Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 471

It’s time for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

Last week’s episode, number 471, features Tom’s essay on the top 20 transformation killers. Jeremy Berriault‘s QA corner is about involving testers in the requirements process. My Form Follows Function segment rounds out the podcast, covering my post “Systems Thinking Complicates Things”.

In this installment, Tom and I talk about how simplistic analysis is unlikely to fit a complex problem. We illustrate this by talking about the game of “rock, paper, scissors” (then graduate to “rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock”!). I don’t really think that’s what’s meant by game theory, but hey, it’s fun (and illustrative) nonetheless.

You can find all the SPaMCast episodes I’m in under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 467

It’s time for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 467, features Tom’s excellent essay on value (value is one of those simple-seeming, but complex concepts). Jeremy Berriault‘s QA corner covers testing in difficult circumstances. I bat cleanup with a Form Follows Function segment discussing my post “Management, Simple and Wrong – Semantics, Systems, and Self-Correction”.

In this installment, Tom and I talk about a post that came about, not intentionally, but because I got into a conversation on Twitter that played out along the lines of the post I really intended to write (dealing with organizations as complex, multi-level systems). When life hands you your topic, it’s generally a good idea to chase it to the conclusion!

You can find all the SPaMCast episodes I’m in under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 463

I’m back for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 463, features Tom’s essay on big picture stories. This is followed by our Form Follows Function segment discussing my post “Management, Simple and Wrong – Semantics, Systems, and Self-Correction”. Jeremy Berriault‘s QA corner finishes the cast with a segment on motivating testers.

In this installment, Tom and I talk about the way people approach complex (and often emotionally charged) subjects like management. Semantics, defining what we mean, is critical to keep discussions on track. Likewise, we need to be able to differentiate between a concept, differing theories around that concept, and just plain poor practice. Simplistic mental models are likely to generate much more heat than light. It’s not often that something good starts off “I got into a discussion on Twitter”, but this episode is the exception to the rule!

You can find all the SPaMCast episodes I’m in under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 459

I’m back for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 459, features Tom’s essay on resistance to change. This is followed by our Form Follows Function segment discussing my post “Innovation, Intention, Planning and Execution”. Jeremy Berriault‘s QA corner finishes the cast with a segment on testing packaged software.

In this installment, Tom and I talk about effectiveness, particularly the relationship between effectiveness and reasoned, intentional action. In short, organizations are (social) systems, and “things work better when they work together on purpose”. You can’t create serendipity, but if you want to be able to exploit what serendipity drops in your lap, you need to prepare the ground ahead of time.

You can find all the SPaMCast episodes I’m in under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 454

I’m back for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 454, begins with Tom talking about iteration planning. Jeremy Berriault comes next with a segment on QA team leads and I bat cleanup with a Form Follows Function installment based on my post “Trash or Treasure – What’s Your Legacy?”.

Tom and I discuss the concept of legacy systems: what they are, whether they’re trash or treasure (sometimes both), and how they impact an organization.

You can find all the SPaMCast episodes I’m in under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 450

It’s time for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 450, features Tom’s excellent essay on roadmaps and a Form Follows Function installment based on my post “Holistic Architecture – Keeping the Gears Turning”.

Our conversation in this episode continues with the organizations as system concept, this time from the standpoint of how the social system impacts (often negatively) the software systems the social systems rely on. Specifically, we talk about how an organization that fails to manage itself as a system can lead to an architecture of both the enterprise and its IT that resembles “spare parts flying in formation”. It’s not a good situation, no matter how well made those spare parts are!

You can find all my SPaMCast episodes using under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 446

It’s time for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 446, features Tom’s essay on questions, a powerful tool for coaches and facilitators. A Form Follows Function installment based on my post “Go-to People Considered Harmful” comes next and Kim Pries rounds out the podcast with a Software Sensei column on servant leadership.

Our conversation in this episode continues with the organizations as system concept and how concentrating institutional knowledge in go-to people creates a dependency management nightmare. Social systems run on relationships and when we allow knowledge and skill bottlenecks to form, we set our organization up for failure. Specialists with deep knowledge are great, but if they don’t spread that knowledge around, we risk avoidable disasters when they’re unavailable. Redundancy aids resilience.

You can find all my SPaMCast episodes using under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 442

A new month brings a new appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 442, features Tom’s excellent essay on capability teams (highly recommended!), followed by a Form Follows Function installment based on my post “Systems of Social Systems and the Software Systems They Create”. Kim Pries bats cleanup with a Software Sensei column, “Software Quality and the Art of Skateboard Maintenance”.

In this episode, Tom and I continue our discussion on the organizations as system concept and how systems must fit into their context and ecosystem. In my previous posts on the subject, I took more of a top down approach. With this post, I flipped things around to a bottom up view. Understanding how the social and software systems interact (including the social system involved in creating/maintaining the software system) is critical to avoid throwing sand in the gears.

You can find all my SPaMCast episodes using under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 438

Once again, I’m making an appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 438, features Tom’s essay on using sizing for software testing, Kim Pries with a Software Sensei column (canned solutions), and a Form Follows Function installment based on my post “Organizations as Systems and Innovation”.

In this episode, Tom and I discuss how systems must fit into their context and ecosystem, otherwise it can be like dropping a high-performance sports car engine into a VW Beetle. Disney-physics may work in the movies, but it’s unlikely to be successful in the real world. If all the parts don’t fit together, friction ensues.

You can find all my SPaMCast episodes using under the SPaMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 430

It’s time for another appearance on Tom Cagley’s Software Process and Measurement (SPaMCast) podcast.

This week’s episode, number 430, features Tom’s essay on product owners, Steve Tendon with more on TameFlow (in this episode, constraints), and a Form Follows Function installment based on my post “Leadership Anti-Patterns – The Thinker” (the third in a series on leadership).

The Thinker is a classic leadership anti-pattern hearkening back to Frederick Taylor. In essence, the leader does the thinking and the peons do the doing. What could go wrong? Tune in to hear Tom and I discuss all the problems this anti-pattern can bring.

You can find all my SPaMCast episodes using under the SPAMCast Appearances category on this blog. Enjoy!