Accountability, Responsibility, Performance, and Freedom, Essays and Conversations with Susan Parente, SPaMCAST 854

SPaMCAST 857 features our interview with Andy Hilliard, CEO of Accelerance and author of . In this episode, we talk about the future of software development and how global teams fit into the current geopolitical perspective. Nothing light and frothy in this week's discussion!   Andy Hillard's Bio:  As CEO of Accelerance, Andy leads and advocates for the globalization and collaboration of great software teams with our clients in search of talent and innovation Building a distributed extension of their engineering function and culture. At Accelerance, we’re passionate about global software development and committed to making your global relationship an enviable success. Accelerance helps companies create and execute better software engineering strategies using global software outsourcing partnerships by providing professional guidance for planning, sourcing, and managing global teams… to achieve valuable benefits without risks and challenges. Accelerance has certified software engineering partners in more than 35 countries that are "large enough to scale but small enough to care". Website:      Linkedin:     YouTube:    Synergea:      Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Overwhelmed? Find your focus. Readers praise "Mastering Work Intake" for its practical, actionable advice. Learn to prioritize effectively and eliminate bottlenecks. Real results, real change. Discover the system that simplifies complex projects. Order your copy today! Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space?  Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn   Re-read Saturday News In our re-read of we reach Chapter 9: Population, Food, and Freedom. Sen begins with the sentence: “The contemporary age is not short of terrible and nasty happenings, but the persistence of extensive hunger in a world of unprecedented prosperity is surely one of the worst.” Previous installments of : All previous installments can be found at and Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 858 will revisit the topic of work intake. Over the past year, and I have been discussing the topic of work intake in support of our book, Mastering Work Intake, Almost unanimously everyone we have talked to agrees that it is the root cause of a wide range of problems. Impacts (but are not limited to) include quality issues, reduced value, job insecurity, and failures of trust. The tragedy is not that the problem is not recognized but that many people believe they lack agency even though there are ways to take control of work intake. We will also have a visit from Jeremy Bearriult, The Evolutionary Agilist, who will bring his humor and wisdom to the podcast. 

Consider sailing on a lake. It is a great day, there is only a slight rolling swell to contend with. Because you are so relaxed, you slip below and start a game of billiards with your mate. Its not too hard to time the rocking, but nothing is perfect. Then, out of nowhere, a thunderstorm. Who knows where the cue ball will land?  How different is this example to any organizational transformation (or project or program) you have been involved in? The SPaMCAST 856 features an essay on delivery in an unstable environment and why it is like playing billiards on a boat. The outcome is unpredictable. We also have a visit from ! Mr Quigley brings his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the cast. In this installment, we talk about configuration management.  Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! From ad-hoc to optimized! Dive deep into work intake with this insightful book. Learn the "Gold Standard" and practical deviations, plus how to use flow metrics effectively. Understand the human element and align with Agile principles for better delivery. Perfect for executives, managers, and coaches. Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space? Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn     Re-read Saturday News In our re-read of , we tackled Chapter 8, Women’s Agency and Social Change. Paraphrasing Wikipedia (to make it a bit less technical), the definition of agency is a person's ability to initiate and control their actions and the feeling they have of being in charge of their own actions. The concept of agency is important in all human endeavors, not just economic and social development.  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Week 8:   Week 9: Week 10: Week 11:   Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 857 will feature our interview with Andy Hilliard, CEO of Accelerance and author of the book Synergea. We talk about the future of software development and how global teams fit into the current geopolitical perspective. Nothing light and frothy in this week's discussion!  

The SPaMCAST 855 features my conversation with Khurram Mir. We talked about testing, quality assurance, control, and frameworks. We discussed whether we would still discuss the link between continual schedule pressure and reduced quality in 19 years. What is your opinion? Let's face it: Effective testing is essential for the effective delivery of value.   Bio Steering Kualitatem as Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer, Khurram focuses on nurturing client relationships through transparency and a commitment to quality. The team's dedication to customer satisfaction and growth has been unwavering for over 15 years. With a distinct proficiency in new business development and software applications, they have successfully positioned Kualitatem as a leader in quality assurance. Founding Kualitee highlighted Khurram's journey in product management, channeling his competencies into creating a tool that simplifies and enhances the testing process for teams. The platform reflects their mission to make quality management both efficient and enjoyable. Contact Data: LinkedIN: Web: (Company) Web: (Personal) Email: [email protected] Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Keyan Reid bought a copy and wrote a review titled “” Links to buy a copy… JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space?  Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn   Re-read Saturday News In our re-read of , we tackle Chapter 7, Famines and Other Crises. This chapter examines the impact of freedoms and leadership through the lens of famines and other crises.  This chapter also builds upon Chapter 6’s discussion of democracy. Human agency can cause and sustain famines and other crises at all levels of society.  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Week 8: Social Choice and Individual Behavior Week 9: Famines and Other Crises Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 856 will feature an essay on delivery in an unstable environment and why it is like playing billiards on a boat. The outcome is unpredictable. We will also have a visit from ! Mr Quigley will bring his Alpha and Omega of Product Development column. 

The SPaMCAST 854  features an essay on the linkage of accountability, responsibility, performance, and freedom. In our ongoing Re-read Saturday series featuring Amartya Sen's "Development As Freedom," we've found a compelling connection between Sen's insights and this week's discussion on personal accountability and performance. Specifically, Chapter 12's exploration of the interdependence between freedom and responsibility resonates deeply with the core concepts of our essay. We also have a visit from . In this installment of Not A Scumdamentalist, we discuss accountability. Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Keyan Reid bought a copy and wrote a review titled “” Links to buy a copy… Amazon (US) — JRoss — Interested in continuing the conversation on work intake with peers in a safe space?  Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn     Re-read Saturday News The fun part of reading and then rereading a book is knowing what is to come in . I am jumping to Chapter 11 for a reason that will be readily apparent. We will slide back into the order of the book next week unless real life suggests we change the order again.   Sen opens this chapter by stating, “Aristotle agreed with Agathon that even God could not change the past.” We go deep after that! Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Week 8: Week 9: Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 855 will feature my conversation with Khurram Mir. We talked about testing, quality assurance, control, and frameworks. Effective testing is essential for the effective delivery of value.

The SPaMCAST 853 features our interview with John Conafay. CEO and Co-Founder of Integrate. John and I talked about program management in complex environments and real-time collaboration. In complex environments with multiple teams, real-time collaboration not only saves time but also saves money.  John Conafay is a US Air Force Veteran and the CEO and Co-Founder of Integrate, building program management software with a systems engineering approach for the world’s most ambitious machines. Previously he was an early employee at three space unicorns – Head of BD at ABL Space Systems, was one of the first ten employees at Astranis, and Interned at Spire Global early on. He also worked at the Office of the CFO NASA Headquarters while at BryceTech and was a Director of Business Development at Spaceflight LinkedIn:   Integrate: Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Amazon (US) — JRoss — Interested in continuing the conversation with peers in a safe space?  Join the Mastering Work Intake Community on LinkedIn   Re-read Saturday News Chapter Five of  begins with a phenomenal quote by Huxley from Science and Culture “It is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions.” Several years ago (2008, ) I wrote an essay suggesting that radical ideas, like agile, begin at the fringes and then assimilate into the center. I wish I had run across this quote that highlights the life cycle of ideas. Speaking of heresies and superstitions, Sen reviews the impact of capitalist markets on freedom and development in Chapter 5 of ,  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 854 will feature our essay on the need for personal accountability and performance. What are you accountable for? We will also have a visit from  who will bring her Not A Scumdamentalist column to the podcast. 

SPaMCAST 852 features our essay on scaling attention. Seth Godin's observation that attention doesn't scale highlights a crucial point: attention, like time, is a finite resource. We often conflate scaling and allocation, but they are distinct concepts. A human's capacity for focused attention is limited, regardless of how much time we spend awake. This fixed amount of attention, our "attentional budget," can be allocated to various tasks and activities. Allocation involves choosing where to direct our focus, like deciding to read a book instead of browsing the internet. Scaling, on the other hand, refers to the intensity and scope of that focus. While reading, you narrow your focus to absorb information more deeply, increasing the intensity of your attention on the chosen subject. We will also have a visit from the Evolutionary Agilist, . Mr. Berriault and I discuss the pervasive use of the term resources that allow organizations to distance themselves from people.  Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Amazon (US) — JRoss — Do you want to test the water before spending part of your hard-earned paycheck?  and I offer free 30-minute “office hours” sessions. In these sessions, we’ll facilitate helping to identify and create a plan to tackle one of your work intake challenges. Book time with us here: Re-read Saturday News This chapter begins with a phenomenal quote from Huxley from Science and Culture “It is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions.” Several years ago (2008, ) I wrote an essay suggesting that radical ideas, like agile, begin at the fringes and then assimilate to the center. I wish I had run across this quote that highlights the life cycle of ideas. In Chapter Five, Sen reviews the impact of capitalist markets on freedom and development in Chapter 5 of ,  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 5: Week 6: Week 7: Markets, State, and Social Opportunity Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 853 will feature our interview with John Conafay, the CEO and Co-Founder of Integrate. John and I talked about program management in complex environments and the impact of introducing real-time collaboration. 

SPaMCAST 851 will feature our interview with Mike Paciello. Accessibility which should be a basic human right has always been a struggle and now seems even farther from reality. Mike and I talk about the definition of accessibility, the issues we face, and why this is an ethical issue not just a compliance problem. Mike Paciello is the Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye, Inc., where he drives advancements in digital accessibility. He previously founded WebABLE/WebABLE.TV, delivering insights on disability and accessibility technology, and authored the pioneering book “Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities.” Recognized by President Bill Clinton in 1997 for his role in the W3C’s Web Accessibility Initiative, Mike has advised the US Access Board and other federal agencies since 1992. An international leader in accessibility and usability, he also founded The Paciello Group (TPG), a leading software accessibility consultancy acquired by Vispero in 2017. Contact Information: Email: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-paciello-1231741/ Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Amazon (US) — JRoss — Do you want to test the water before spending part of your hard-earned paycheck?  and I offer free 30-minute “office hours” sessions. In these sessions, we’ll facilitate helping to identify and create a plan to tackle one of your work intake challenges. Book time with us here:   Re-read Saturday News In Chapter 4 of , Sen states that value is generated based on the “freedoms a person enjoys that allows them to lead the life they have reason to value.” This leads to the postulate that “poverty must be seen as the deprivation of basic capabilities rather than merely as lowness of incomes.” The idea of observing and understanding poverty as a function of capability deprecation refocuses the reader on the process rather than just the outcome. As we noted in the last chapter, the journey matters. The argument is that without capabilities (i.e. access to education, health care, and transportation) low income is the outcome. While there is covariance (low income reduces access to capabilities) the relationship is obvious. Couple that with the point that poverty is relative to context and the data gets harder to compare region to region. Finally, without understanding which capabilities are in deficit it will be difficult to make policy decisions.  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3: Week 5: Week 6: Next SPaMCAST  SPaMCAST 852 will feature an essay on scaling attention. Unlike many things, attention doesn’t scale no matter how hard you try. So why do people try so hard? We will also have a visit from the Evolutionary Agilist, .

Several weeks ago I spent too much time in the middle of the night considering a scenario of apparent change resistance. I concluded that not everything that looks like resistance is what it appears.  Rather there was a bigger issue hiding in plain sight; the concept of change indifference/change apathy. As a change leader, the difference is not academic because it impacts how to address the issue. As organizations remold themselves to address the culture and pressures of the 2020s we need to find a path to empower organizations and to improve their craft while at the same time struggling with pressures to contain costs and grow. The solution cannot merely be messaging.  We also have a visit from . We discuss manipulation and persuasion from the Not A Scrumdamentalist perspective.  Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Amazon (US) — JRoss —   Do you want to test the water before spending part of your hard-earned paycheck? and I offer free 30-minute “office hours” sessions. In these sessions, we’ll facilitate helping to identify and create a plan to tackle one of your work intake challenges. Book time with us here: Re-read Saturday News In Chapter 2 of , the author takes a deep dive into the goals and mechanisms of development. The chapter begins by contrasting two common opposing views of the development process. The “I win, you lose” approach - highly competitive markets where the strong win through the expenditure of blood, sweat, and tears. This contrasts with a “win-win” model where development results from mutually beneficial transactions. Adam Smith described the later form of markets (I added The Wealth of Nations to my to-read list for 2025). The latter approach is conducive to leveraging ’ supportive activities such as social safety nets, political liberties, and social development. While probably imperfect, the comparison is between a laissez-faire and a managed market approach to development. The comparison is useful because it allows us to consider the clash between highly libertarian and more collective points of view on development and behavior.  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3:   Next SPaMCAST  SPaMCAST 851 will feature our interview with Mike Paciello. We discussed digital accessibility. If the web is a ubiquitous tool then everyone needs to be able to interact with as little friction as possible. Today that is a dream but it does not have to be.   

SPaMCAST 849 features our interview with . Mr Mosaari is the co-founder and CEO of . We talked about the industrialization of AI and using AI to deliver value now that it is more than chatbots. If you have looked at your bills as you develop and run AI’s in your business, you will want to spend a few minutes listening to this conversation. Barzan Mozafari is the co-founder and CEO of , Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, and a for his award-winning research at the intersection of ML and database systems across the Univ. of Michigan, MIT, and UCLA. A sought-after expert in the space who has spoken on panels like , he’s passionate about sharing his research and expertise for advancing and optimizing data teams everywhere.  Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Amazon (US) — JRoss — Do you want to test the water before spending part of your hard-earned paycheck?  and I offer free 30-minute “office hours” sessions. In these sessions, we’ll facilitate helping to identify and create a plan to tackle one of your work intake challenges. Book time with us here: Re-read Saturday News In Chapter 2 of , the author takes a deep dive into the goals and mechanisms of development. The chapter begins by contrasting two common opposing views of the development process. The “I win, you lose” approach - highly competitive markets where the strong win through the expenditure of blood, sweat, and tears. This contrasts with a “win-win” model where development results from mutually beneficial transactions. Adam Smith described the later form of markets (I added The Wealth of Nations to my to-read list for 2025). The latter approach is conducive to leveraging ’ supportive activities such as social safety nets, political liberties, and social development. While probably imperfect, the comparison is between a laissez-faire and a managed market approach to development. The comparison is useful because it allows us to consider the clash between highly libertarian and more collective points of view on development and behavior.  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3:   Next SPaMCAST  SPaMCAST 850 will feature an essay on the difference between change apathy and indifference. This is not an academic discussion because it impacts how we approach change. We will also have a visit from Susan Patente who brings her Not A Scrumdamentalist column to the podcast.  

I've often heard the argument that only outcomes matter, from bosses and colleagues to pundits, and more recently, even from coaches and change agents. This consequentialist view—that the ends justify the means ultimately harms individuals, organizations, and their stakeholders. In SPaMCAST 848 we discuss why the consequentialist argument that only the outcome matters is flawed for several reasons. We also have a visit from  who brings his wonderful Alpha and Omega of Product Development column to the podcast. In this episode Jon and I discuss a topic aligned with consequentialism, the use of manipulation and persuasion.   Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Look at your to-do list and tell me your work intake process is perfectly balanced. Whether you are reacting to your work or personal backlog, it's time to learn to take control!  Buy a copy of Mastering Work Intake (your work-life balance will improve). Amazon (US) — JRoss —   Do you want to test the water before spending part of your hard-earned paycheck? and I offer free 30-minute “office hours” sessions. In these sessions, we’ll facilitate helping to identify and create a plan to tackle one of your work intake challenges. Book time with us here: Re-read Saturday News The first chapter of (have you bought your copy?) explores the relationship between freedom and development. In the chapter, the author highlights the dichotomy between the concentration on economic wealth and a “broader” focus on the lives we can lead as different views of development. During my university career, I studied a lot of economics. I do mean a lot. At one point I considered economics as a vocation, at the time my math was not good enough and I was not a good enough student to understand that I could have remedied that issue. The brand of economics I studied would have put me into the “wealth as development” camp. Winding the calendar forward a few days (or decades) as I read this book, specifically in light of studying Stoicism, I find myself on the other end of the spectrum.  Previous installments of : Week 1: Week 2: Week 3:   Next SPaMCAST  SPaMCAST 849 will feature our interview with . Mr Mosaari is the co-founder and CEO of . We talked about the industrialization of AI and using AI to deliver value. This conversation concerns moving AI from parlor tricks to the backbone of cost-conscious value delivery.