October 18, 2025
Punchline: Digital messaging TODAY causes more trouble than it solves.
These two excerpts highlight the crux of this book.
βWhile the ability to rapidly communicate using digital messages is useful, the frequent disruptions created by this behavior also make it hard to focus, which has a bigger impact on our ability to produce valuable output than we may have realized.β
(more…)October 15, 2025
A hyperactive hive mind, a concept developed by Cal Newport, refers to a highly collaborative and engaged group of individuals who constantly share ideas, communicate, and work together. This phenomenon can have both positive and negative impacts on software development teams.
Positive Impacts
(more…)December 15, 2024
In January of 2024, JRoss Publishing brought Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and I to the world. The activities supporting the book have been a blast! One of the common problems we have observed as we have spread the message is that often those with the biggest work intake problem get mesmerized by the symptoms and fail to see the root cause of the problem. When this happens the symptom becomes the root cause causing people and organizations to spend significant amounts of time and money fixing the wrong problem. To borrow a line from Manfred Mann, they are βBlinded by the light.β We will discuss this topic in a minute or so.
We also have a visit from the inestimable Susan Parente. Susan and I discussed how to integrate a new team member into a team. It is not easy when everyone has an opinion.
Master Work Intake!
It has been nearly a year since JRoss Publishing published Mastering Work Intake. Jeremy Willets and I believe our book and workshops have helped numerous organizations, teams, and most importantly people bring order out of chaos β at least that is what they tell us.
As the year winds down we are excited to offer a free 30-minute βoffice hoursβ session with us. Weβll facilitate the session to help you create a plan to tackle your work intake challenges. Book time with us here: https://lnkd.in/gtEvtcJd
Also, consider buying your boss a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will approve).
Amazon (US) β https://lnkd.in/gPEHs3DE
JRoss β https://lnkd.in/gWCSuYFf
(more…)November 9, 2024
On June 16, 2023, we completed the re-read ofΒ Team Topologies: Organizing Business And Technology Teams For Fast Flow. The crew at the Software Process and Measurement Blog and Podcast is off on a bit of an adventure. We are sharing the conclusion of Team Topologies to provide some reading while we recharge. We will return on December 7th with the next installment of Β How To Be A Stoic by Massimo Pigliucci.
(more…)November 3, 2024
SPaMCAST 836 celebrates Halloween. Over the years instead of just one night, people decorate their houses and celebrate for at least a month – we love a party. In celebration of what has become the seventh-largest retail holiday in the United States, let’s take a spooky look at the outcome of poor work intake and celebrate that we can banish the spooks and shades of poor work intake.
We will also hear from Jeremy Berriault, who brings his Evolutionary Agilist column to the podcast. In this episode, we discuss the impact of adding new team members to a long-lived, high-performing team when the new person wants to strike out in a new direction.Β
Master Work Intake!
Join one of two upcoming Mastering Work Intake Workshops to help you learn to address ITβs nastiest, dirtiest little secretβ¦poor work intake. The next two workshops are taking a compressed approach to help kickstart 2025! Seats are available on:
November 9th 9 AM EST – Noon ESTΒ
December 6th 9 AM EST Β Noon EST
More information and registration at https://maven.com/jeremy-willets/masteringworkintake
Simply put if you donβt control work intake IT CONTROLS YOU!
No workshops for you? Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake and begin to take control of the flow of work for your team and organization.
Order a copy of the book from JRoss Publishing – https://bit.ly/474ul6G or via Amazon – https://bit.ly/474ul6G
(more…)August 18, 2024
Also Jon M Quigley and I talk about who is the most important person on a team. This counterpoints my recent conversation with Jeremy Berriault on SPaMCAST 822. They sort of agree but itβ¦depends.
The SPaMCAST 824 compares the Great Avon Lake Tornado and power outage with the purported death of Agile. Cap that off with many in the industry doubling down on Agile purity to put the blush back on the rose. My upcoming high school reunion suggests you can never cross the same river twice but crossing any river is a challenge.
(more…)August 4, 2024
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 822 features a discussion that Jeremy Willets and I had during the Work Intake Summer Camp. The tyranny of the urgent often eclipses work that is merely important. Not understanding the difference between the two concepts and the long-term implications of ignoring what is important can be catastrophic.Β
We will also have a visit from Jeremy Berriault, the Evolutionary Agilist. We discussed why teams exist. The answer can be simplified into four words. Getting to those words is a wild ride.
Work Intake Summer Camp is in session! Like a swimming pool, there is always time to join the fun. Jeremy Willets and I are celebrating summer in the northern hemisphere with a summer camp. Weβll look at the primary causes of work intake problemsβ¦ and how to solve them! Join us for an entertaining and informative LinkedIn Live event. The last weekly session begins at 12:30 EDT on August 7th (LinkedIn).
(more…)July 21, 2024
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 820 continues the story of Innovatech. In this installment, Emma βsellsβ baselining the flow to generate ideas for improvement and a starting point. The story of Innovatech is an allegory for how a data-driven improvement initiative can be bootstrapped with courage and perseverance.
We also have a visit from Susan Parente whose βNot a Scrumdamentalistβ column delivers insights and advice. Susan and I discussed who the most important person on a team is and who isnβt.
Work Intake Summer Camp is in session! Like a swimming pool, there is always time to join the fun. Jeremy Willets and I are celebrating summer in the northern hemisphere with a summer camp. Weβll look at the primary causes of work intake problemsβ¦ and how to solve them! Join us for an entertaining and informative LinkedIn Live event. The next weekly session begins at 12:30 EDT on July 24th (LinkedIn).
Each session will:
We would like you to register at our Maven page https://bit.ly/3HEsKK7 so we can remind you when the session goes live. If you register we also have a Work Intake Problem Worksheet that we use in our workshops that we will email. However, if youβd rather not register on Maven you can set a reminder on LinkedIn (Session 6%%%). In either case, we will announce when the sessions go live on LinkedIn.
Replay Week 2: Need Outstrips Demand
Replay Week 4: Project Thinking v Product Thinking
Replay Week 5:
Share the invitation with others, wear sunscreen, and be kind to your fellow campers!
Re-read Saturday News
Chapter 8, of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyiβs book Flow, titled Enjoying Solitude and Other People, discusses the impact of people on optimal experience and flow. The author grounds the chapter by reminding us that the quality of life depends on how we experience work and relationships with others. Chapter 7 wrestled with the work portion of the equation and Chapter 8 the people part. The two are highly intertwined.
Logistics note: Including this week, we anticipate completing this re-read in 4 weeks. Are there recommendations for the next book in the Re-read series?
Buy a copy and read along β https://amzn.to/4b5kPmb
Week 1: Preface and Logistics β https://bit.ly/3WLjFHU
Week 2: Happiness β https://bit.ly/4dUSpNg
Week 3: Consciousness β https://bit.ly/4bEu3pN
Week 4: Enjoyment and The Quality of Life β https://bit.ly/4eeknDQ
Week 5: The Conditions Of Flow
Week 6: The Body In Flow
Week 7: The Flow Of Thought
Week 8: Work As Flow
Next SPaMCAST
The Software Process and Measurement Cast features our interview with Alex Natskovich. We will discuss finding value in unstructured data, transitioning from developer to entrepreneur, and agile.Β
August 13, 2023
The Software Process and Measurement Cast 768 features our interview with Phil Alves, CEO of DevSquad. Phil and I covered a wide range of topics starting with how he structures teams to perform in dynamic environments and culminating in a discussion of SaaS and entrepreneurship. Software development of any stripe is a team sport; either get it right or suffer the consequences.Β
Phil describes himself as a SaaS Aficionado!
He builds products for bootstrapped founders, fast-growing startups, and big enterprises at DevSquad.
His SaaS company, DevStats, helps product and engineering leaders measure what matters.
Phil also is a podcaster! The SaaS Origin Stories Podcast uncovers those pivotal moments and decisions that turned SaaS companies into major successes.
Contact Information
DevSquad: ππππ://π πππππππ .πππ/
DevStats: π‘πππ©π¬://πππ―π¬ππππ¬.ππ¨π¦/
(more…)June 17, 2023
Today we complete the re-read of Team Topologies. The last chapter is titled βConclusion: The Next-Generation Digital Operating Model. This chapter ties all of the themes of the book together and adds ideas for experimenting with adopting the four team topologies and interaction modes. My friend and colleague, Jeremy Willets, described teams as the atomic unit of Agile. I would suggest extending the metaphor to teams are the atomic unit of organizations. If teams have problems with flow the organization will struggle to deliver value. Structuring teams to enhance flow is of strategic importance. Unfortunately, team design does not get enough attention.Β Team design, as described in Team Topologies, requires changing how we think. Organizations need to focus on flow rather than hierarchy. If you have teams currently in place, a flow focus will mean that you have to organize people differently and to pay attention to the cognitive load placed on people.Β
(more…)
Software Process and Measurement 