SPaMCAST 358 - Julia Wester, The Manager’s Role In Agile

This week’s Software Process and Measurement features our interview with Julia Wester.  Julia is an Improvement Coach at LeanKit and writes the Every Kanban Blog.  Julia and I discussed the role of management in Agile. Is it time to throw out managers?  Julia’s perspectives is that management must play a constructive role in helping Agile teams deliver the most value. Julia espouses Lean principles and considers herself on an eternal journey to make teams as happy, effective and customer-value oriented as possible. As an Improvement Coach at LeanKit, she is excited to continue to learn and integrate Lean principles into efforts that help others tame the chaos of traditional organizations and streamline processes in order to make customers and teams more satisfied.         You can read more about Julia at her blog, Everyday Kanban Reach out to Julia on twitter @everydaykanban and visit LeanKit Call to Action! For the remainder of September let’s try something a little different.  Forget about iTunes reviews and tell a friend or a coworker about the Software Process and Measurement Cast. Let’s use word of mouth will help grow the audience for the podcast.  After all the SPaMCAST provides you with value, why keep it yourself? Re-Read Saturday News Remember that the Re-Read Saturday of The Mythical Man-Month is in full swing.  This week we tackle the essay titled “Ten Pounds In A Five-Pound Package”!  Check out the new installment at Software Process and Measurement Blog. Upcoming Events Software Quality and Test Management September 13 – 18, 2015San Diego, California http://qualitymanagementconference.com/ I will be speaking on the impact of cognitive biases on teams.  Let me know if you are attending! If you are still deciding on attending let me know because I have a discount code. Agile Development Conference EastNovember 8-13, 2015Orlando, Florida http://adceast.techwell.com/ I will be speaking on November 12th on the topic of Agile Risk. Let me know if you are going and we will have a SPaMCAST Meetup. More conferences next week including Agile DC and Agile Philyy! Next SPaMCAST The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our essay on Reviews and inspections.  Reviews and inspections are critical tools for improving quality and team effectiveness.  We will also have a new QA Corner with Jeremy Berriault and a new installment from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries.   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, neither for you or your team.” Support SPaMCAST by buying the book here. Available in English and Chinese.