SPaMCAST 423 - Software Quality, QA Certifications, Languages, Configuration Management Part 2

The Software Process and Measurement Cast 423 builds  on our interview from last week with Philip Lew.  This week we lead with a discussion of measuring quality.  Quality is related to risk, productivity and customer satisfaction.   Next Jeremy Berriault brings his QA Corner to the Cast to discuss the impact of certifications in software testing.  Want a bit of foreshadowing?  The answer is not cut and dry. Visit Jermey’s new blog at https://jberria.wordpress.com/ The Software Sensei, Kim Pries , answers a question he was recently asked by one his students, “why do we have so many computer languages?” This a question I have often asked, usually when I have to learn the basics of a new language. Reach out to Kim on LinkedIn. Jon M Quigley, brings his column, the Alpha and Omega of Product Development to the cast.  In this installment, the 2nd in a 3 part series on configuration management, Jon continues the cycle of configuration management which begins with requirements and travels across the whole lifecycle. One of the places you can find Jon is at Value Transformation LLC. Re-Read Saturday News In this week’s re-read of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team  by Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass, Copyright 2002, 33rd printing), we talk about two sections, An Overview of the Model and Team Assessment. There are two more weeks left before moving to the next book. If you are new to the re-read series buy a copy and  go back to week one and read along! I am running a poll to decide between Carol Dweck’s Mindset, Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman) and Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi).  I have also had suggestions (in the other category) for Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (Adam Grant) and Management Lessons from Taiichi Ohno: What Every Leader Can Learn from the Man by Takehiko Harada.  I would like your opinion!  [polldaddy poll=9605629] Takeaways from this week include: Real teamwork is rare. The five dysfunctions are inter-related. Assessment are as useful as those taking them want them to be! Visit the Software Process and Measurement Cast blog to participate in this and previous re-reads. Next SPaMCAST The Software Process and Measurement Cast 424 will post on New Year’s Day.  SPaMCAST 424 will feature our interview with Penny Pullan.  Penny returns to the SPaMCAST to discuss her new book Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best Out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams.  Virtual teams are the norm in today’s business environment. We need to learn the best ways to maximize the value from distributed teams.  Penny sets a really high bar to begin the year! 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.