Management and Governance

5 years, 6 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 467

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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 […]

5 years, 7 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 463

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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 […]

5 years, 9 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 454

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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 – […]

5 years, 10 months ago

Organizations as Systems – Kurosawa, Clausewitz, and Chess

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In order to respond appropriately to the context we find ourselves in, it’s helpful that we be able to correctly define that context. It’s something humans aren’t always good at. Not too long ago, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War was all the rage as among executives. While the book contains some excellent lessons that […]

5 years, 10 months ago

Management, Simple and Wrong – Semantics, Systems, and Self-Correction

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Simple responses to complex situations are both seductive and dangerous. The difficulty in juggling lots of variables tempts us to employ abstraction so as to avoid being overwhelmed. Abraham Maslow’s observation, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail”, applies. […]

5 years, 10 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 450

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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 […]

5 years, 11 months ago

Architecture Corner: We win, they lose – Seven Deadly Sins of IT

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Episode 7, the final installment of this season of Architecture Corner is out (I made a guest appearance in episode 1, “Good at Innovation”). In this installment, the CEO is greedily planning for a winner take all negotiation with the company’s suppliers. Chris the CEO (Casimir Artmann) and John the CIO (Greger Wikstrand) have a […]

5 years, 11 months ago

Architecture Corner: We are special – Seven Deadly Sins of IT

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Episode 6 of this season of Architecture Corner is out (I made a guest appearance in episode 1, “Good at Innovation”). In this installment, the CIO is a glutton for new data center capacity. Chris the CEO (Casimir Artmann) and John the CIO (Greger Wikstrand) are convinced that “we are special”. Can Ann the CFO […]

5 years, 11 months ago

Architecture Corner: No Money – Lights Out! – Seven Deadly Sins of IT

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Episode 5 of this season of Architecture Corner is out (I made a guest appearance in episode 1, “Good at Innovation”). In this installment, Chris the CEO falls victim to yet another temptation. The CEO has decided that no more time and money will be “wasted” on old systems. Can Joakim Lindbom convince him that […]

5 years, 11 months ago

Holistic Architecture – Keeping the Gears Turning

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In last week’s post, “Trash or Treasure – What’s Your Legacy?”, I talked about how to define “legacy systems”. Essentially, as the divergence grows between the needs of social systems and the fitness for purpose of the software systems that enable them, the more likely that those software systems can considered “legacy”. The post attracted […]

5 years, 11 months ago

Form Follows Function on SPaMCast 446

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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 […]