SPaMCAST 448 – Uncertainty in Software Development, TameFlow, Leading QA

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SPaMCAST 448 features our essay on uncertainty. Al Pittampalli said, “uncertainty and complexity produce anxiety we wish to escape.” Dealing with uncertainty is part of nearly everything we do our goal should be to address uncertainty head on.

The second column features Steve Tendon talking about Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). We tackle Chapter 18.  

Our third column is the return of Jeremy Berriault and his QA Corner. Jeremy discusses leading in  QA.  Jeremy  blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.com/

Re-Read Saturday News

Chapter 10 concludes our re-read of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson which was published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015.  This week’s chapter is titled, The Experience of Holacracy. In this chapter, Robertson wraps up most of the loose ends. Next week we will conclude this re-read with some final comments and thoughts.

 

SPaMCAST 444 – Product Owner – The Hard Role, QA Value, Work In Process Limits

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This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast features our essay revisiting the product owner role. The product owner role is hard, often messed up and a great opportunity for improvement.

The second column features the return of Steve Tendon talking about Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross (buy a copy here). We tackle Chapter 17 which is titled Challenges of Work-State Work in Process Limits. WIP limits have their plusses and minuses when discussing hyper-productivity.  

Our third column this week is from Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy discusses how to show the value of QA and why knowing and showing value is important!   Jeremy  blogs at https://jberria.wordpress.com/  

 

Re-Read Saturday News

This week we tackle Chapter 6 of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015.   Chapter 6, Facilitating Governance, puts the ideas and processes defined in governance to work.

 

SPaMCAST 434 – Big Bang or Not, Human Side of Flow, Fermi Questions

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The Software Process and Measurement Cast 434 features our essay on Change Implementations – To Big Bang or Not To Big Bang? The knee jerk reaction amongst transformation leaders is usually a loud NO! However, the answer is not nearly that cut and dry.  Big Bang approaches to change have a place in bag of tricks every transformation leader has at their fingertips.

The second column this week is from Steve Tendon. Steve Tendon brings another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here) to the cast.  In this installment, we talk about Chapter 16, The (Super)-Human Side of Flow. In Chapter 16 Steve and Wolfram go into detail on in Kotter’s attributes of flow state.  A good discussion and a good read.

Our third column is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries.  Kim discusses Fermi Problems. Fermi problems or questions are a tool to teach approximation and estimation.  These problems usually can be solved logically as a back-of-the-envelope calculation. The last time we talked about Fermi Problems was when we were re-reading How To Measure Anything (Hubbard).

Re-Read Saturday News

This week we tackle Chapter 7 of Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (buy your copy and read along).  Chapter 7, titled “Parents, Teachers, Coaches: Where Do Mindsets Come From? explores the impact of some of the most intimate and earliest relationships on our mindsets. Understanding how parents, teachers, and coaches affect mindsets helps us learn to lead change.

We are quickly closing in on the end of our re-read of Mindset.  I anticipate two more weeks (Chapter 8 and a round up).  The next book in the series will be Holacracy (Buy a copy today). After my recent interview with Jeff Dalton on Software Process and Measurement Cast 433, I realized that I had only read extracts from Holacracy by Brian J. Robertson, therefore we will read (first time for me) the whole book together.

Every week we discuss a chapter then consider the implications of what we have “read” from the point of view of both someone pursuing an organizational transformation and using the material when coaching teams.  

 

SPaMCAST 421 – Vanity Metrics, Unity of Purpose, Leadership

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The Software Process and Measurement Cast 421 features our essay on vanity metrics.  Vanity metrics make people feel good, but are less useful for making decisions about the business.  The essay discusses how to recognize vanity metrics and the risks of falling prey to their allure.

We will also have columns form Steve Tendon with another chapter in his Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published by J Ross (buy a copy here). Steve and I talked about Chapter 13.  Finally, Gene Hughson will anchor the cast with an entry from his Form Follows Function Blog.  Gene and I started talking about leadership patterns and anti-patterns.

 

SPaMCAST 413 – Scaling Management, Throughput Accounting, QA Tools

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The Software Process and Measurement Cast 413 features our essay on Scaling Agile and Management Styles.  This essay builds on our recent discussion of servant leadership. It is not as simple as adding teams or building a hierarchy.

Steve Tendon joins the SPaMCAST this week to discuss Chapter 11 in Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban, published J Ross (buy a copy here).   We discussed the concept of throughput accounting.  A powerful concept that that focuses on the delivery of value through the overall process. Visit Steve at www.tendon.net.

We cap this edition of the Software Process and Measurement Cast with a visit to the QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault. Jeremy discussed the impact of testing tools. There are significant plusses for using tools if you don’t let the tools use you! Connect with Jeremy on Linkedin.

Re-Read Saturday News

We continue the read/re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (published by Jossey-Bass).  The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business novel that uses a story to get important ideas across to the reader in a less threatening manner. This week we discuss the sections covering the background for the first major team crisis. Lots of behaviors you might, unfortunately, recognize in teams around you!

Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads.

 

SPaMCAST 387 –Storytelling As A Tool, Critical Roles, QA Career Path

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The Software Process and Measurement Cast 387 includes three features.  The first is our essay on storytelling.  Storytelling is a tool that is useful in many scenarios, for presentations, to help people frame their thoughts and for gathering information. A story provides both a deeper and more nuanced connection with information than most lists of PowerPoint bullets or even structured requirements documents. The essay provides an excellent supplement to our interview with Jason Little (which you can listen to here).

The second feature this week is Steve Tendon discussing Chapter 9 of Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban published J Ross. Chapter 9 is titled “Critical Roles, Leadership and More”.  We discuss why leadership roles are important to achieve hyper-productive performance. Sometimes in Agile and other approaches it is easy to overlook the role of leaders outside of the team.

Remember Steve has a great offer for SPaMCAST listeners. Check `out  https://tameflow.com/spamcast for a way to get Tame The Flow: Hyper-Productive Knowledge-Work Performance, The TameFlow Approach, and Its Application to Scrum and Kanban at 40% off the list price.

Anchoring the cast this week is a visit to the QA Corner.  Jeremy Berriault discusses whether a career and the path your career might take in testing is an individual or a team sport.  Jeremy dispenses useful advice even if you are not involved in testing.

 

SPaMCAST 353 -Learning Styles, Microservices for All, Tame Flow

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SPaMCAST 353

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This week’s Software Process and Measurement Cast features three columns.  The first is our essay on learning styles.  Learning styles are useful to consider when you are trying to change the world or just and an organization.  While opposites might attract in poetry and sitcoms, however rarely do opposite learning styles work together well in teams without empathy and a dash of coaching. Therefore, the coach and teams need to have an inventory of learning styles on the team. Models and active evaluation against a model are tools to generate knowledge about teams so they can tune how they work to maximize effectiveness.

Our second column features Gene Hughson bringing the ideas from his wonderful Form Follows Function Blog.  Gene talks about the topic of microservices. Gene challenges the idea that microservices are a silver bullet.

We anchor this week’s SPaMCAST with Steve Tendon’s column discussing the TameFlow methodology and his great new book, Hyper-Productive Knowledge Work Performance.   One of the topics Steve tackles this week is the idea of knowledge workers and why a knowledge worker is different.  The differences Steve describes are key to developing a hyper-productive environment.

Call to Action!

I have a challenge for the Software Process and Measurement Cast listeners for the next few weeks. I would like you to find one person that you think would like the podcast and introduce them to the cast. This might mean sending them the URL or teaching them how to download podcasts. If you like the podcast and think it is valuable they will be thankful to you for introducing them to the Software Process and Measurement Cast. Thank you in advance!

Re-Read Saturday News

Remember that the Re-Read Saturday of The Mythical Man-Month is in full swing.  This week we tackle the essay titled “The Second-System Effect”!  Check out the new installment at Software Process and Measurement Blog.

Upcoming Events

Software Quality and Test Management 

September 13 – 18, 2015

San Diego, California

http://qualitymanagementconference.com/

I will be speaking on the impact of cognitive biases on teams!  Let me know if you are attending! If you are still deciding on attending let me know because I have a discount code!

 

Agile Development Conference East

November 8-13, 2015

Orlando, Florida

http://adceast.techwell.com/

I will be speaking on November 12th on the topic of Agile Risk!  Let me know if you are going and we will have a SPaMCAST Meetup.

Next SPaMCAST

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Allan Kelly.  We talked #NoProjects and having a focus of delivering a consistent flow of value.

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.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here.

Available in English and Chinese.