SPaMCAST 337 - Agile Release Plan, Baselining Software, Executing Communication

In this episode of the Software Process and Measurement Cast we feature three columns!  The first is our essay on the Agile release plans.  Even after 12 years or more with Agile we are still asked what we will deliver, when a features will be delivered and how much the project will cost.  Agile release plans are a tool to answer those questions.  Our second column this week is from the Software Sensei, Kim Pries. Kim asks why is baselining so important. Kim posits that if we do not baseline, we cannot tell whether a change is negative, positive, or indifferent—we simply do NOT know. Finally Jo Ann Sweeney will complete the communication cycle in her Explaining Change column by discussing delivery with a special focus on social media. Call to action! Reviews of the Podcast help to attract new listeners.  Can you write a review of the Software Process and Measurement Cast and post it on the podcatcher of your choice?  Whether you listen on ITunes or any other podcatcher, a review will help to grow the podcast!  Thank you in advance! Re-Read Saturday News The Re-Read Saturday focus on Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox’s The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement began on February 21nd. The Goal has been hugely influential because it introduced the Theory of Constraints, which is central to lean thinking. The book is written as a business novel. Visit the Software Process and Measurement Blog and catch up on the re-read. Note: If you don’t have a copy of the book, buy one.  If you use the link below it will support the Software Process and Measurement blog and podcast. Dead Tree Version or Kindle Version  I am beginning to think of which book will be next. Do you have any ideas? Upcoming Events QAI Quest 2015April 20 -21 Atlanta, GA, USAScale Agile Testing Using the TMMihttp://www.qaiquest.org/2015/ DCG will also have a booth! Next SPaMCast The next Software Process and Measurement Cast will feature our interview with Stephen Parry.  Stephen is a returning interviewee.  We discussed adaptable organizations. Stephen recently wrote: “Organizations which are able to embrace and implement the principles of Lean Thinking are inevitably known for three things: vision, imagination and – most importantly of all - implicit trust in their own people.” We discussed why trust, vision and imagination have to be more than just words in a vision or mission statement to get value out of lean and Agile. 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.