SPaMCAST 304 - Jamie Lynn Cooke, Power of the Agile Business Analyst

Software Process and Measurement Cast number 304 features our interview with Jamie Lynn Cooke. Jamie Lynn Cooke is the author of The Power of the Agile Business Analyst. We discussed the definition of an Agile business analyst and what they actually do in Agile projects.  Jamie provides a clear and succinct explanation of the role and huge value of Agile business analysts bring to projects! Jamie Lynn’s Bio:Jamie Lynn Cooke has 24 years of experience as a senior business analyst and solutions consultant, working with more than 130 public and private sector organizations throughout Australia, Canada, and the United States. She is the author of The Power of the Agile Business Analyst: 30 surprising ways a business analyst can add value to your Agile development team, which details how Agile business analysts can increase the relevance, quality and overall business value of Agile projects; Agile Principles Unleashed, a book written specifically to explain Agile in non-technical business terms to managers and executives outside of the IT industry; Agile: An Executive Guide: Real results from IT budgets, which gives IT executives the tools and strategies needed for bottom-line business decisions on using Agile methodologies; and Everything You Want to Know About Agile: How to get Agile results in a less-than-Agile organization, which gives readers strategies for aligning Agile work within the reporting, budgeting, staffing, and governance constraints of their organization. Also checkout,  Agile Productivity Unleashed: Proven Approaches for Achieving Real Productivity Gains in Any Organization (Second Edition)! Jamie has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Psychology (Human Factors Engineering) from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts; and a Graduate Certificate in e-Business/Business Informatics from the University of Canberra in Australia. You can find her website here.   Next Software Process and Measurement Cast number 305 will feature our essay on estimation (here is our essay on specific topics within estimation). Estimation is a hot bed of controversy. But perhaps first we should synchronize on just what we think the word means.  Once we have a common vocabulary we can commence with the fisticuffs. In SPaMCAST 305 we will not shy away from a hard discussion. Upcoming Events I will be presenting at the International Conference on Software Quality and Test Management in San Diego, CA on October 1.  I have a great discount code!!!! Contact me if you are interested. I will be presenting at the North East Quality Council 60th Conference October 21st and 22nd in Springfield, MA. More on all of these great events in the near future! I look forward to seeing all SPaMCAST readers and listeners that attend these great events! The Software Process and Measurement Cast has a sponsor. As many you know I do at least one webinar for the IT Metrics and Productivity Institute (ITMPI) every year. The ITMPI provides a great service to the IT profession. ITMPI’s mission is to pull together the expertise and educational efforts of the world’s leading IT thought leaders and to create a single online destination where IT practitioners and executives can meet all of their educational and professional development needs. The ITMPI offers a premium membership that gives members unlimited free access to 400 PDU accredited webinar recordings, and waives the PDU processing fees on all live and recorded webinars. The Software Process and Measurement Cast some support if you sign up here. All the revenue our sponsorship generates goes for bandwidth, hosting and new cool equipment to create more and better content for you. Support the SPaMCAST and learn from the ITMPI. 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.