Pushing cooked spaghetti uphill…is exhausting. Why it matters: It is hard to make change happen if leaders provide lip service to the cause. It is impossible if they actively oppose change. So what are you going to do? Panelists include: Jeremy Berriault - - Jon M Quigley - - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value. Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Find joy in your daily activities! The next SPaMCAST Finding approaches to find joy in the little things at work is more than just a slogan; Why this matters: How much time do you spend at work? Joy is the path to higher quality and productivity. The SPaMCAST 872 will be posted on August 3rd. If you want to participate in the panel discussions, email me at spamcastinfo@gmail.com.…

Habits, doing work without thinking, are the death of process improvement. Why it matters: When your brain goes on autopilot, it is easy to miss subtle changes and problems in product flow. Is it ever ok to stop thinking? Panelists include: Jeremy Berriault - - Jon M Quigley - Freddie Clark - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less. Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value. Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Fix Your Organization's Operating System FIRST: The next SPaMCAST Fix your organization BEFORE you try to fix teams. Why this matters: People work in the system that management created The SPaMCAST 871 will be posted on July 20th. For the summer of 2025, we will drop bi-weekly and focus on panel discussions. If you want to participate, email me at spamcastinfo@gmail.com.…

And we are back! The SPaMCAST 869 features a conversation on whether AI means the death of the specialist. Why it matters: AI tools and agents are becoming a core feature in the workplace of nearly all forward-facing organizations. To keep up, employees need to see the future and take action. Panelists include: Jeremy Beeriault - - - SusanParente - Me - Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and eliminate bottlenecks. Real results, real change. Discover the system that simplifies complex projects. Order your copy today! Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space? Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn Habits or Rituals: The next SPaMCAST Have your daily events become habits with all the conscious thought you’d give to scratching your…ear? Why this matters: If true, the value and joy from these events have probably gone the way of your conscious thought. THAT IS A BAD THING! Teams that get no value from retrospectives just go through the motions and then quit. This is true for ANY repeated event. The SPaMCAST 870 will be posted on July 6th. For the summer of 2025, we will drop bi-weekly and focus on panel discussions. If you want to participate, email me at spamcastinfo@gmail.com.…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: Another year has flown by, and 2025 is near. The SPaMCAST 844 features our year-end panel discussion. This year, Jeremy Willets, Jeremy Berriault, Susan Parente, Jon M Quigley, and I discussed AI, Agile, mixing methods, and tried to forecast what comes next. This episode is a cornucopia of opinions and frivolity. Websites: Jeremy Berriault: https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Susan Parente: http://www.s3-tec.com/ Jon M Quigley: https://valuetransform.com/ Jeremy Willets: https://www.jeremywillets.com/…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: SPaMCAST 788 is our annual SPaMCAST panel featuring most of the podcast regulars, including: Jeremy Berriault, Keis Kostaqi, Jon M. Quigley, Jeremy Willets, and Tom Cagley appears in the ringmaster role. Tony Timbol and Susan Parente, regular contributors, were unable to join, and we missed them (this time of year is busy). Maybe I should do the annual panel in February, no one is busy in the colder parts of February. During this year's panel, we discussed using AIs in coaching, working in the office, Jon’s tent, and 2024.…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 762, we host a panel discussion on the impact of AI on project management prospects. The panel of Paul Clapis, Susan Parente, Michael Milutis, and Mark Tolbert state categorically that project administration will be overtaken, but the high-value human side of project management will not be displaced. I am not sure what that means for most people working in the project management space. Listen to the discussion and then look carefully at the work you are doing. Will AI be a boon or a bane for project management? Let the conversation begin. About Paul J. Clapis, Ph.D.: Dr. Clapis has over 30 years of experience managing AI, Machine Learning, and RPA projects for NASA, aerospace, and financial services industries. He also directed the Hughes Advanced Computing Lab at Yale Science Park, where he conducted applied research in AI, Expert Systems, Machine Learning, and Neural Networks. About Susan Parente: Susan is an Engineer/Consultant, speaker, and author with experience managing both software and hardware development. She is proficient in managing complex system implementation for companies seeking to use enterprise business software to improve business process efficiency. Susan is a regular contributor to the Software Process and Measurement podcast. About Michael Milutis: Michael Milutis is an international keynote speaker, instructor, and 25-year veteran of the IT industry who has dedicated his career to helping individuals learn, develop, and compete within a shifting technology landscape. About Mark Tolbert: Mark has over 30 years of experience in I.T., including 27 years at Hewlett-Packard. He successfully managed support programs and projects within HP Services. He is a full-time instructor for PMP Prep classes since November 2007. He is very passionate about project management and believes adopting the best project management practices and skills is crucial to the success of enterprises today.…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: One of the fun parts of programming the Software Process and Measurement Cast is getting diverse groups of people together to chat. In this edition of the podcast, Jon M Quigley, Jeremy Willets, Jeremy Berriault, Kevin Rush, Susan Parente, and I convened to discuss what we learned about work in 2021. The last few years have been extraordinary -- both good and bad. When you live in times like these, it is incumbent on all of us to learn from them. The panelists (other than myself) are: Jeremy Berriault Web: Susan Parente Web: Jon M Quigley Web: Kevin Rush Twitter: @ Jeremy Willets Blog:…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: Today we share our year-end panel discussion with the SPaMcast contributors and occasionally our dogs (once one gets going, everyone needs to get in on the action). The topic this year is engagement. Is being on two calls at once, engagement? Does just being present tick the engagement box? Patterns and antipatterns abound, but Is engagement really that important? The panelists for this installment are: Jeremy Berriault Jeremy Willets Susan Parente A quick advertisement: Controlling work entry requires preparation and knowledge, building to establishing a path to control work entry (magic wands are normally not available), which is why Jeremy Willets and I have developed a work entry workshop. Interested? Please email us at tcagley@tomcagley.com or willetsjm@gmail.com…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: Today marks the end of year 15 on the Software Process and Measurement Cast, and we are closing the year with pitchforks and torches. We discussed the world of knowledge work in 2022. Leadership, principles, value, and values take center stage. Panels like this make me want to do panels every week! The panelists (other than myself) are: Jeremy Berriault Web: Jon M Quigley Web: Kevin Rush Twitter: @ Chris Hurney Web: T witter: Participating in spirit (they were on part one last week) Susan Parente Susan Parente Twitter: @TechRiskManager Jeremy Willets Blog:…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: In March 2020, as our world was shrinking and words like 'lockdown' and 'zoom-bombing' were becoming a reality, we recorded and aired . Paul Laberge, Susan Parente, Jo Ann Sweeney, John Voris, and I talked about how we could create or preserve interactions leading to serendipity. Remote working was new for many people. This week we discuss what went well and what have we learned from nearly a year of working remotely. As the editor of the SPaMCAST it is my great pleasure to reconvene a group of people that have such great insight into people. The discussion is full of great ideas to improve remote and hybrid working environments, but most of all it is full of ideas to help respect people in tough times or not. Panelist Bios Jo Ann Sweeney FCIM FIIC MCIPR is an engagement and communication consultant. Typically, she acts as change management lead on complex programmes, facilitating development of effective engagement, training, and communication strategies and then assisting as the strategies are implemented. Clients value her deep understanding of audiences. Jo Ann is known for clarifying the complex and for persuading key stakeholders to get involved and actively support change. You are welcome to download a complimentary copy of Jo Ann’s guide How to Explain Change in 8 Easy Steps at Contact Jo Ann at jo.ann@sweeneycomms.com John Voris is the current leader of AgilePhilly, the local user group in the Philadelphia area for Scrum, Kanban, and Lean Software. () His day job is working on financial applications for Crown Cork & Seal, an essential company with over 100 years of manufacturing food and beverage cans. Prior to Crown, John was an independent software consultant for 30+ years helping both small companies and Fortune 100 large companies with both applications and operating systems. Reach out on LinkedIn: With more than 30 years in the information technology industry, Paul Laberge – CGI Director Consulting-Expert, has a wide range of experience providing IT project management. He enjoys coaching leaders in deploying business technology solutions. His experience in organizational change management spans many different lifecycles including transitions to Agile frameworks (RUP, XP, Scrum, SAFe, Nexxus, LeSS) and incorporating Lean (Kanban) methodologies. Reach out on LinkedIn: Susan Parente is a Principal Consultant at S3 Technologies, LLC and a University Professor at multiple Universities. Mrs. Parente is an author, mentor and professor focused on risk management, traditional and Agile project management. Her experience is augmented by her Masters in Engineering Management with a focus in Marketing of Technology from George Washington University, DC, along with a number of professional certifications. Ms. Parente has 23+ years’ experience leading software and business development projects in the private and public sectors, including a decade of experience implementing IT projects for the DoD. Contact Susan at parente.s3@gmail.com…

The SPaMCAST 860 features a conversation with Paul Gibbons. We discussed his new book, , which he co-authored with James Healy. This is not our first conversation with Paul, they have all been fabulous. Paul Gibbons is a keynote speaker and author of five books, including the acclaimed Adopting AI: The People-first Approach, which came out in March 2025. Before that, he was IBM's thought-leader on the future of work, and before that, a professor of business leadership at the University of Denver. In the Jurassic era, he was CEO of Europe's top leadership consulting firm. He lives in Denver with his two sons and enjoys F45 and competitive high-stakes poker. Web: LinkedIn: Note: Due to a technical error on my part, the opening is abrupt. One minute of chit chat was lost. Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and eliminate bottlenecks. Real results, real change. Discover the system that simplifies complex projects. Order your copy today! Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space? Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 861 begins an eight-week rewind featuring eight of my favorite panel discussions. We will be back on June 21st with new content and stories.…

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st. Poor work intake equals out-of-control. Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality. Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today! JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Original Show Notes: SPaMCAST 597 features a special panel of leaders who discuss working from home now and after the initial reaction to being remote has worn off. One of the important points we discussed was the need to make space for intentional serendipity. The panel is composed of Paul Laberge, Susan Parente, John Voris, Jo Ann Sweeney, and your host. Panelist Bios Jo Ann Sweeney FCIM FIIC MCIPR is an engagement and communication consultant. Typically, she acts as change management lead on complex programmes, facilitating development of effective engagement, training, and communication strategies and then assisting as the strategies are implemented. Clients value her deep understanding of audiences. Jo Ann is known for clarifying the complex and for persuading key stakeholders to get involved and actively support change. You are welcome to download a complimentary copy of Jo Ann’s guide How to Explain Change in 8 Easy Steps at Contact Jo Ann at jo.ann@sweeneycomms.com John Voris is the current leader of AgilePhilly, the local user group in the Philadelphia area for Scrum, Kanban, and Lean Software. () His day job is working on financial applications for Crown Cork & Seal, an essential company with over 100 years of manufacturing food and beverage cans. Prior to Crown, John was an independent software consultant for 30+ years helping both small companies and Fortune 100 large companies with both applications and operating systems. Reach out on LinkedIn: With more than 30 years in the information technology industry, Paul Laberge – CGI Director Consulting-Expert, has a wide range of experience providing IT project management. He enjoys coaching leaders in deploying business technology solutions. His experience in organizational change management spans many different lifecycles including transitions to Agile frameworks (RUP, XP, Scrum, SAFe, Nexxus, LeSS) and incorporating Lean (Kanban) methodologies. Reach out on LinkedIn: Susan Parente is a Principal Consultant at S3 Technologies, LLC and a University Professor at multiple Universities. Mrs. Parente is an author, mentor and professor focused on risk management, traditional and Agile project management. Her experience is augmented by her Masters in Engineering Management with a focus in Marketing of Technology from George Washington University, DC, along with a number of professional certifications. Ms. Parente has 23+ years’ experience leading software and business development projects in the private and public sectors, including a decade of experience implementing IT projects for the DoD. Contact Susan at parente.s3@gmail.com…

SPaMCAST 859 features a panel discussion on the role of empathy in getting work done in teams and organizations. This is not a black or white issue, the panel suggests there are nuances. The panel includes , , , and Please welcome Brad to the cast! I have wanted to get Brad on the podcast for several years. The stars finally aligned! Visit Mr Bittorf on LinkedIn Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and eliminate bottlenecks. Real results, real change. Discover the system that simplifies complex projects. Order your copy today! Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space? Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn Re-read Saturday News In our re-read of , we reach Chapter 12. The idea that I continue to return to when I contemplate this chapter, titled Individual Freedom As A Social Commitment, is that we are responsible for the consequences of our actions. Sen points out that we “cannot escape that the terrible occurrences that we see around us, are quintessentially our problems.” He continues, “As competent human beings, we can not shirk the task of judging how things are and what needs to be done.” Logistics note: Next week, we will feature a few parting thoughts. Previous installments of : All previous installments can be found at or Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 860 will feature a conversation with Paul Gibbons. We discussed his new book, . As with my other interviews with Paul, we covered a wide range of topics from ethics to leadership.…

SPaMCAST 858 features a tale of work intake woe set in the Innovatech world that and I created. In this world, we use a bit of fiction to highlight real-world problems without pointing fingers or calling anyone a box of rocks. I would love your feedback about using allegory to highlight real issues. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Bearriult, The Evolutionary Agilist, who will bring his humor and wisdom to the podcast. Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and eliminate bottlenecks. Real results, real change. Discover the system that simplifies complex projects. Order your copy today! Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space? Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn Re-read Saturday News In our re-read of , we reach Chapter 10 titled Culture And Human Rights. This chapter explores the “intellectual edifice of human rights.” The concept of human rights is often trotted out almost as a totem in debates. We need to get beyond that perspective. Logistics note: We have two more weeks in this re-read. Next week, we will reflect on Chapter 12 (we did Chapter 11 earlier due to its relevance to current events), followed by a wrap-up. Previous installments of : All previous installments can be found at or Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 859 will be a surprise. It will either be a panel discussion of the role of empathy in project management or an interview with Paul Gibbons. Whichever gets recorded first will be presented first. 🙂…

SPaMCAST 857 features our interview with Andy Hilliard, CEO of Accelerance and author of . In this episode, we talk about the future of software development and how global teams fit into the current geopolitical perspective. Nothing light and frothy in this week's discussion! Andy Hillard's Bio: As CEO of Accelerance, Andy leads and advocates for the globalization and collaboration of great software teams with our clients in search of talent and innovation Building a distributed extension of their engineering function and culture. At Accelerance, we’re passionate about global software development and committed to making your global relationship an enviable success. Accelerance helps companies create and execute better software engineering strategies using global software outsourcing partnerships by providing professional guidance for planning, sourcing, and managing global teams… to achieve valuable benefits without risks and challenges. Accelerance has certified software engineering partners in more than 35 countries that are "large enough to scale but small enough to care". Website: Linkedin: YouTube: Synergea: Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and eliminate bottlenecks. Real results, real change. Discover the system that simplifies complex projects. Order your copy today! Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space? Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn Re-read Saturday News In our re-read of we reach Chapter 9: Population, Food, and Freedom. Sen begins with the sentence: “The contemporary age is not short of terrible and nasty happenings, but the persistence of extensive hunger in a world of unprecedented prosperity is surely one of the worst.” Previous installments of : All previous installments can be found at and Next SPaMCAST The SPaMCAST 858 will revisit the topic of work intake. Over the past year, and I have been discussing the topic of work intake in support of our book, Mastering Work Intake, Almost unanimously everyone we have talked to agrees that it is the root cause of a wide range of problems. Impacts (but are not limited to) include quality issues, reduced value, job insecurity, and failures of trust. The tragedy is not that the problem is not recognized but that many people believe they lack agency even though there are ways to take control of work intake. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Bearriult, The Evolutionary Agilist, who will bring his humor and wisdom to the podcast.…