Herding Cats

Quote of the Day

Don't write so that you can be understood, write so that you can't be misunderstood. — William Howard Taft Read more →

Quote of the Day

What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise - Oscar Wilde Read more →

Phrases Used for Technical Performance Measures

All project progress is measured independent of resources expended - Mr. Gary Bliss, Director Performance Assessment and Root Cause Analysis (PARCA), US Department of Defense The phrases used here are the results of research conducted on behalf of PARCA. No... Read more →

What Are Story Points and How Can They Be Used on Agile Projects?

The development of software, using other peoples money (OPM) means - or should mean - that those providing the money have an expectation to know How Much Money, along with When well you be done spending that money and provide... Read more →

Any Effective Process Must ...

Any effective process must provide the following when searching for the Root Cause of the problem the process is trying to fix OR the Beneficial Outcomes the process is trying to maintain. The process must ... Clearly define the problem... Read more →

The Aha! of the Day

I was watching a YouTube on Why Scaling Agile Doesn't Work and How to Fix It when I had my Aha! moment about some in the Agile community that makes statements that don't make sense in my domain. I work... Read more →

Book of the Month

From the preface: The software industry is one of the most successful industries in history and has created numerous billionaires and millionaires as well as given employment to millions of technology workers. Most forms of modern transportation such as automobiles,... Read more →

A Compendium of Risk Management Resources

This blog page is dedicated to the resources used to manage the risk encountered on software-intensive systems using traditional and agile development methods. These papers and other resources were retrieved from public sites. Let's start with a critical understanding of... Read more →

Risk Management Resources

Risk Management is essential for development and production programs. Information about key project cost, (technical) performance, and schedule attributes is often uncertain or unknown until late in the program. Risk issues that can be identified early in the program, which... Read more →

Velocity in Agile

Velocity is a term used on agile development to assess How Fast are we producing software. Here's one definition from agile glossary Velocity is a measure of the amount of work a Team can tackle during a single Sprint and... Read more →

Quote of the Day - Business Runs on Estimated Values

You can't run a credible business or even your own household without knowing your cost basis for the operations for the demand for future expenditures. In the presence of uncertainties in the business and at your house for that cost... Read more →

Estimating Resources

This blog page is dedicated to the resources used to estimate software-intensive systems and their related hardware and work processes when applying traditional and agile product development methods. These Papers, Books, and Thesis and other resources - for the most... Read more →

Podcast Interview

On a recent flight, I met Rory Rowland. Rory is in the Missouri House of Representative, a former CEO of a Credit Union, and a consultant and author. We started talking as well traveled travelers do, sharing backgrounds and current... Read more →

Quote of the Day

Methods and tools are of no use without properly qualified people using a well-defined process, and who are dedicated to satisfying customer needs - in Process for System Architecture and Requirements Engineering Read more →

Quote of the Day

The man who grasps principles can successfully handle his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles is sure to have trouble — Ralph Waldo Emerson So Just Remember ... There is no principle by which you can make... Read more →

Quote of the Day

There is no whole system within interconnection of its parts and there is no whole system without its environment — Francisco Varla Without knowing something about the Capabilities are needed by the customers to fulfill their business needs, a credible... Read more →

Agile Stories are Actually Requirements

It's popular in the agile community to speak about User Stories and how they are Not requirements. As a System Engineer, here's some background on Systems Architecture and Requirements Engineering. Let's start with some background about Systems and their engineering.... Read more →

Deconstructing the Hertz and Accenture Debacle

A recent lawsuit by Hertz Rental Car against Accenture has turned into a rallying cry by Agilest and No Estimates advocates. Of course, No Root Cause analysis has been performed by these advocates, but it makes good click bait for... Read more →

Quote of the Day

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.... Read more →

Quote of the Day

“As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles, is sure to have trouble.” — Harrington... Read more →