Software Process and Measurement Cast

Show 300! Show Zero was published on January 7, 2007. 2,738 days later, we feature our interview with Vasco Duarte. We discussed #NoEstimates, which evokes a great deal of passion. The interview will embraces that passion and we sort through the noise to get to the core of the idea which is highly useful despite all of the controversy. #NoEstimates asks teams, product owners and leaders to rethink...

SPaMCAST 299 features our essay on systems thinking. Many process improvement programs falter despite our best efforts because they don't improve the overall performance of IT. The impact of fixing individual processes can easily get lost in the weeds, the impact overtaken by the inertia of the overall systems. Systems thinking is a way to view the world, including organizations, from a broad pers...

Listen to SPaMCAST 298 SPaMCAST 298 features our interview with Brian Federici. Brian discussed continuous integration and nearly continuous delivery from a practitioner’s point of view. Continuous integration and delivery are at the heart of fast, better and higher customer satisfaction promised by Agile methods however, in many environments, continuous integration and nearly continuous delivery...

SPaMCAST 297 features our essay on IPFUG Function Points. IFPUG Function Points are a measure of the functionality delivered by the project or application being counted based on a set of rules documented in the IFPUG Counting Practices Manual (CPM). The measure of delivered functionality is a proxy for size which can be used in estimating and measuring work. An analogy for function points is the m...

SPaMCAST 296 features our interview with Jeff Dalton we talked about Agile and resiliency. If Agile is resilient it will be able to spring back into shape after being bent or compressed by the pressures of development and support. In the conversation, Jeff and I discussed whether Agile was resilient and how frameworks like the CMMI can be used to make Agile more resilient. Jeff is Broadsword's Pre...

SPaMCAST 295 features our essay on Test Driven Development (TDD). TDD is an approach to development in which you write a test that proves the piece of work you are working on, and then write the code required to pass the test. You then refactor that code to eliminate duplication and any overlap, then repeat until all of the work is completed. Philosophically, Agile practitioners see TDD as a tool...

SPaMCAST 294 features our interview with Sean Robson. We discussed his book, Agile%20SAP: Introducing flexibility, transparency and speed to SAP implementations" target="_blank">Agile SAP: Introducing flexibility, transparency and speed to SAP implementations. SAP and Agile, some say it can’t be done and they would just be wrong. Sean’s bio reads:Sean Robson, MBA, PMP, CSM, has been working with S...

SPaMCAST 293 features our essay on the Test Maturity Model Integration (TMMi). The TMMi is a maturity model focused on improving both the process and practice of testing! The TMMi covers the entire testing environment not just typical dynamic testing. The essay begins: “All models are wrong, but some are useful.” - George E. P. Box Information Technology (IT) has many useful models for addressing...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 292. SPaMCAST 292 features our interview with Dr. Ginger Levin. Dr. Levin and I discussed her book, Implementing Program Management: Templates and Forms. Dr Levin and her co-author Allen Green wrote their go-to reference for program practitioners, colleges, universities, and those sitting for the PgMP. Ginger provides great advice for program man...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 291. SPaMCAST 291 features our essay on splitting user stories. User stories are a powerful tool used by many Agile teams to conceptualize the value they will deliver. Generally when stories are captured they can range from granular units of work that can be accomplished in a day to gargantuan features that will require multiple sprints to comple...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 290. SPaMCAST 290 features our interview with Jan Beaver, author of The Agile Team Handbook. Jan’s book provides team members with the resources needed not only to become Agile but to practice Agile. Jan Beaver is a Ph. D. educator with over 25 years of experience in the software industry. His experience covers the gamut of management, developmen...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 289. SPaMCAST 289 features our essay on sprint planning. The essay begins: It is often said that well begun is half done. In other words a good start contributes to a good finish (at least according to Mary Poppins). In Agile projects sprint planning is an important first step towards delivering value effectively. The planning process provides te...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 288. SPaMCAST 288 features our interview with Susan Atkinson on Agile contracts, governance and trust. Quite a set of topics that get at the heart of why governance of Agile projects requires different tools than we use today. Susan Atkinson is a Consultant Solicitor at Keystone Law. She is a commercial lawyer, focusing on IT, outsourcing, e-comm...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 287. SPaMCAST 287 features our essay on Scrum. Scrum is the nearly ubiquitous project management process that has become the face of Agile to many people. The essay begins: When most people think of Agile, they really mean Scrum. Scrum is a fairly simple framework whose origin is attributed to Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber. There are numerous...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 286. SPaMCAST 286 features our interview with Brian Wernham, author of Agile Project Management for Government. Agile government does not have to be an oxymoron. Brian Wernham has more than 30 years of experience in adaptive change program leadership. He is an independent consultant and works in both the public and private sector. He has extensiv...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 285. SPaMCAST 285 features a compilation of frequently asked questions of a consulting kind. Working as a traveling consultant, podcaster and blogger provides me with a fabulous mix of experiences. Meeting new people and getting to participate in a wide range of real life experiences is mind expanding and invigorating. Many of the questions that...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 284. SPaMCAST 284 features our interview with Evan Leybourn, author of Directing the Agile Organization. We had a wide-ranging discussion on Agile business management. Agile is not just for IT anymore! Evan’s Bio Evan is an experienced leader, coach and published author in the developing field of Agile Business Management; applying the successful...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 283. The SPaMCAST 283 features our essay on user stories. A user story is a brief, simple requirement statement from the user perspective. User stories are narratives describing who is interacting with the application; how they are interacting with the application and the benefit they derive from that interaction. If you would like to read the or...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 282. In the SPaMCAST 282 we feature our interview with Ben Linders and Luis Gonçalves. We discussed retrospectives and their great new book Getting Value out of Agile Retrospectives - A Toolbox of Retrospective Exercises. Retrospectives power the continuous improvement all projects and organizations need to deliver more value over time. Luis Gonç...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 281. SPaMCAST 281 features our essay on value chain mapping. Value is generated through the transformation of raw materials into a new form, which is represented by a value chain. Driving effective change requires an understanding of your organization’s value chain. Value chain mapping is a representation of how an organization transforms raw mat...

Listen to the Software Process and Measurement Cast 280. SPaMCAST 280 features our interview with Mark C. Bojeun, author of Program Management Leadership: Creating Successful Team Dynamics (Kindle version). Mark makes a very strong case that project and program managers can impact team culture and dynamics. The team’s culture is directly linked to productivity, quality and morale. Mark’s Bio Dr. B...

The International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) released the Software Non-Functional Assessment Process (SNAP) Assessment Practices Manual 2.1 under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike License. IFPUG is the only international functional sizing standards organization to release a new standard under this license. The SNAP provides organizations and projects a means to...

The International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) released the Software Non-Functional Assessment Process (SNAP) Assessment Practices Manual 2.1 under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike License. IFPUG is the only international functional sizing standards organization to release a new standard under this license. The SNAP provides organizations and projects a means to...

Check out Software Process and Measurement Cast 279. SPaMCAST 279 features our essay on Agile and risk management. Many think of Agile and risk as an oxymoron. However, we will show how Agile Risk Management can be used to improve the value projects deliver. Has the adoption of Agile techniques magically erased risk from software projects? Or have we just changed the mechanism and timing of how we...

Check out Software Process and Measurement Cast 278. SPaMCAST 278 features our interview with Diane Zajac-Woodie discussing the role of the business analyst (BA) in Agile. Scrum is mute on the topic of the BA, does that that mean the BAs should pack their bags and look for re-training options? Single word answer, no. The BA role is an important driver of facilitation and communication. Diane clear...