Barbara Blake is founder of Longview Associates, LLC, an executive coaching and leadership development consulting practice. As a keen observer of organizational performance, Barbara is convinced that the key component to successful operations and objectives are the people in an organization.

Barbara works with executives and entrepreneurs to take them to the next level of performance and interpersonal relations. They see results both at work and in their personal lives; they are energized, transformed and they achieve

Barbara has held management positions in a consulting firm, a publishing company, and several financial services institutions.  She has also been involved in the development of emerging leaders by managing training programs and teaching at the MBA level.

She is a certified executive coach through the Penn State Executive Program, and a member of the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches. 

Contact information:
Web Site:  http://www.longview-assoc.com/
Email:  barbara@longview-assoc.com

Check out SPaMCASTâs New Facebook page!!!!
http://tinyurl.com/62z5el

The essay for this cast is titled, âVitamins, Aspirin and Viagraâ.  The essay ruminates on why some changes are easier to sell and catch hold within organizations faster. We will conclude with information on a few upcoming conferences, comments from listeners and notes on upcoming casts. 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts with SPaMCAST:

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com
• FACEBOOK!!!! Software Process and Measurement
  http://tinyurl.com/62z5el

Future Events and the next Cast. . .

I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM.

I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an interview with Ken Schwaber, Mr SCRUM.  If you use SCRUM or are interested in Agile this is a must listen.

From Rooâs website (and not what is on the cast . . .):

Iâve accepted the position of Portfolio Executive, Social Media at BBC Vision. What that means is that Iâll be helping to define, develop and execute BBC Visionâs strategy in relation to social media. Simon Nelson gave a speech in September 2007 about some of the progress made (and challenges faced) by the BBC in regard to multiplatform (more discussion about that here). Thatâs the backdrop to what Iâm going there to help with. No doubt Iâll talk more about the specifics in the coming weeks and months. Oh, and I get to work with such cool people as Dan Taylor and Jo Twist.
 

Contact information:
You can read his blog at http://rooreynolds.com/
Email:  roo@rooreynolds.com
Another place to look:  http://eightbar.co.uk/
 

Rember to check out SPaMCASTâs New Facebook page!!!!
http://tinyurl.com/62z5el
 

In the essay segment in this cast we have three short pieces.  The first is a book review of Subliminal Persuasion by Dave Lakhani.  The second piece is a promo Pam Morrisâs talk at the ISMA conference and finally we have a promo for Mur Laffertyâs novel Playing for Keeps.  We will conclude with information on a few upcoming conferences, comments from listeners and notes on upcoming casts. 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts with SPaMCAST:

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com
• FACEBOOK!!!! Software Process and Measurement
  http://tinyurl.com/62z5el

Future Events and the next Cast. . .

I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM.

I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57^th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an interview with Barbara Blake of Longview Associates.  We discussed of how, when and whether coaching can be used to improve efficiency.  Is there a coach in your future?  Maybe there should be!

Ed is a one of those rare polymaths in the IT world. His bio from Wikipedia begins Edward Nash Yourdon (born 1944) is a computer consultant, an author and lecturer, and a recognized pioneer in the software engineering methodology of structured programming world.

He is a graduate of MIT, earning a BS in Mathematics in 1965.

The December 1999 issue of Crosstalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering named Yourdon one of the ten most influential people in the software field. In June 1997, he was inducted into the Computer Hall of Fame Yourdon is widely known as the lead developer of the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM), as well as co-developer of the Yourdon/Whitehead method of object-oriented analysis/design and the popular Coad/Yourdon OO methodology of the late 1980s and 1990s.

He has authored over 550 technical articles and authored or coauthored 26 computer books since 1967. He founded and published American Programmer magazine (now titled Cutter IT Journal). He is the author of the best-selling Decline and Fall of the American Programmer.

Mr. Yourdon currently serves as an internationally-recognized expert witness and computer consultant who specializes in project management, software engineering methodologies, and Web 2.0 development.

I asked Ed how people could contact him and the part of the response that struck me was, âI am onlineâ.   

Blog: www.yourdonreport.com
Website:  www.yourdon.com
Email:  ed@yourdon.com 

You can also find Ed on Twitter (Yourdon), Plaxo and other Web 2.0 social networks.

The essay for this cast is titled âJust How Badly Do You Want A Number?â  The essay challenges managers and project managers to think about that initial estimate and the impact it might actually have. The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Check out the SPaMCAST Facebook page.  I wil be posting information on which shows relates to which theme.  For example Kenjiâs recent interview, Scott Amblers and Kent Becks all have an agile flavor.  This will be a quick way to hit all of the shows in a general thematic area.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com
• FACEBOOK!!!! Software Process and Measurement
  

Future Events and the next . . .

Conference season is beginning!

I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM,

I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57^th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST we will feature an interview with Roo Reynolds of IBM.  Roo is one of the leading forces in using metaverses such as Second Life to rewrite how software development and collaboration happen.  In SPaMCAST 39 you are going to see the future so do not miss it!

Kenji Hiranabe, CEO of Change Vision, Inc (http://www.change-vision.com/index_en.html).  Change Vision develops tools to help deliver effective projects.  He is a Japanese software development consultant and book translator of Extreme Programming Installed, Lean Software Development, Agile Project Management, and other Agile books. He's also an author of JUDE, a UML and MindMap editor software and TRICHORD, a kanban based agile project management tool.  He specializes in agile development, object-oriented software construction and project facilitation. 

You can read his blog at http://jude-users.com/en/modules/weblog/index.php?user_id=5

Check out SPaMCASTâs New Facebook page!!!!

The essay for this cast is titled âMaking Tangible The Intangibleâ.  The essay for this cast reflects concepts espoused by Phil Armour in SPaMCAST 36 and Kenji Hiranabe in SPaMCAST 37 (the current cast for those of you reading this on my blog).  The confluence of concepts that so moved me combines Kenjiâs comments on the intangibility of both software and the processes and Philâs on software as a container for knowledge. 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts:

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com
• FACEBOOK!!!! Software Process and Measurement

   

Future Events and the next . . .

I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM.

I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57^th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST we will feature an interview with Ed Yourdon discussing social media in the development process.  Talking to Ed was jam packed with information on using social media to foster collaboration.  If you don't know about how to use social media, its time to find out!

 Phillip G. Armour is VP for Systems Development and a Senior Consultant at Corvus International Inc.  Phil has been developing software for over thirty-five years.  He has been a programmer, analyst, project manager, DBA, systems architect, process engineer, metrics engineer, consultant, and executive coach and has worked for organizations as diverse as United Airlines, Motorola, Argonne National Laboratory, General Dynamics, the IRS, the premier software consulting company in India, and the largest cellular service provider in Central West Africa.  In the last fifteen years, Phil has personally taught software development techniques and management principles to over 20,000 developers, engineers, managers, and executives.

 Philâs primary professional focus is currently in two related areas: software project estimation and software technical team development.

 Since 2000, Phil has been a contributing editor on ACMâs flagship magazine âCommunications of the ACMâ and writes a regular column entitled âThe Business of Softwareâ where he explores issues to do with the nature and challenges of modern software.  He has been on the extended faculty at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and the Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame. 

 Phil is also the author of âThe Laws of Software Processâ published by Auerbach in 2003.  He is a member of ACM, IEEE, and the Project Management Institute. 

Telephone:      (847)-438-1609
Fax:               (847)-438-1638
Email:             armour@corvusintl.com
Website:         www.corvusintl.comwww.corvusintl.com

The essay for this cast is titled âWhy Should You Care What Is Driving Changeâ.  The essay is a reminder to process improvement personnel that to be effective you need to understand why you are making a change.  I suggest that if you donât understand the rationale for change, stop until you do. The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and suggestions are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts:

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com
• FACEBOOK!!!! Software Process and Measurement

  Future Events and the next . . .

  Conference season is beginning!

  I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM,
  
  

  I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

   

  Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57^th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

   

  Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

  On the next SPaMCAST we will feature an interview with Kenji Hiranabe on using Kanban in the software development.  Many of you will remember my interview covering mind mapping with Kenji back on SPaCAST 7 (April 2007).  That episode continues to be one of the most downloaded.  If you missed it I would suggest checking it out.

Phillip G. Armour is VP for Systems Development and a Senior Consultant at Corvus International Inc.

Phil has been developing software for over thirty-five years.  He has been a programmer, analyst, project manager, DBA, systems architect, process engineer, metrics engineer, consultant, and executive coach and has worked for organizations as diverse as United Airlines, Motorola, Argonne National Laboratory, General Dynamics, the IRS, the premier software consulting company in India, and the largest cellular service provider in Central West Africa.  In the last fifteen years, Phil has personally taught software development techniques and management principles to over 20,000 developers, engineers, managers, and executives.

Philâs primary professional focus is currently in two related areas: software project estimation and software technical team development.

Since 2000, Phil has been a contributing editor on ACMâs flagship magazine âCommunications of the ACMâ and writes a regular column entitled âThe Business of Softwareâ where he explores issues to do with the nature and challenges of modern software.  He has been on the extended faculty at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and the Mendoza School of Business at the University of Notre Dame. 

Phil is also the author of âThe Laws of Software Processâ published by Auerbach in 2003.  He is a member of ACM, IEEE, and the Project Management Institute.

Telephone:      (847)-438-1609
Fax:               (847)-438-1638
Email:             armour@corvusintl.com
Website:         www.corvusintl.com

The essay is titled âEstimation, Planning and Goals: All Different I Say!â.   The essay explores the confusion of words used in project planning and control.  The essay may be due to my long-term issue with a how words are used and misused, false levels of precision or just the fact that the process relating to the software engineering disciplines like estimation continue to prove to be difficult to implement regardless of the development method used.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . 

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

Conference season is beginning!

I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM,

I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57^th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST I will interview Charlene Li of Forrester Research, co-author of âGroundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologiesâ.  We talked about opinion how are social networks and strategies rewriting the organization and its relations to its customers.

Show 33 is part two of my interview with Rob Donnellan discussing the trials and tribulations of metrics programs.  Rob has provided a plethora tips for developing and marketing metrics programs if you are in the metrics business make sure you list to both this interview and the first part of the interview in show 30.   

Rob Donnellan, IT Excellence Value Builder, has more than 28 years of industry experience.   Rob delivers executive-level "IT Excellence" consulting.  Prior to joining Q/P Management Group, Rob was a Director with META Group, Nautilus Advisors (an outsourcing consultancy), and Cap Gemini.  His key responsibilities have been to develop next-generation consulting services, and to lead IT management consulting projects primarily devoted to process improvement, IT portfolio management, IT diagnosis, performance engineering/measurement, and benchmarking.  He has been a regular speaker for industry organizations such as the APQC, PMI, SPIN, SIM, IFPUG, and The Balanced Scorecard Collaborative.  He holds a Masters Degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Connecticut.

Mr. Donnellan can be contacted by email at rob.donnellan@qpmg.com or by phone at (401) 783-3005.  Q/P Management Groupâs web site can be found at http://www.qpmg.com/.

The essay is for this show is a guest essay by Frank Glaz of David Consulting Group discussing using function point counting to determine the efficiency of vendors. The essay explores a thorny subject that is rarely discussed at conferences or in the literature. Frank would appreciate comments.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have another webinar coming up in May. The webinar is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvementâ May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Conference season is beginning!

I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM,

I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57^th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST I will begin a massive interview with Phil Armour.  Phil presented some of the most thought provoking and provocative ideas on estimation and while I was going to delay discussing estimation again for a at least a few months I frankly could not help myself.

Mr. Chemuturi has over thirty four years of total experience out of which about 23 years have been spent in the field of information technology.  Has worked at TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES for five and half years and at ELECTRONICS COROPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED for nineteen. Murali also worked at SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES LTD., METAMOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD. and Vistaar eBusinesses Pvt Ltd.  His CV includes numerous publications and he is the author of an upcoming book on estimation which I will review on a future Software Measurement and Process Cast. 

Mr. Chemuturi can be contacted by email at murali@chemuturi.com or by phone at 91-40-27220771, 91-0-988-501-9461 and in the USA at 1- 347-394-3138.  His web site can be found at http://www.effortestimator.com

The essay is an excerpt from âWhen Good Numbers Go Badâ titled âWhen Communication makes Good Numbers Go Badâ.   The excerpt explores how poor communication can effect a metrics program (and is a bit of foreshadowing of a presentation I will be doing later this year (see below).  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvementâ on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

I have another webinar coming up in May. The webinar is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvementâ May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Conference season is beginning!

I will be speaking at IFPUGâs 3rd Annual ISMA Conference and Fall Workshops Sunday, September 14 â Friday, September 19, 2008 at the Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel information at www.ifpug.org.  The presentation is call âCounting Facebookâ and will be on Friday September 19, 2008 at 10:25 AM - 11:25 AM,

I am speaking at Quest Toronto 2008 Conference, September 22- 26, 2008, at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto, Canada.  I will be presenting âGood Numbers Go Badâ on Wed Sept 24th from 1:30 - 2:30 pm and also joining in as a subject matter expert in the end of day solutions workshop.  Information can be found at http://www.qaiquest.org/toronto/

Finally I will be speaking at the Northeast Quality Council 57^th Conference.  The conference is scheduled for October 14 â 15 , 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts at Best Western Royal Plaza.   The presentation is titled âOne Size Fits . . .Someone Other Than Meâ.  Information can be found at http://www.neqc.org/conference.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST  we will jump back into the interview with Rob Donnellan of Q/P Management Group covering a wide range of measurement and process improvement topics.  Your thoughts and comments are always a welcome addition and remember I have Muraliâs PDF with your name on it!

Scott W. Ambler is the Practice Leader Agile Development with IBM Rational and he works with IBM customers around the world to improve their software processes.  He is the founder of the Agile Modeling (AM), Agile Data (AD), Agile Unified Process (AUP), and Enterprise Unified Process (EUP) methodologies.  Scott is the (co-)author of 19 books, including Refactoring Databases, Agile Modeling, Agile Database Techniques, The Object Primer 3rd Edition, and The Enterprise Unified Process.  Scott is a senior contributing editor with Dr. Dobbâs Journal. 

Check out Mr. amblerâs blogs at:

Personal home page: www.ibm.com/rational/bios/ambler.html

Agile at Scale blog: www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/ambler.

The essay for this cast is titled âAre Words a Predictor of Change Adoption".  The essay explores the relationship between words and what they predict about success in process improvement.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST I will be airing part 2 of the interview with Murali Chemuturi on estimation and software sizing.  To describe the interview I will just say âdamn!" and let you dive in. Your thoughts and comments are always a welcome addition . . .

Show 30 begins a two part interview with Rob Donnellan on the topic of metrics programs.    

Rob Donnellan, IT Excellence Value Builder, has more than 28 years of industry experience.   Rob delivers executive-level "IT Excellence" consulting.  Prior to joining Q/P Management Group, Rob was a Director with META Group, Nautilus Advisors (an outsourcing consultancy), and Cap Gemini.  His key responsibilities have been to develop next-generation consulting services, and to lead IT management consulting projects primarily devoted to process improvement, IT portfolio management, IT diagnosis, performance engineering/measurement, and benchmarking.  He has been a regular speaker for industry organizations such as the APQC, PMI, SPIN, SIM, IFPUG, and The Balanced Scorecard Collaborative.  He holds a Masters Degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Connecticut.

Mr. Donnellan can be contacted by email at rob.donnellan@qpmg.com or by phone at (401) 783-3005.  Q/P Management Groupâs web site can be found at http://www.qpmg.com/.

The essay for this cast is titled âPassion and Success".  The essay discusses the relationship between passion and success in process improvment.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST I will be airing an interview I did with Scott Ambler on scaling test driven development.  Agilistas, this one is for you!  Part 2 of the interview with Rob will air on show 33. Your thoughts and comments are always a welcome addition . . .

Show 29 begins a two part interview with Murali Chemuturi on the topic of estimation.  This is not the first time the Cast has examined estimation however I think you will find that Muraliâs thoughts will add your knowledge base and might even spark heated debate.  

 Mr. Chemuturi has over thirty four years of total experience out of which about fourteen years have been spent in the field of information technology.  Has worked at TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES for five and half years and at ELECTRONICS COROPORATION OF INDIA LIMITED for nineteen. Murali also worked at SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES LTD., METAMOR GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD. and Vistaar eBusinesses Pvt Ltd.  His CV includes numerous publications and he is the author of an upcoming book on estimation which I will review on a future Software Measurement and Process Cast. 

Mr. Chemuturi can be contacted by email at murali@chemuturi.com or by phone at 91-40-27220771, 91-0-988-501-9461 and in the USA at 1- 347-394-3138.  His web site can be found at http://www.effortestimator.com

The essay for this cast is titled âResponsibility, Got Some?.  The essay discusses the evil alter ego of committees and consensus management.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

On the next SPaMCAST I am trying something new.  I am breaking up parts one and two of the interview with Murali and beginning a two part interview with Rob Donnellan of Q/P Management Group covering a wide range of measurement and process improvement topics.  We will pick back up with Murali on show 32. Your thoughts and comments are always a welcome addition . . .

An abridged version of Mr. Jacobsonâs Wikipedia biography notes that he is a Swedish computer scientist he holds a Masters of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg and a Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

In 1967 he proposed the use of software components in the development of the new generation of software controlled telephone switches Ericsson was developing. In doing this he invented sequence diagrams, and developed collaboration diagrams. He also applied state transition diagrams to describe the message flow between the components.

At Ericsson he also invented use cases as a way to specify functional software requirements.

In April 1987 he quit Ericsson and started Objective Systems. A majority stake of the company was acquired by Ericsson in 1991 (you can run but  . . .), and the company was renamed to Objectory AB.

In October 1995 Ericsson divested Objectory to Rational Software [1] and Ivar started working with Grady Booch and James Rumbaugh to first create the UML, and later develop the Rational Unified Process.

In mid 2003 Ivar formed Ivar Jacobson International (IJI) which is an umbrella company for Ivar Jacobson Consulting (IJC) which operates across 4 continents with offices in the UK, US (West and East Coast), Scandinavia, China, Korea, Singapore and Australia.

In November 2005, Jacobson announced the Essential Unified Process or âEssUP" for short. EssUP is a new âPractice" centric software development process that stands on the shoulders of modern but established software development best practice. It is a fresh new start integrating successful practices sourced from the three leading process camps: the unified process camp, the agile methods camp and the process maturity camp. Each one of them contributes different capabilities: structure, agility and process improvement.

Ivar has described EssUP as a "super light and agile" RUP and IJC have integrated EssUP into Microsoft Visual Studio Team System and Eclipse.

Check out http://www.ivarjacobson.com   and

http://www.ivarblog.com/

 
The essay for this cast is titled âSocial Media and Process Improvement."  The essay discusses the impact of social media on the practice of process improvement.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 29 will feature an interview with Murali Chemuturi on estimation.  Muraliâs take on estimation is razor sharp and will be a valuable addition to your knowledge base.  Your thoughts and comments would be a welcome addition . . .

Show 27 features part one of an interview with Ivar Jacobson, author, pundit and one of the creators of UML.  The discussion covered topics ranging from methodologies to his new concept, practices.   If process improvement and methodology are important to you, this is an important interview full of new concepts.

An abridged version of Mr. Jacobsonâs Wikipedia biography notes that he is a Swedish computer scientist he holds a Masters of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg and a Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

In 1967 he proposed the use of software components in the development of the new generation of software controlled telephone switches Ericsson was developing. In doing this he invented sequence diagrams, and developed collaboration diagrams. He also applied state transition diagrams to describe the message flow between the components.

At Ericsson he also invented use cases as a way to specify functional software requirements.

In April 1987 he quit Ericsson and started Objective Systems. A majority stake of the company was acquired by Ericsson in 1991 (you can run but  . . .) , and the company was renamed to Objectory AB.

In October 1995 Ericsson divested Objectory to Rational Software [1] and Ivar started working with Grady Booch and James Rumbaugh to first create the UML, and later develop the Rational Unified Process.

In mid 2003 Ivar formed Ivar Jacobson International (IJI) which is an umbrella company for Ivar Jacobson Consulting (IJC) which operates across 4 continents with offices in the UK, US (West and East Coast), Scandinavia, China, Korea, Singapore and Australia.

In November 2005, Jacobson announced the Essential Unified Process or âEssUP" for short. EssUP is a new âPractice" centric software development process that stands on the shoulders of modern but established software development best practice. It is a fresh new start integrating successful practices sourced from the three leading process camps: the unified process camp, the agile methods camp and the process maturity camp. Each one of them contributes different capabilities: structure, agility and process improvement.

Ivar has described EssUP as a "super light and agile" RUP and IJC have integrated EssUP into Microsoft Visual Studio Team System and Eclipse.

Check out http://www.ivarjacobson.com   and

http://www.ivarblog.com/

The essay for this cast is titled âWe Are All Futurists."  The essay discusses the basis for predicting the future (can you say estimation) and why some people shy away from being a futurist.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will be a special show.  Cast 28 will feature part two of the interview with Ivar Jacobson.  Your thoughts and comments would be a welcome addition . . .
 

<a href="http://technorati.com/claim/xsaw7fzxjx" rel="me">Technorati Profile</a>

Show 26 features an interview with Nicolas Carr, author of âThe Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google" and âDoes IT Matter".  The discussion ranged from computing as a utility to the impact of ubiquitous computing on business and society. 

Mr. Carr is a former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review. He writes and speaks on technology, business, and culture. His 2004 book Does IT Matter? Information Technology and the Corrosion of Competitive Advantage, published by Harvard Business School Press, set off a worldwide debate about the role of computers in business. His new book, The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google, examines the future of computing and its implications for business and society. He also edited and wrote the introduction for The Digital Enterprise, a book of HBR writings on the Internet, and contributed to World View, Organizing Business Knowledge, and When Good People Behave Badly.

Check out www.roughtype.com/    and

www.bigswitchbook.com

The essay for this cast is titled âThe Center Will Not Hold."  The essay discusses change and the life cycle of how extreme changes evolve the mainstream over time.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will be a special show.  Cast 27 will feature a interview with Ivar Jacobson.  Your thoughts and comments would be a welcome addition . . .

A few hours late . . . for some reason Audacity and Vista had a wrestling match this afternoon.  A couple of reinstalls later we are back in action however I think the interview and essay might be the some of the best of year one! Show 25 features an interview with Grady Booch.  The interview covers topics ranging from high ceremony processes, anarchy, and organizational governance to virtual worlds.  Humboldt Curve and even Mooreâs Law even make appearances. 

Grady is recognized internationally for his innovative work on software architecture and software engineering. A renowned visionary, he has devoted his life's work to improving the effectiveness of software developers worldwide. Grady served as Chief Scientist of Rational Software Corporation since its founding in 1981 and continues to serve in that capacity within IBM. Grady is one of the original authors of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and was also one of the original developers of several of Rational's products. Grady has served as architect and architectural mentor for numerous complex software-intensive systems around the world in just about every domain imaginable.

Grady is the author of six best-selling books, including the UML Users Guide and the seminal Object-Oriented Analysis with Applications. He has published several hundred articles on software engineering, including papers published in the early '80s that originated the term and practice of object-oriented design (OOD), plus papers published in the early 2000's that originated the term and practice of collaborative development environments (CDE).

At random times, the laws of physics do not apply to him. He is not dead yet.

Contact Grady at architecture@booch.com

The essay for this cast is titled âOmnibus Frameworks, Collaboration and Social Media."  The essay wrestles with balancing frameworks, collaboration and a new world order in process improvement.   Humans are generally social by nature, IT personnel are no different (although the stereotype indicates differently) the new focus on social media whether in second life, Twitter or other platforms are tools that will let you break down high ceremony processes into more manageable âpractices.â   The shift from one size fits all frameworks to highly granular practices will allow you to shift control closer to work and support usage via social media tools.  The text of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will be a special show.  Cast 26 will be a retrospective of the past year highlighting SPaMCASTâs first year.  Your thoughts and comments  would be a welcome addition . . .

The Software Process and Measurmeent Cast Six continues the the theme arc on estimation with a conversation with Michael Bragen of Software Productivitity Research, LLC (SPR).  This is an interview where having a pencil and paper to take notes will come in handy (at least it did for me and I was there).  

SPR's website is www.spr.com
Mr. Bragen's email address is  michael.bragen@spr.com

The essay in this cast is titled 'An Estimate Is Just A Number, Right?'  It is way too easy to forget that an estimate carries alot of wieght even when it is given off-the-cuff.  The full text version of the essay can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.

Next Cast:

The next cast will be posted on Sunday April 22 (programing notes on April 15) and will feature an interview with Kenji Hiranabe in which we will talk about using Mind Maps in Agile projects.  The essay I hae planned will be titled 'Whay Are Requirements So Hard To Get Right'.  Your thoughts on the topic as I write the document will be appreciated (afterwards also).

Currently I have four more interviews in the 'can' after Kenji with names that include Finegold, Herron, Ferdinandi and Symons.  Other are being lined up!  If you have a suggestion please let me know at spacastinfo@gmail.com!

Events:

IFPUG Spring Workshops and Functional Size Summit
April 22 - 27
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
www.ifpug.org
'Counting New Medias: Blogs, WIKIs, Podcasts and Second Life' (April 24)

Better Software Conference and Expo
June 18 - 21
Las Vegas, Nevada
www.seq.com/bscereg
'When Good Numbers Go Bad' (June 21 at 3 PM)

Contact SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

TWITTER: tcagley (www.twitter.com/tcagley)
Email: spamcastinfo@gmail.com
Voice Messages: 1-206-888-6111
Facebook:  http://tinyurl.com/62z5el

Get involved!

** Note â Traceability paper will be out on the feed this week. **

Show 24 features an interview with Marilyn Edelson, a Principal at IT Decisions Coaching LLC.  The interview covers project management, leadership, the similarities, differences and how coaching can make both better.  This was a wide ranging interview with lots of tips and take âaways"!

Here are the links for ITDC and Marilyn!

IT Decisions Coaching - www.itdecisionscoaching.com/

ITDC email:  info@itdecisionscoaching.com

Marilynâs email:  m.edelson@itdecisionscoaching.com

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

 
Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features an interview with Grady Booch chief scientist of Rational Software (now a part of IBM).  We will discuss structure, design, architecture, agility and discipline amongst other things.  This is another of those interviews where you will want to take notes!

** I believe I am back on track since the motherboard failure.  We should be back on track for delivering your favorite process improvement and measurement content every other week! **

Show 23 features an interview with Johanna Rothman.  The interview is titled, âProject Management in the Post Waterfall World".  While the title is a bit fanciful I would suggest that the ideas espoused are very powerful and pertinent to how work is done and managed. 

Johanna Rothman consults, speaks, and writes on managing high-technology product development. She assists managers, teams, and organizations to become more effective by applying her pragmatic approaches to the issues of project management, risk management, and people management. Sheâs helped Engineering organizations, IT organizations, and startups hire technical people, manage projects, and release successful products faster.

Johanna is the author of Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management, the coauthor (with Esther Derby) of Behind Closed Doors, Secrets of Great Management, and the author of Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets and Science of Hiring Technical People. Johanna is a host and session leader at the Amplifying Your Effectiveness (AYE) conference.

The AYE site is http://www.ayeconference.com

Here are the links to Joannaâs books and blogs:

Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management: <http://www.pragprog.com/titles/jrpm> 

Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management: <http://www.pragprog.com/titles/rdbcd> 

Hiring The Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets & Science of Hiring Technical People: <http://www.dorsethouse.com/books/hire.html> 

Hiring Technical People blog <http://www.jrothman.com/blog/htp>  

Managing Product Development blog <http://www.jrothman.com/blog/mpd> 

The essay is titled is the synopsis of âTraceability:  A Radical Approach Based on User Involvement." I am excited as I have finally completed the essay and I think it adds a lot to the discussion of traceability and tailoring.   I will push entire document out on the SPaMCAST feed later this week.   The text of the synopsis can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events and the next . . .

I have a couple of free webinars coming up in early 2008.  The first is âGetting Performance Improvement Out of Your Software Process Improvement" on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT

And the second is titled âA Cost Effective Approach to Enterprise Wide Software Process Improvement" May 22nd, 2008 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Eastern Time

More information and registration information can be found at http://www.itmpi.org/webinars/

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features an interview with Marilyn Edelson of IT Decisions Coaching (ITDC).  We will be discussing unlocking the door of success via coach, mentoring and goals just in time to plan the New Year

Show 22 features an interview with Joe Levens of Wolters Kluwer discussing Configuration Management (CM).  Joe has worked in development, testing, configuration management, and process improvement roles for 24 years. He formed and led the Configuration Management group at Reuters for 8 years, which performed a unique process of integrity checking on software releases, to significantly improve product quality delivered to the customer. His group managed an average of 1000 software and document releases per year, distributed globally. Joseph is currently a Program Manager for Wolters Kluwer, where he chairs a Software Process Improvement Collaboration Forum among organizations throughout North America.

The essay is titled "Attention as an Asset in Outsourcing".  The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter - www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features an interview with Johanna Rothman titled âProject Management in the Post Waterfall World.  Johanna is an author, consultant and guru if you have any interest in Project Management you will not want to miss this interview!

Show 21 features an interview with Miranda Mason of Accenture on metrics consulting and sourcing programs.  The interview has a ton of information on how to make metrics programs useful and how to approach sourcing these kinds of programs. MS Mason is the global Performance Management and metrics lead for Accentureâs Outsourcing practice. She has extensive experience in IT metrics, Balanced Scorecards, Six Sigma, and application outsourcing. Miranda lives in Denver with her husband and 3 year old son.
                              

The essay is titled âMarine Corp Marathon 10k and Process Improvement, One Year Later . . ." The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome!

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . .

• Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
• Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111
• Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley
• BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events:

On Tuesday November 13th I am presenting Traceability: A Proposal for a Scalable Approach, Agile To Formal at the Fourth Annual International Conference on Software Process Improvement in Orlando.    Information can be found at www.icspi.com.  On November 16th I will be delivering a tutorial titled âImplementing an Effective Measurement Program."  Spamcast listeners should let me know if you are coming and we can schedule a meet up.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature a brilliant interview with Joe Levens of Wolters Kluwer on configuration management (CM).  

Show 20 features Part 2 of an interview with Dave Garmus discussing IFPUG Function Points.  David Garmus is one of the Founders of The David Consulting Group (DCG). David is an acknowledged authority in the sizing, measurement and estimation of software application development. He is a Past President of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) and a member of their Counting Practices Committee. Mr. Garmus is also a member of PMI, SEI and QAI. He has a BS from UCLA and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. He has spoken at numerous conferences and has written many articles and several books, including:

        Measuring The Software Process: A Practical Guide To Functional Measurements, Prentice Hall, 1996

        Function Point Analysis; Measurement Practices for Successful Software Projects, Addison-Wesley, 2001

        IT Measurement; Practical Advice from the Experts, Addison-Wesley, 2002 as a Contributor

        âIT Metrics and Benchmarking," Cutter IT Journal, June & November 2003 issues, Guest Editor

        âIdentifying Your Organizationâs Best Practices," CrossTalk, June 2005

        âAn Introduction to Function Point Counting," Projects & Profits, ICFAI, June 2005

        âThe Principles of Sizing and Estimating Projects Using IFPUG Function Points," Software Tech News, June 2006

The essay is titled âTailoring and Worktypes."  The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111

Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley

BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events:

On Tuesday November 13th I am presenting Traceability: A Proposal for a Scalable Approach, Agile To Formal at the Fourth Annual International Conference on Software Process Improvement in Orlando.    Information can be found at www.icspi.com.  On November 16th I will be delivering a tutorial titled âImplementing an Effective Measurement Program."  Spamcast listeners should let me know if you are coming and we can schedule a meet up.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an interview with Miranda Mason of Accenture on sourcing metrics programs.   Sourcing your metrics program is not a topic that gets a lot of press however the practice is becoming more common and bears examination.   

Show 19 features an interview with Dave Garmus discussing IFPUG Function Points. 

David Garmus is one of the Founders of The David Consulting Group (DCG). David is an acknowledged authority in the sizing, measurement and estimation of software application development. He is a Past President of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) and a member of their Counting Practices Committee. Mr. Garmus is also a member of PMI, SEI and QAI. He has a BS from UCLA and an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. He has spoken at numerous conferences and has written many articles and several books, including:

        Measuring The Software Process: A Practical Guide To Functional Measurements, Prentice Hall, 1996

        Function Point Analysis; Measurement Practices for Successful Software Projects, Addison-Wesley, 2001

        IT Measurement; Practical Advice from the Experts, Addison-Wesley, 2002 as a Contributor

        âIT Metrics and Benchmarking," Cutter IT Journal, June & November 2003 issues, Guest Editor

        âIdentifying Your Organizationâs Best Practices," CrossTalk, June 2005

        âAn Introduction to Function Point Counting," Projects & Profits, ICFAI, June 2005

        âThe Principles of Sizing and Estimating Projects Using IFPUG Function Points," Software Tech News, June 2006

The essay is titled âStockholm Syndrome and Outsourcing."  The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST  at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111

Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley

BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events:

On October 11 I will be presenting a DCG / CAI Webinar titled Benchmarking Performance for the Bottom Line - October 11th, 2007, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm EST go to www.davidconsultingroup.com website to register.

On Tuesday November 13th I am presenting Traceability: A Proposal for a Scalable Approach, Agile To Formal at the Fourth Annual International Conference on Software Process Improvement in Orlando.    Information can be found at www.icspi.com.  On November 16th I will be delivering a tutorial titled âImplementing an Effective Measurement Program."  Spamcast listeners should let me know if you are coming and we can schedule a meet up.

 
Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature Part 1 of the interview with Dave Garmus covering IFPUG Function Points, if you are interested in functional measurement this is a must cast. 

Show 18 features an interview with Kent Beck discussing transparency.  Kent Beck is the Founder and Director of Three Rivers Institute (TRI). His career has combined the practice of software development with reflection, innovation, and communication. His contributions to software development include patterns for software, the rediscovery of test-first programming, the xUnit family of developer testing tools, and Extreme Programming. He currently divides his time between writing, programming, and coaching. Beck is the author/co-author of Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change 2nd Edition, Contributing to Eclipse, Test-Driven Development: By Example, Planning Extreme Programming, The Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns, and the JUnit Pocket Guide.  He received his B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Oregon.  

The Three Rivers Institute can be found at www.threeriversinstitute.org/

The essay in this cast is three mini-segments of a new thread titled âLife Lessons in Measurement and Process Improvement."  The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.
 

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111

Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley

BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events:

On October 11 I will be presenting a DCG / CAI Webinar titled Benchmarking Performance for the Bottom Line - October 11th, 2007, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm EST go to www.davidconsultingroup.com website to register.
 

On Tuesday November 13th I am presenting Traceability: A Proposal for a Scalable Approach, Agile To Formal at the Fourth Annual International Conference on Software Process Improvement in Orlando.    Information can be found at www.icspi.com.  On November 16th I will be delivering a tutorial titled âImplementing an Effective Measurement Program."  Spamcast listeners should let me know if you are coming and we can schedule a meet up.

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an interview Dave Garmus covering IFPUG Function Points, if you are interested in functional measurement this is a must cast. 

Show 16 features an interview Paul Radford of Charismatek Software Metrics discussing using functional metrics to build software.  Paul is one of the movers and shakers behind Charismatek Software Metrics a multifaceted organization that has brought us Function Point Workbench and a wide range of consulting.  Paul is a master at making software measurement relevant to controlling and delivering software. Contact data:

Phone:  + 61 (0) 3 9696 1255
Email:  info@charismatek.com
http://www.charismatek.com

The essay titledfor this cast is titled ââYou Get What You Look For, So Look," discusses the common measurement short coming of stock piling data before reporting or using it.   The text of this commentary can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections are welcome.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111

Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley

BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events:

In September, I will  be presenting âLife on the Edge: Counting Weird Things on the Webâ on Thursday September 13th at 11:20 at the International Software Measurement and Analysis Conference in Las Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Sunday September 9 through the 14th.  Details are available at http://www.ifpug.org/educational/workshopagenda2007.htm

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features a wonderful interview with Kent Beck in which we discussed transparency.  If you are interested in the cutting edge of software development from a humanistic point of view you will need to be here in two weeks.

Four Board of Director Candidates speak out on the Issues!

 
I offered all of the candidates running for the IFPUG Board of Directors the opportunity to answer one question to be posted on the Software Process and Measurement Cast (SPaMCAST).  The question was âin your opinion what is IFPUGâs most significant problem and if elected what would you do about it."   Four of the eight candidates took me up on the offer.  I have packaged their answers on this special edition of SPaMCAST.  Note, I did  no editing  on these responses.  Also the fact that theyâre appearing on SPaMCAST is not a recommendation by me or IFPUG.   It is merely a public service for the membership. 

If you are interested in listening to the podcast you can subscribe via ITunes, other podcatchers or go to www.spamcast.net for streaming. 

 Commentary:

As in IFPUG member you have a deep interest in how IFPUG governed. Board members have a significant hand in whether new ideas are embraced or the status quo maintained, whether offerings are expanded or maintained.  Your vote for the members of the IFPUG Board of Directors is an important tool for you to make your voice heard.  If youâre voting member in good standing (one good indication is whether you paid your dues) you should have recently received a ballot in the mail or an e-mail with instructions on how to vote if you have not received one or both please:

1. Validate you are a voting member.  Remember that corporate members have the specific people identified as voting members. 
2. After validating your voting member make sure you paid your dues for the 2007 â 2008 year. 
3. If  you still think you are should have received a ballot contact the office at IFPUG@IFPUG.org and please copy me at tcagley2@oh.rr.com

 
Voting is an important obligation of membership.  Voting is part of the theme of involvement I will be stressing when I become president later this year.  Begin your involvement with IFPUG by voting. 

 
Note this entry will be posted at www.IFPUGpresident.wordpress.com.  I will be update this blog periodically during my presidency. Iâm looking to serving you on the Board of Directors. 

If you are interested in software process or measurement the Software Process and Measurement Cast is a great opportunity for you to listen to such a people in as Kent Beck, Capers Jones, Will McKnight, Mary Poppendieck Dave Garmus, Scott Goldfarb and many others.   Please subscribe via I Tunes or directly at www.spamcast.net  

Show 16 features an interview with Mary Poppendieck discussing Lean  Software Development processes.  Mary Poppendieck As a seasoned leader in both operations and new product development, she brings a  practical, customer-focused approach to software development problems. A popular writer and speaker, Maryâs classes on managing software development offer a fresh perspective on project management.  Her book  Lean Software Development: An Agile Toolkit, was published in 2003
and won the Software Development Productivity Award in 2004.  A sequel, Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to  Cash, was published in 2006.  Maryâs contact data is:

Phone:  952-934-7998
Email:  mary@poppendieck.
http://www.poppendieck.com/

The essay on this instatllment of the Software Process and Measurement Cast is a titled âA Pattern of Failure, A Pattern of Change.ï?  The essay is a commentary on the lack of systemic thinking we sometimes  see in process improvement programs The text of this commentary can  be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.  Comments and corrections
are welcome.
 

Remember that comments and
        feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to 
        share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1.206.888.6111

Twitter   www.twitter.com/tcagley

BLOG   www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events:

In September, I will  be presenting âLife on the Edge: Counting Weird Things on the Webâ on Thursday September 13th at 11:20 at the International Software Measurement and Analysis Conference in Las Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Sunday September 9 through the 14th.  Details are available at http://www.ifpug.org/educational/workshopagenda2007.htm

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an interview with Paul Radford of Charismatek Software Metrics, if you are interested in software process and measurement this is a must cast. 

Co

Show 14 features an interview with Scott Goldfarb discussing software baselines and benchmarks.  Scott, the President of Q/P Management Group (http://www.qpmg.com/), is an international consultant and speaker with over thirty years of software experience.  Scott specializes in helping organizations improve software quality and productivity through measurement.   Scott can be contacted at sgoldfarb@qpmg.com.

Ray Rosenblatt has contributed a review of the book âMetrics and Models in Software Quality Engineeringï? by Stephen H Kan for the essay.  The text of this commentary can be found at my blog, www.tcagley.wordpress.com.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111

Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley

BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

Future Events:

On August 23 I will present a DCG / CAI Webinar: titled Measure Twice, Implement Once at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT .  See http://www.davidconsultinggroup.com/news/calendar.aspx for details.

In September, I will  be presenting âLife on the Edge: Counting Weird Things on the Webâ on Thursday September 13th at 11:20 at the International Software Measurement and Analysis Conference in Las Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Sunday September 9 through the 14th.  Details are available at http://www.ifpug.org/educational/workshopagenda2007.htm

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature an interview with Mary Poppendieck on Lean, if you are interested in software process efficiency this is a must cast. 

Co

Software Process and Measurement
Show 14!

Show 14 features an interview with M.A. Parthasarathy discussing estimation and his new book âPractical Software Estimation Function Point Methods for Insourced and Outsourced Projects."  Partha is the Head of Outsourcing Academy at the Strategic Global Sourcing unit at Infosys. In this role, he is responsible for enabling and developing competencies of the SGS Delivery team, specific to large outsourcing engagements.  Partha can be reached at Partha@infosys.com.

 The essay for this cast is a review of Parthaâs book âPractical Software Estimation".  If you skip the review (really bad choice) just remember this is book is one to buy and use.  The text of this commentary can be found at my personal blog, www.tcagley.wordpress.com.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at         spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111

Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley

BLOG â www.tcagley.wordpress.com

It is my intent to share all emails and voice messages! 

Future Events:

On August 23 I will present a DCG / CAI Webinar: titled Measure Twice, Implement Once at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT .  See http://www.davidconsultinggroup.com/news/calendar.aspx for details.

In September, I will  be presenting âLife on the Edge: Counting Weird Things on the Webâ on Thursday September 13th at 11:20 at the International Software Measurement and Analysis Conference in Las Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Sunday September 9 through the 14th.  Details are available at http://www.ifpug.org/educational/workshopagenda2007.htm

News from Friends of SPaMCAST 

I got a note from Kenji Hiranabe, I interviewed Kenji in SPaMCAST 7.  We discussed agile and mind maps.  He provided an update on some of the things he is up to â

1. Ruby and Agile combination rant.

I have a chance to talk with Matz, the father of Ruby. We talk about Ruby and Agile and video taped and added English subtitles.

http://www.infoq.com/news/2007/06/ruby-x-agile

2. Sustainable Software Development, book review mind map.  Great book. I made a fancy mind map of the concept.

The two can be found in my English blog.

http://jude-users.com/en/modules/weblog/index.php?user_id=5

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features an interview with Scott Goldfarb on benchmarks.  This interview included tons information for people interested in software metrics.

Six Month Anniversary

Show Thirteen features an interview with Gary Gack on Lean Six Sigma.   The interview is phenomenal!  Gary is the founder of Process-Fusion.net and holds an MBA from the Wharton School.  He is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. In addition an ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE), a Visiting Scientist with the Software Engineering Institute where he co-authored the "Measuring for Performance Driven Improvement 1" course for which he is an authorized instructor, and he holds the ITIL Foundation Certification. He has more than 40 years of diverse experience in the software and IT industry, including more than 20 years focused on process improvement.  Gary can be reach by email at ggack@Process-Fusion.net or by phone at (904) 579-1894.

The essay for this cast is titled, âAchieving Balance in Outsourcing Governance.""  The text of this commentary can be found at my personal blog, www.tcagley.wordpress.com.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at         spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111

Twitter â www.twitter.com/tcagley

It is my intent to share all emails and voice messages! 

Future Events:

On August 23 I will present a DCG / CAI Webinar: titled Measure Twice, Implement Once at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM EDT .  See http://www.davidconsultinggroup.com/news/calendar.aspx for details.

In September, I will  be presenting âLife on the Edge: Counting Weird Things on the Webâ on Thursday September 13th at 11:20 at the International Software Measurement and Analysis Conference in Las Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Sunday September 9 througth the 14th.  Details are available at http://www.ifpug.org/educational/workshopagenda2007.htm

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features an interview with M.A. Parthasarathy, Mr. Parthasarathy is the author of Practical Software Estimation which was recently published by Addison Wesley.  It is interviews like this that remind of why I started SPaMCAST. I enjoyed the discussion and you will get a ton out of it. 

Show Eleven features Part One of an in depth interview with Charles Symons on the topic of COSMIC Full Function Points.  Charles Symons is currently joint project leader of COSMIC, the Common Software Measurement International Consortium. Before leading the development of COSMIC-FFP, Charles invented the Mk II Function Point Analysis technique for sizing software requirements.  Information on COSMIC can be found at http://www.cosmicon.com/advantagecs.asp and http://www.gelog.etsmtl.ca/cosmic-ffp/index.html.   

"Inca Trail and Process Improvement: A Ritual Purification".   The text of this commentary can be found at my personal blog, www.tcagley.wordpress.com.

Remember that comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . . 

Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com

Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111It is my intent to share all emails and voice messages! 

Future Events:

On June 21 at 3 PM I will be presenting "When Good Numbers Go Bad" at Better Software 2007 in Los Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Monday June 18 though Thursday June 21 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.  Information is available at http://www.sqe.com/bettersoftwareconf/.  If you are attending let me know and we can schedule a get together.

News on the Second Annual International Software Measurement and Analysis Conference on the next cast!

Other Notes

Ian Brown's article Controlling Software Acquisition Costs With Function Points and Estimation Tool in the May 2007 Crosstalk can be found at http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/CrossTalk/2007/05/0705Brown.html

Also Caper's Jones Estimating Software Costs Second Edition has hit the book stores! 

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast:

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature the conclusion of the interview with Charles Symons discussing COSMIC Full Function Points.

Show Seven features an interview with Kenji Hiranabe on using mind mapping in agile projects.  Mind Mapping is a powerful technique to order information and concentrate communication.  The interview with Mr. Hiranabe includes a large number of practical applications of the method to agile and plan based projects. 

Kenji Hiranabe, CEO of Change Vision, Inc (http://www.change-vision.com/index_en.html).  Change Vision develops tools to help deliver effective projects.  He is a Japanese software development consultant and book translator of Extreme Programming Installed, Lean Software Development, Agile Project Management, and other Agile books. He's also an author of JUDE, a UML and MindMap editor software and TRICHORD, an agile project management tool. You can read his blog at http://jude-users.com/en/modules/weblog/index.php?user_id=5.He specializes in agile development, object-oriented software construction and project facilitation. 

The essay for this cast is titled, Why are requirements so hard to get right? Part 1.   The essay focuses on the people factors affecting the requirements process.  The people factors typically are the most volatile and a seemingly least controllable of the people, process and environment variables within the requirements process.  Process,  and environment will be discussed in subsequent essays.  

Remember that  comments and feedback are welcome! 

There are a number of ways to share your thoughts . . .  
Email SPaMCAST at spamcastinfo@gmail.com
Voice messages can be left at 1-206-888-6111It is my intent to share all emails and voice messages!  

Future Events: 

On June 21 at 3 PM  I will  be presenting "When Good Numbers Go Bad" at Better Software 2007 in Los Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Monday June 18 though Thursday June 21 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.  Information is available at http://www.sqe.com/bettersoftwareconf/  If you are attending let me know.  

Next Software Process and Measurement Cast: 

The next Software Process and Measurement Cast features an important interview with Stephen Finegold of SFT Consulting, LLC.  The interview will cover the topic of build management.  The essay will be on the first of the deadly sins of metrics. 

SPaMCAST Five includes a guest essay by Paul Laberge of CCH Canada on fitting PPQA audit to an organization to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.   If you have an idea for a guest essay contact Tom Cagley at spamcastinfo@gmail.com, the Software Process and Measurement Cast welcomes guest essays! 

Finally this cast includes comments on Putts Law.  Putts Law states that - those that understand do not manage and those that manage do not understand.  I am worried about the thought of using project managers wholesale without technical competency.  Does this casue a competency inversion?  What are the attributes of a perfect project manager?  Send your comment to spamcastinfo@gmail.com.

Next Cast:

The next cast continues the estimation theme arc on estimation with an interview with Michael Bragen of Software Productivity Research, LLC.  The essay for the cast is tentatively titled, An Estimate is Just A Number, Right?

The discussion provides information for organization to decide which model makes sense and whether they can be applied at the same time.  The discussion touched on the issue of whether a craft or factory model is healthier as a model for an information technology organizations in the 21st century.  I believe the topic foreshadows its own mud wrestle in the future.  Thoughts?

The essay in this cast is titled 'Models, Models Everywhere . . .'  The essay challenges you to clearly understand why you are using any model and to evaluate the value.  Implementing a model for the sake of model is a loosing proposition.  The essay leaves you with the question, 'models, models, everywhere . . . a powerful tool or a straight jacket?' Which is it for you?

Next Cast:
SPaMCAST Five will be released on March 25th and will feature an interview with Ian Brown of Booz Allen Hamilton.  The interview will focus on the conundrum we call estimation.  This cast will be the first in an arc of discussion on the topic of estimation.

Future Events
In April I will be presenting and teaching a workshop at the IFPUG Spring Workshops and Functional Sizing Summit (www.ifpug.org).  The workshop titled Counting New Medias:  Blogs, WIKIs, Podcasts and Second Life will be a truly hands class wrestling with sizing media and the tools used to create it. The IFPUG Spring Workshops and Functional Sizing Summit will be held Sunday, April 22 until Thursday, April 26, 2007 at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver, Canada.  Information is available at www.ifpug.org.  If you are attending let me know and will see about a friends of SPaMCAST gathering.

On June 21 at 3 PM I will  be presenting When Good Numbers Go Bad at Better Software 2007 in Las Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Monday June 18 though Thursday June 21 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.  Information is available at http://www.sqe.com/bettersoftwareconf/  If you are attending let me know.

Finally remember that Will McKnight will be speaking at SEPG this year March 26 through 29 in Austin.  Information is available  at www.sei.cmu.edu/sepg/2007/

 Comments, Rants and Raves?
Your comments, questions and rants are appreciated and will help to facilitate a dialog and build the community.  Let me know the topics you would like have covered and people you would like interviewed. Get involved! Contact SPAMCast at SPAMcastinfo@gmail.com

The essay for this podcast is titled, Measurement Proliferation, Guarding The Peace or Mutually Assured Destruction?  The article explores proliferation in depth (measuring the same thing many ways) and breadth (measuring everything). 

Next Cast
The Next SPaMCAST will be posted on March 11.  The cast will feature an exciting interview with Stasia Iwanicki.  The interview is titled 'Six Sigma and CMMI:  Friends, Foes or Mud Wrestling Partners'.

Future Events
In April I will be presenting and teaching a workshop at the IFPUG Spring Workshops and Functional Sizing Summit (www.ifpug.org).  The workshop titled Counting New Medias:  Blogs, WIKIs, Podcasts and Second Life will be a truly hands class wrestling with sizing media and the tools used to create it. The IFPUG Spring Workshops and Functional Sizing Summit will be held Sunday, April 22 until Thursday, April 26, 2007 at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver, Canada.  Information is available at www.ifpug.org.  If you are attending let me know and will see about a friends of SPaMCAST gathering.

On June 21 at 3 PM I will  be presenting When Good Numbers Go Bad at Better Software 2007 in Los Vegas.  The conference and workshops run from Monday June 18 though Thursday June 21 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.  Information is available at http://www.sqe.com/bettersoftwareconf/  If you are attending let me know.

Finally remember that Will McKnight will be speaking at SEPG this year March 26 through 29 in Austin.  Information is available  at www.sei.cmu.edu/sepg/2007/

 Comments, Rants and Raves?
Your comments, questions and rants are appreciated and will help to facilitate a dialog and build the community.  Let me know the topics you would like have covered and people you would like interviewed. Get involved! Contact SPAMCast at SPAMcastinfo@gmail.com

 Click Here

for SEPG 2007

PPQA Material

The direct link is :

http://www.nextlevelconsultants.com/ppqa-sepg-assets.htm

Show Two's essay, "Keep the Ship of IT Pointed Towards Delivering Value" is a reflection on a lecture I attended by Jared Diamond.  His lecture was in support of his book. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2005).  The ideas in the book concern the anthropology of societies however they are equally relevant to why process improvement programs succeed or fail.  Two of the ideas Dr. Diamond put forth on why societies collapse that are instantly germane to SPI programs.  Full text can be found at www.tcagley.wordpress.com.

SPaMCAST Show Three will feature an interview with Capers Jones and will be post on February 25.

Comments or suggestions for SPaMCAST can be sent to spamcastinfo@gmail.com.

Show One features an interview with Will McKnight (pictured) of Next Level Consultants.  Next Level Consultants can be found at: www.nextlevelconsultants.com

You can contact Mr. McKnight at info@nextlevelconsultants.com

Comments on the podcast and SPaMcast can be emailed to spamcastinfo@gmail.com.

Rough versions of the essay and other working articles can be found at tcagley@wordpress.com

 <a href="http://www.podcastalley.com/"> My Podcast Alley feed!</a> {pca-66dd681d07991ed3b86a108fd6b15024}

The cast will typically follow a format that begins with a commentary or essay followed by an interview and listener comments.  The interviews will address the wide range of software process improvement or measurement topics.  The list of topics and interviews that are currently scheduled include:

Process and Product Quality Assurance

Estimation

Software measurement

Function Points

Other Functional Metrics

Outsourcing the Measurement Process

Overall the cast is intended to last approximately 20 â 30 minutes and to be produced every two weeks.

Tom Cagley

spamcastinfo@gmail.com