Meta-Cast

In this episode, Bob and Josh sit down with David Hussman ( @davidhussman ), of DevJam Studios, at the Agile Development Practices and Better Softare Conference in Las Vegas.  David brings great insight to the podcast and helps us cover quite a few topics, including whether or not Agile has "jumped the shark" and shares a few "pithy comments" (as requested from Bob) about how individuals and teams...

In this episode Bob and Josh discuss who, how, when and why you should be coaching your organziation beyond the teams you lead/manage/are a part of.  We view this as a very important step in agile maturity, but we also know this can be a difficult transition for some folks.  We hope this helps you take your organization from good to great! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss thi...

In this episode Bob and Josh address two listener questions.  The first question covers developer metrics and understanding individual and team effectiveness.  Our second question centers on agile purists and how to handle an agile transition. We want to know what you think about our answers and suggestions.  Tell us what you think! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

In this episode, Bob and Josh respond to a listener question about what to do when a team member is not performing as well as the team needs them to.  What should the team do?  What should their manager do?  We tackle both angles and give you a plan to help.   Do you agree or disagree with our views?  If so, please let us know on Twitter, our blog, or wherever else you find us! This is a public ep...

In this episode, Bob and Josh respond to a listener question around assembling an agile team.  The primary question centers around inclusion of team members that prefer to be told what to do.  We dig into wheather or not we believe this can/should be done.  After hearing our views, please let us know what you think in the comments below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this...

In this episode Bob and Josh revisit their first debate (now over half a decade old now).  We cover the pros and cons of each side of the the debate and give a few tips on how to make the tools work for you.  Along the way, we also highlight a few common pitfalls.   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetacast...

In this episode Bob and Josh discuss patterns and practices that can be used to inrease preditability in your sprints.  Nothing wears a team down faster than sporadic sprint planning and execution.  If your team's velocity chart looks like an EKG graph, give our suggestions a try and make your team happier!  If you have any other tricks, please let us know! This is a public episode. If you would l...

In this episode Bob and Josh divulge some tips and tricks we use when hiring for an agile team.  We walk through a few of our hiring practices and even talk through a few sample questions.  The strength of your team directly depends on your hiring practices, so we hope that this podcast will help you strengthen your team over the coming months. What tips and tricks do you have when hiring someone...

50 episodes!?!?  After 3 years and 50 episodes spanning all kinds of crazy topics, we get back to basics in this show.  In our last meta-cast we discussed how Agile has "jumped the shark" (I guess we should have known the answer to that since we capitialize it now...), Bob and I start all over again.  In an effort to remove all of the fluff and buzzword bonanza that dominates many Agile discussion...

In this episode, Bob and Josh discuss whether or not Agile has jumped the shark .  After educating Bob on what that term means, we dig into the reality of the situation and what we can do about getting Agile back to its roots.  We have some ideas that we plan to tackle in future podcasts, but would love to hear what our listeners think we (the community) can do to fix this situation... This is a p...

In this episode Bob and Josh discuss the concept of Open Allocation and how it could be applied to a company.  As a primer, here are some links that augment the podcast as we repeatedly refer to Valve's and GitHub's implementation of Open Allocation.   Valve's Employee Handbook FastCo article detailing GitHub's lean management approach Let us know your thoughts on wheather or not Open Allocation c...

In this episode, Bob and Josh discuss the numerous times that saying no is required.  We discuss the issues preventing many folks from saying no when their gut is telling them that they have to speak up and say no.  Aside from identifying the key moments, we help you out by giving tips and tricks on how to say no. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers o...

As you likley read on Twitter, we had a little issue with our new microphone that generated some feedback during our last recording.  Because of that static, we chose not to post the episode.  However, we are returning to the topic of technical debt in order to meet the requests of our listeners.  This is a shortened version of our discussion on technical debt.  While it is shorter, we cover all o...

In this episode Bob and Josh discuss the issues we see in the lagging agile adoption dilemma that seems rather prevalent these days.  Is it poor teaching?  Is it teams that just don't listen?  What is the problem and what can do you about it?  We have the answers you need!!! Part of our solution we offer at the end is the prescriptive agile adoption framework we built in our Agile Starter Kit seri...

In this episode Bob and Josh discuss the importance of estimation in the world of software development.  Can a project survive without estimation?  Is estimation a skill that can be honed and improved over time?  We cover all of these questions and a bit more.  Where do you stand on these topics?  Let us know in the comments. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other s...

In this episode Bob and Josh discuss common misconceptions and missteps in retrospecitves.  You'll quickly learn how passionate we are on this subject as the discussion heats up.  We provide ideas and direction on how to heal your struggling retrospectives. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit themetacast.substack...

In this episode Bob and Josh tackle the ever-elusive concept of team culture.  We attempt to apply some form of definition for the concept and provide some tips on how to improve it within your team.  We'd love some feedback on this one, so please add comments or hit us up on twitter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes...

In this episode, Bob transforms into a waterfall advocate. Josh fights to convince him that Agile is more than just a buzzword and that can help his projects.  While this debate was a fun execise for us, we hope it helps everyone out there who is struggling to convince their co-workers/boss/whoever that Agile may be the right thing for your project.  If there are any challenges or questions you ar...

In this episode, Bob and Josh begin defining the concept of the product owner quadrants.  It comes as a shock to no one that we only worked through the first quadrant in 36 minutes!  The first quadrant discussed is "project managment".  That term sends Josh into a downward spiral and forces the two of us to really define what "project management" means and we eventually land on renaming it to "pro...

40th episode already!?!? Bob and Josh pause for the 40th episode to do a classic scrum retrospective of the Meta-Cast itself.  All three questions (what did we do well, what could we do better at, and what should we try in the future) are asked, and answered, as we look forward to where we want to take our podcast. In the second half of the podcast, we ask for input on the value of creating a phys...

Bob and Josh unleash some fury on the proliferation of agile-centric certificaitons over the past 12-18 months.  Are there any certifications really worth the skyrocketing expense to earn and maintain them?  We also tackle the evolving importance of the first certification most professionals get, the degree.  What side of the certification fence are you on?! This is a public episode. If you would...

Some of the best stuff happens before we even turn the microphone on, so I am trying to just hit the record button and see what happens.  Here is a quick look into what Bob and I do before you hear the words "Welcome to The Meta-Cast!".  I hope to have more of these in the coming weeks... This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis...

In this episode, Bob and Josh wrap-up their initial pass at what fits into the Agile Starter Kit.  They end with talking through some of the technical aspects of implementing Agile in your workplace, digging into topics like continuous integration, pair programming, designs/specifications, and finally wrap up with metrics. While Bob and Josh try to remain tool/technology agnostic, there are a few...

In this episode, Bob and Josh take a break from the Agile Starter Kit series to talk through some current events.  Bob unloads on Dean Leffingwell and his SAFe Certification Program.  After listening, I think eveyone will understand why Bob is so passionate about this misguided approach.  Josh then talks through a couple of moments of inspiration over the past couple of months. This is a public ep...

We are back! Bob and Josh dig into defining the actual team members required for your starter team.  What are the roles and responsiblities needed to make a Shu team grow into a Ha team?  Who do you hire to join in the fun?  Can your team members be part time team members or do they have to be fully dedicated?  These questions and more are answered in this exciting installment of the Meta-Cast.  S...