Software Process and Measurement Cast

SPaMCAST 319 includes three segments! The first segment is our essay, Why Are Requirements So Hard To Get Right? Much of the problems with requirements boil down to people, and while people are not the only factor driving the quality of requirements, they are a critical factor. Pay attention to how people are being deployed, provide support and instruction and make darn sure the right people are in the right place at the right time. The second segment marks the debut of Jo Ann Sweeny’s new column Explaining Change. Jo Ann’s first installment tackles the need for defining the impact you expect communication activities to make – knowledge, attitudes, action. Visit Jo Ann’s website at http://www.sweeneycomms.com/ and let her know what you think of her new column. The third segment features a new entry of Gene Hughson’s column: Form Follows Function. In this installment, Gene talks about his blog entry, Fixing IT – Credible or Cassandra? Gene points out that credibility is a precious commodity that, if squandered, is difficult to recover even when you are correct! Call to action! We are in the middle of a re-read of John Kotter’s classic Leading Change of on the Software Process and Measurement Blog. Are you participating in the re-read? Please feel free to jump in and add your thoughts and comments! After we finish the current re-read will need to decide which book will be next. We are building a list of the books that have had the most influence on readers of the blog and listeners to the podcast. Can you answer the question? What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive future “Re-read” Saturdays. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature that began on the Software Process and Measurement blog on November 8th. Feel free to choose you platform; send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next In the next Software Process and Measurement Cast we will feature our interview with Alfonso Bucero. We discussed his book, Today Is A Good Day. Attitude is an important tool for a project manager, team member or executive. In his book Alfonso provides a plan for honing your attitude. Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: Agile Risk Management - It Is Still ImportantDate: December 18th, 2014Time: 11:30am ESTRegister Now The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 318 features our interview with Rob Cross. Rob and I discussed his InfoQ article “How to Incorporate Data Analytics into Your Software Process.” Rob provides ideas on how the theory of big data can be incorporated in to big action that provides “ah-ha” moments for executives and developers alike. Rob Cross has been in the software development industry for over 15 years in various capacities. He has worked for several start-up businesses including his current company, PSC. These companies have been focused on providing software quality, security and performance data to organizations leveraging state of the art technologies. Rob's current company has analyzed over 8 billion lines of code as an independent software assessment company on products ranging from military systems, medical devices, satellite systems, video games to Wall Street exchanges. Rob's email: rc@proservicescorp.com Call to action! We are in the middle of a re-read of John Kotter’s classic Leading Change of on the Software Process and Measurement Blog. Are you participating in the re-read? Please feel free to jump in and add your thoughts and comments! After we finish the current re-read will need to decide which book will be next. We are building a list of the books that have had the most influence on readers of the blog and listeners to the podcast. Can you answer the question? What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive future “Re-read” Saturdays. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature that began on the Software Process and Measurement blog on November 8th. Feel free to choose you platform; send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next Why Are Requirements So Hard To Get Right? IT projects have been around in one form or another since the 1940’s. Looking back in the literature describing the history of IT, the topic of requirements in general and identification of requirements specifically have been top of mind since day one. Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: Agile Risk Management - It Is Still ImportantDate: December 18th, 2014Time: 11:30am ESTRegister Now The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 317 tackles a wide range of frequently asked questions, ranging from the possibility of an acceleration trap, the relevance of function points, whether teams have a peak loads and safe to fail experiments. Questions, answers and controversy! We will also have the next installment of Kim Pries’s column, The Software Sensei! This week Kim discusses robust software. The essay starts with “Agile Can Contribute to an Acceleration Trap” I am often asked whether Agile techniques contribute to an acceleration trap in IT. In an article in The Harvard Business Review, Bruch and Menges (April 2010) define an acceleration trap as the malaise that sets in as an organization fails prey to chronic overloading. It can be interpreted as laziness or recalcitrance, which then elicits even more pressure to perform, generating an even deeper malaise. The results of the pressure/malaise cycle are generally a poor working atmosphere and employee loss. Agile can contribute to an acceleration trap but only as a reflection of poor practices. Agile is often perceived to induce an acceleration trap in two manners: organizational change and delivery cadence. Listen to the rest now Call to action! We are in the middle of a re-read of John Kotter’s classic Leading Change of on the Software Process and Measurement Blog. Are you participating in the re-read? Please feel free to jump in and add your thoughts and comments! After we finish the current re-read will need to decide which book will be next. We are building a list of the books that have had the most influence on readers of the blog and listeners to the podcast. Can you answer the question? What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive future “Re-read” Saturdays. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature that began on the Software Process and Measurement blog on November 8th. Feel free to choose you platform; send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next SPaMCAST 318 features our interview with Rob Cross. Rob and I discussed his INFOQ article “How to Incorporate Data Analytics into Your Software Process.” Rob provides ideas on how the theory of big data can be incorporated in to big action. Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: Agile Risk Management - It Is Still ImportantDate: December 18th, 2014Time: 11:30am EST Register Now The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 316 features a return visit from Dr. David Rico. We talked about the cost of quality and Agile. Does Agile impact the cost of quality? The cost of quality is a measure of the time and cost that is required to ensure that what is delivered meets quality standards. Dr. Rico walks us through the evidence that not only does Agile improve customer satisfaction, but it also improves the cost of quality. Dr. Rico has been a technical leader in support of NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Army for over 30 years. He has led numerous projects based on Cloud Computing, Lean Thinking, Agile Methods, SOA, Web Services, Six Sigma, FOSS, ISO 9001, CMMI, Baldrige, TQM, Enterprise Architecture, DoDAF, and DoD 5000. He specializes in IT investment analysis, IT portfolio valuation, and IT enabled change. He has been an international keynote speaker, presented at leading industry conferences, written seven textbooks, published numerous articles, and is a reviewer for multiple systems engineering journals. He is a Certified PMP, CSEP, ACP, CSM, and SAFe Agilist, and teaches at four Washington, DC-area universities. He has been in the field of information systems since 1983. Contact Dr RicoBlog: davidfrico.comEmail: dave1@davidfrico.comTwitter: @dr_david_f_rico Call to action! We are in the middle of a re-read of John Kotter’s classic Leading Change of on the Software Process and Measurement Blog. Are you participating in the re-read? Please feel free to jump in and add your thoughts and comments! After we finish the current re-read will need to decide which book will be next. We are building a list of the books that have had the most influence on readers of the blog and listeners to the podcast. Can you answer the question? What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive future “Re-read” Saturdays. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature that began on the Software Process and Measurement blog on November 8th. Feel free to choose you platform; send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next SPaMCAST 317 will tackle a wide range of frequently asked questions, ranging from the possibility of an acceleration trap, the relevance of function points, whether teams have a peak loads and safe to fail experiments. We will also have the next instalment of Kim Pries’s column, The Software Sensei! Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: How to Split User StoriesDate: November 20th, 2014Time: 12:30pm ESTRegister Now Agile Risk Management - It Is Still ImportantDate: December 18th, 2014Time: 11:30am ESTRegister Now The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 315 features our essay on Scrum Masters. Scrum Masters are the voice of the process at the team level. Scrum Masters are a critical member of every Agile team. The team’s need for a Scrum Master is not transitory because they evolve together as a team. In this edition of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we debut a new column. Gene Hughson brings the wisdom from his Form Follows Function blog to the SPaMCAST. Gene appeared on SPaMCAST 268 to talk architecture, people and process. We are glad to have him back on a regular basis. This first column discusses the idea that quick fixes might not always be the right answer! The essay on Scrum Masters begins: The difference between facilitating and enabling is at the core of the Agile concept of self-organizing and self-managing teams. An effective scrum master should be a facilitator in a well functioning Agile team. However, when there is a breakdown in a self-organizing and self-managing team, sometimes scrum masters become enablers. This makes scrum masters more like project managers. A facilitator helps to unstick something that has stopped or creates an environment where progress can be made by the team. An enabler provides the team with permission for making a decision. For example, I recently watched as a team asked their scrum master if they were allowed to hold an interim show and tell/demonstration to prompt the product owner for feedback. The team saw the scrum master as an enabler rather than a facilitator. Listen to the rest on the Software Process and Measurement Cast! Call to action! What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. What will we do with this list? We have two ideas. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive “Re-read” Saturday. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature that bagan on the Software Process and Measurement blog on November 8th with a re-read of Leading Change. So feel free to choose you platform and send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next SPaMCAST 316 features a return visit from Dr. David Rico. We talked about the cost of quality and Agile. Does Agile impact the cost of quality? Dr. Rico walks us through the evidence that not only does Agile improve customer satisfaction but it also improve the cost of quality. If you are interested in effectiveness, efficiency and quality then this interview for you! Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: How to Split User StoriesDate: November 20th, 2014Time: 12:30pm ESTRegister Now Agile Risk Management - It Is Still ImportantDate: December 18th, 2014Time: 11:30am ESTRegister Now The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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. In this edition of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we debut a new column. Gene Hughson brings the wisdom from his Form Follows Function blog to the SPaMCAST. Gene appeared on SPaMCAST 268 to talk architecture, people and process. We are glad to have him back on a regular basis. This first column discusses the idea that quick fixes might not always be the right answer! The essay on Scrum Masters begins: The difference between facilitating and enabling is at the core of the Agile concept of self-organizing and self-managing teams. An effective scrum master should be a facilitator in a well functioning Agile team. However, when there is a breakdown in a self-organizing and self-managing team, sometimes scrum masters become enablers. This makes scrum masters more like project managers. A facilitator helps to unstick something that has stopped or creates an environment where progress can be made by the team. An enabler provides the team with permission for making a decision. For example, I recently watched as a team asked their scrum master if they were allowed to hold an interim show and tell/demonstration to prompt the product owner for feedback. The team saw the scrum master as an enabler rather than a facilitator. Listen to the rest on the Software Process and Measurement Cast! Call to action! What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. What will we do with this list? We have two ideas. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive “Re-read” Saturday. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature that bagan on the Software Process and Measurement blog on November 8th with a re-read of Leading Change. So feel free to choose you platform and send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next SPaMCAST 316 features a return visit from Dr. David Rico. We talked about the cost of quality and Agile. Does Agile impact the cost of quality? Dr. Rico walks us through the evidence that not only does Agile improve customer satisfaction but it also improve the cost of quality. If you are interested in effectiveness, efficiency and quality then this interview for you! Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: How to Split User StoriesDate: November 20th, 2014Time: 12:30pm ESTRegister Now Agile Risk Management - It Is Still ImportantDate: December 18th, 2014Time: 11:30am ESTRegister Now The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 314 features our interview with Janet Gregory and Lisa Crispin. We discussed their new book More Agile Testing. Testing is core to success in all forms of development. Agile development and testing are no different. More Agile Testing builds on Gregory and Crispin’s first collaborative effort, the extremely successful Agile Testing to ensure everyone that uses an Agile frameworks delivers the most value possible. The Bios! Janet Gregory is an agile testing coach and process consultant with DragonFire Inc. Janet is the is the co-author with Lisa Crispin of Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams (Addison-Wesley, 2009), and More Agile Testing: Learning Journeys for the Whole Team (Addison-Wesley 2014). She is also a contributor to 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know. Janet specializes in showing Agile teams how testers can add value in areas beyond critiquing the product; for example, guiding development with business-facing tests. Janet works with teams to transition to Agile development, and teaches Agile testing courses and tutorials worldwide. She contributes articles to publications such as Better Software, Software Test & Performance Magazine and Agile Journal, and enjoys sharing her experiences at conferences and user group meetings around the world. For more about Janet’s work and her blog, visit www.janetgregory.ca. You can also follow her on twitter @janetgregoryca. Lisa Crispin is the co-author, with Janet Gregory, of More Agile Testing: Learning Journeys for the Whole Team (Addison-Wesley 2014), Agile Testing: A Practical Guide for Testers and Agile Teams (Addison-Wesley, 2009), co-author with Tip House of Extreme Testing (Addison-Wesley, 2002), and a contributor to Experiences of Test Automation by Dorothy Graham and Mark Fewster (Addison-Wesley, 2011) and Beautiful Testing (O’Reilly, 2009). Lisa was honored by her peers by being voted the Most Influential Agile Testing Professional Person at Agile Testing Days 2012. Lisa enjoys working as a tester with an awesome Agile team. She shares her experiences via writing, presenting, teaching and participating in agile testing communities around the world. For more about Lisa’s work, visit www.lisacrispin.com, and follow @lisacrispin on Twitter. Call to action! What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. What will we do with this list? We have two ideas. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive “Re-read” Saturday. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature we will begin on the the Software Process and Measurement blog on November 8th with a re-read of Leading Change. So feel free to choose you platform and send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next SPaMCAST 315 features our essay on Scrum Masters. Scrum Masters are the voice of the process at the team level. Scrum Masters are a critical member of every Agile team. The team’s need for a Scrum Master is not transitory because they evolve together as a team. Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: How to Split User StoriesDate: November 20th, 2014Time: 12:30pm ESTRegister Now Agile Risk Management - It Is Still ImportantDate: December 18th, 2014Time: 11:30am ESTRegister Now The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 313 features our essay on developing an initial backlog. Developing an initial backlog is an important step to get projects going and moving in the right direction. If a project does not start well, it is hard for it to end well. We will provide techniques to help you begin well! The essay begins: Many discussions of Agile techniques begin with the assumption that a backlog has magically appeared on the team’s door step. Anyone that has participated in any form of project, whether related to information technology, operations or physical engineering, knows that requirements don’t grow on trees. They need to be developed before a team can start to satisfy those requirements. There are three primary ways to gather requirements based on how information is elicited. Listen to the rest on the Software Process and Measurement Cast! Call to action! What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. What will we do with this list? We have two ideas. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive “Re-read” Saturday. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature we will begin in November with a re-read of Leading Change. More on this new feature next week. So feel free to choose you platform and send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next SPaMCAST 314 features our interview with Janet Gregory and Lisa Crispin. We discussed their new book More Agile Testing. Agile testing is evolving at the same rate as Agile or maybe faster! Testing is still critical for delivering business value. Buy and read the book this week before listening to the interview! The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 312 features our interview with Alex Neginsky. Alex is a real leader and practitioner in a real company that has really applied Agile. Alex shares pragmatic advice about to how practice Agile in the real world! Alex’s bio: Alex Neginsky began his career in the software industry at the age of 16 as a Software Engineer for Ultimate Software. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science at Florida Atlantic University in 2006. By age 27, Alex obtained his first software patent. Alex has been at MTech, a division of Newmarket International, since 2011. As the Director of Development he brings 15 years of experience, technical skills, and management capabilities. Alex manages highly skilled software professionals across several teams stationed all over Eastern Europe and the United States. He serves as the liaison between MTech Development and the industry. During his tenure with the MTech division of Newmarket, Alex has been pivotal in the adoption of the complete software development lifecycle and has spearheaded the adoption of leading Agile Development Methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban. This has yielded higher velocity and better efficiencies throughout the organization. Contact Alex at aneginsky@newmarketinc.com LinkedIn If you have the right stuff and are interested in a joining Newmarket then check out: http://www.newmarketinc.com/careers/join-newmarket Call to action! What are the two books that have most influenced you career (business, technical or philosophical)? Send the titles to spamcastinfo@gmail.com. What will we do with this list? We have two ideas. First, we will compile a list and publish it on the blog. Second, we will use the list to drive “Re-read” Saturday. Re-read Saturday is an exciting new feature we will begin in November. More on this new feature next week. So feel free to choose you platform and send an email, leave a message on the blog, Facebook or just tweet the list (use hashtag #SPaMCAST)! Next SPaMCAST 313 features our essay on developing an initial backlog. Developing an initial backlog is an important step to get projects going and moving in the right direction. If a project does not start well, it is hard for it to end well. We will provide techniques to help you begin well! Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: Agile Risk Management – It Is Still Important! October 24, 2014 11:30 EDT Has the adoption of Agile techniques magically erased risk from software projects? Or, have we just changed how we recognize and manage risk? Or, more frighteningly, by changing the project environment through adopting Agile techniques, have we tricked ourselves into thinking that risk has been abolished? Upcoming Conferences: I will be presenting at the North East Quality Council 60th Conference October 21st and 22nd in Springfield, MA. More on all of these great events in the near future! I look forward to seeing all SPaMCAST readers and listeners that attend these great events! The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

SPaMCAST 311 features our essay on backlog grooming. Backlog grooming is an important technique that can be used in any Agile or Lean methodology. At one point the need for backlog grooming was debated, however most practitioners now find the practice useful. The simplest definition of backlog grooming is the preparation of the user stories or requirements to ensure they are ready to be worked on. The act of grooming and preparation can cover a wide range of specific activities and can be performed at any time. We also have a new installment of Kim Pries’s Software Sensei column. What is the relationship between the containment of diseases and bad software? Kim makes the case that the process for dealing both are related. The Essay begins Backlog grooming is an important technique that can be used in any Agile or Lean methodology. At one point the need for backlog grooming was debated, however most practitioners now find the practice useful. The simplest definition of backlog grooming is the preparation of the user stories or requirements to ensure they are ready to be worked on. The act of grooming and preparation can cover a wide range of specific activities and can be performed at any time (although some times are better than others). Listen to the rest now! Next SPaMCAST 312 features our interview with Alex Neginsky. Alex is a real practitioner in a real company that has really applied Agile. Almost everyone finds their own path with Agile. Alex has not only found his path but has gotten it right and is willing to share! Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: Agile Risk Management – It Is Still Important! October 24, 2014 11:230 EDT Has the adoption of Agile techniques magically erased risk from software projects? Or, have we just changed how we recognize and manage risk? Or, more frighteningly, by changing the project environment through adopting Agile techniques, have we tricked ourselves into thinking that risk has been abolished? Upcoming Conferences: I will be presenting at the North East Quality Council 60th Conference October 21st and 22nd in Springfield, MA. More on all of these great events in the near future! I look forward to seeing all SPaMCAST readers and listeners that attend these great events! The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.

Software Process and Measurement Cast 310 features our interview with Mike Burrows. This is Mike’s second visit to the Software Process and Measurement Cast. In this visit we discussed his new book, Kanban from the Inside (Kindle). The book lays out why Kanban is a management method built on a set of values rather than just a set of techniques. Mike explains why Kanban leads to better outcomes for projects, managers, organizations and customers! Mike is the UK Director and Principal Consultant at David J Anderson and Associates. In a career spanning the aerospace, banking, energy and government sectors, Mike has been a global development manager, IT director and software developer. He speaks regularly at Lean/Kanban-related events in several countries and his book Kanban from the Inside (Kindle)was published in September. Mike’s email is mike@djaa.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/asplake and @KanbanInsideBlog is http://positiveincline.com/index.php/about/UK Kanban conference: http://lkuk.leankanban.com/Kanban conference series: http://conf.leankanban.com/ Next SPaMCAST 311 features our essay on backlog grooming. Backlog grooming is an important technique that can be used in any Agile or Lean methodology. At one point the need for backlog grooming was debated, however most practitioners now find the practice useful. The simplest definition of backlog grooming is the preparation of the user stories or requirements to ensure they are ready to be worked on. The act of grooming and preparation can cover a wide range of specific activities and can be performed at any time). In the next podcast we get into the nuts and bolts of making your backlog better! Upcoming Events DCG Webinars: Agile Risk Management – It Is Still Important! October 24, 2014 11:230 EDT Has the adoption of Agile techniques magically erased risk from software projects? Or, have we just changed how we recognize and manage risk? Or, more frighteningly, by changing the project environment through adopting Agile techniques, have we tricked ourselves into thinking that risk has been abolished? Upcoming Conferences: I will be presenting at the North East Quality Council 60th Conference October 21st and 22nd in Springfield, MA. More on all of these great events in the near future! I look forward to seeing all SPaMCAST readers and listeners that attend these great events! The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.