly comments on the podcast indicated they really did not know what Re-Read Saturday was all about. So today to commemorate spring in the northern hemisphere (and the fact that it snowed) and the kick-off of the latest re-read (Why Limit WIP by Jim Benson) I am going to share an audio version of this week’s entry.  As we always say, buy a copy of the book and read Jim Benson’s Why Limit WiP (buy a copy using our Amazon Affiliate link  https://amzn.to/3u6Feml get reading) along with us.

The written version:  https://bit.ly/3iDezbp 

This week we also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault, who brings his QA Corner to the podcast.  Jeremy and I explored the difference between relative and absolute time. 

 

SPaMCAST 690 – I Don’t Want To Be Measured, QA Strategies and Agile, Essays and Conversations

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This week we revisit the age-old statements, “I don’t want to be measured” and its alter ego, “management will use metrics against me.”  While often stated as if they are questions, both are positions. We weave in two recent techniques from our Re-read of Agile Conversations to consider the interests behind the statements  

Also, Jeremy Berriault weighs in on the need for testing strategies in agile on this edition of this QA Corner.  

 

SPaMCAST 674 – Prioritization, Test Automation, Conversations and Essays

In the essay today, prioritization requires a steady hand and consistency. The process for prioritization should have more in common with a well-oiled basketball or futbol team than five-year-olds playing soccer in the schoolyard. How the moving parts work together is a process, but in some circles, “process” is a dirty word.  

On the conversation side, Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the cast. We discuss test automation plans and strategies in agile.