Tactics for Tech Leadership (TTL)

In perhaps the final episode of The TTL Podcast, Andy and Mon-Chaio reflect back on their journey, relive favorite episodes, and ponder what the future might hold, for each of them individually as well as the podcast.

 In this episode of the Tactics for Tech Leadership Podcast, Mon-Chaio and Andy discuss common questions that CFOs, CEOs, and other stakeholders should pose to the technical leaders within their organizations. Based on a blog post from payslip.com, the discussion focuses on how CFOs can inquire about tech investments' cost efficiency, agility, flexibility, and security. The conversation emphas...

In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy discuss the future of their podcast as they prepare for significant changes in their professional lives. They explore various ideas for continuing the podcast, including changing the format, inviting guests, or even pausing it. They use the 'Six Thinking Hats' technique to brainstorm and evaluate these options, aiming to find the best path forward.

 A vacationcast where Andy ruminates on  AI coding assistants. He draws on an article re wrote in 2007 on autonomic computing. Emphasis is placed on the essential roles and responsibilities of software engineers, differentiating them from AI systems. Andy shares personal experiences and observations of using tools like AI coding assistants, highlighting potential pitfalls and benefits. He conclude...

 In this episode of The Tactics for Tech Leadership Podcast, the hosts discuss personal computer issues (and a missing episode!) before diving into the main topic: the continued search for a system. They review the DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) model, its methodology, and its continuous improvement efforts. Comparing it to other models like CMM and TSP, they conclude that DORA provides a m...

With Andy away, Mon-Chaio dives into the topic of what it means to be a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in today's diverse tech landscape. Inspired by a recent conversation with a venture capitalist, Mon-Chaio reflects on the wide range of skills and experiences that different CTOs bring to the table. He discusses the various types of CTOs, from deeply technical experts to those who primarily manag...

In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy discuss the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and its implications for software development organizations. They explore why CMM was chosen for this episode and its connection to previous topics such as the Team Software Process. The conversation delves into the maturity levels defined by CMMI, from 'incomplete' to 'optimizing,' and explores whether...

 In this special 'vacation cast' episode, Andy shares an important announcement. Transcript: https://thettlpodcast.com/2025/04/21/s3e15-vacationcast-an-announcement/

Andy and Mon-Chaio continue their journey into organizational models by discussing the Team Software Process (TSP). They touch briefly on the origins and history of TSP, its relationship with the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) from Carnegie Mellon, and how it helps teams organize their software development processes. The discussion takes a turn to the philisophical as they explore the empirical n...

In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy dive into the intriguing concept of 'Alien Chess' and its relation to leadership and organizational diagnosis. They reflect on its connection with the four spheres of knowledge discussed in the previous episode and critically analyze its validity as a system within organizations. They draw parallels from the Cynefin framework, extreme programming, and re...

 In this episode of Tactics for Tech Leadership, Andy and Mon-Chaio dive into the discipline of organizational diagnosis through the lens of the paper 'Organizational Diagnosis: an Evidence-Based Approach' by McFillen, Balzer, Varney, and O'Neil. They discuss the need for a rigorous approach to diagnosis in organizational design and change. The focus is on understanding the four sphere...

In this episode of The TTL Podcast, Mon-Chaio and Andy dive deep into the world of employee surveys. They discuss whether these surveys truly work, their best practices, and the research behind them. Exploring the role of culture in company performance, they uncover the nuances of implementing and interpreting surveys. The episode provides actionable insights for leaders aiming to diagnose and imp...

 In this Tactics for Tech Leadership podcast episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio explore SWIFT (Structured What If Technique). While traditionally seen as a technical tool for failure analysis, the hosts consider its potential applications in leadership and organizational contexts. Listeners will learn how SWIFT can help anticipate system failures even before they occur, from technical systems like Redis...

In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy delve deep into the nuances of accountability at high organizational levels, particularly within the C-suite. They explore the challenges of holding executives accountable for outcomes, especially when their roles and processes are not fully understood by their peers. The conversation includes discussions on the differences between process and outcome accountabi...

 Andy and Mon-Chaio explore Patrick Lencioni's concept of the five dysfunctions of a team, discussing how absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results interrelate to impact team performance. They reflect on their own experiences and the importance of productive conflict, peer accountability, and commitment to collective success...

In this week's episode of The TTL Podcast, Mon-Chaio and Andy delve into Ron Westrom's influential paper, "A Typology of Organizational Cultures." The hosts unpack the compelling insights and frameworks posited by Westrom, which categorize organizational cultures into Pathological, Bureaucratic, and Generative types. Mon-Chaio and Andy also share personal anecdotes and practical...

Andy and Mon-Chaio explore Marvin Weisbord's Six Box Model, a framework from the 1970s for diagnosing organizational issues. They explain each of the six parts of the model: purpose, structure, relationships, rewards, leadership, and helpful mechanisms, and then illustrate it being used to assess an example software development company. Listeners will learn how to guide investigation into a situat...

In this first VacationCast episode of Season 3, with Andy out, Mon-Chaio dives into the complexities of mentorship, particularly within workplace relationships. He explores the differences between peer-to-peer mentoring and manager-direct report mentoring, the potential pitfalls of using the term 'mentorship' for career development or performance feedback, and the impact of these practices...

Andy and Mon-Chaio explore the dense yet insightful book 'Action Science' by Chris Argyris. They discuss Argyris's method of developing self-knowledge to break existing norms and achieve actionable knowledge. The conversation covers the core principles and propositions of action science, including the importance of understanding one's reasoning, questioning underlying assumptions,...

In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy delve into the concept of Future Search, a powerful methodology for driving organizational change. They discuss the essence of Future Search, its origins from Marvin Weisbord’s book 'Productive Workplaces Revisited,' and explore why it's crucial to involve the whole system in problem-solving. The episode provides insights into the past, present, and...

 In this episode, Andy and Mon Chiao explore differential diagnosis. They clarify what differential diagnosis truly entails and how it can be applied in technical settings, particularly within software teams. The hosts illustrate its importance through real-world scenarios, emphasizing the balance between gathering information and taking corrective action, the consequences of different types of mi...

In this first episode of Season 3, Mon-Chaio and Andy welcome listeners back and dive into the theme of 'The Turnaround'. They analyze reasons why startups fail, discussing both proximate and distal causes. They explore insights from multiple research reports, studies, and personal experiences to paint a comprehensive picture of startup failure scenarios. Topics include common failure reasons like...

 In this special end-of-year episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio reflect on the highlights and challenges of 2024, discussing their most memorable podcast episodes. As is tradition on the podcast, the Christmas episode is something different. Mon-Chaio and Andy explain their experiments with fermentation, sharing intriguing recipes and techniques involving shiokoji, hot sauce, and Christmas Kraut. Along t...

This is the last episode in a multi-part series that will explore the various stages of scaling a company using a hypothetical startup scenario inspired by ride-sharing services. In the final installment of 'Scaling Up: From Garage to Global,' Mon-Chaio and Andy dive deep into the complexities of integrating a newly acquired company into a well-established global brand. They discuss the challenges...

This is the fourth in a multi-part series that will explore the various stages of scaling a company using a hypothetical startup scenario inspired by ride-sharing services. Mon-Chaio and Andy advance into the next phase of scaling up a hypothetical ride-sharing company, exploring how it might transition to food delivery. They discuss the difference between Explore and Extract phases, emphasizing t...