SPaMCAST 442 - Capability Teams, Software and Social Systems, Software Quality

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 442 features our essay on capability teams. The use of teams to deliver business value is at the core of most business models. Capability teams are a tool to unlock the value delivery engine of teams. Gene Hughson brings his Form Follows Function Blog to the cast this week to discuss his recent blog entry titled, Systems of Social Systems and the Software Systems They Create. We live in a complex world and just focusing on social systems or software systems misses the point! Our third column is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. The entry this week is titled, Software Quality and the Art of Skateboard Maintenance. This entry is an homage to Robert M. Pirsig the author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, who recently died. Re-Read Saturday News And welcome back! For those who are interested, The Frederick Half Marathon last weekend was great. I met my goals: I crossed the finish line, collected my medal and got to hang out with my family in Frederick. This week, we begin Part Two of Holacracy: The New Management System for a Rapidly Changing World by Brian J. Robertson published by Henry Holt and Company in 2015. Part Two is titled Evolution At Play: Practicing Holacracy. In my opinion, Part Two provides readers with the nuts and bolts needed to use Holacracy. Chapter 4, titled Governance, takes all of the building blocks from previous chapters and starts to weave them together. Catch up on the first four entries in the re-read Week 1: Logistics and Introduction Week 2: Evolving Organization Week 3: Distribution Authority Week 4: Organizational Structure Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. A Call To Action If you got a new idea this week while listening to the podcast, please give the SPaMCAST a short, honest review in iTunes. Reviews help guide people to the cast! Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature interview with Brad Clark. Brad and I talked about cost estimation, estimation in government and Cocomo II and what is on the way in Cocomo III. Shameless Ad for my book! Mastering Software Project Management: Best Practices, Tools and Techniques co-authored by Murali Chematuri and myself and published by J. Ross Publishing. We have received unsolicited reviews like the following: "This book will prove that software projects should not be a tedious process, for you or your team." Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.