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

The Software Process and Measurement Cast Crew is on vacation. Until then, we are revisiting some fabulous panel discussions we have had during the last 19 years. We will be back on June 21st.   Poor work intake equals out-of-control.  Being out of control leads to stress and poor quality.  Mastering Work Intake is the path to bringing order out of chaos. Buy a copy today!  JRoss Publishing or Amazon. JRoss Publishing: Amazon:   Original Show Notes:    SPaMCAST 597 features a special panel of leaders who discuss working from home now and after the initial reaction to being remote has worn off. One of the important points we discussed was the need to make space for intentional serendipity. The panel is composed of Paul Laberge, Susan Parente, John Voris, Jo Ann Sweeney, and your host.  Panelist Bios Jo Ann Sweeney FCIM FIIC MCIPR is an engagement and communication consultant. Typically, she acts as change management lead on complex programmes, facilitating development of effective engagement, training, and communication strategies and then assisting as the strategies are implemented. Clients value her deep understanding of audiences. Jo Ann is known for clarifying the complex and for persuading key stakeholders to get involved and actively support change. You are welcome to download a complimentary copy of Jo Ann’s guide How to Explain Change in 8 Easy Steps at Contact Jo Ann at [email protected] John Voris is the current leader of AgilePhilly, the local user group in the Philadelphia area for Scrum, Kanban, and Lean Software. ()  His day job is working on financial applications for Crown Cork & Seal, an essential company with over 100 years of manufacturing food and beverage cans.  Prior to Crown, John was an independent software consultant for 30+ years helping both small companies and Fortune 100 large companies with both applications and operating systems. Reach out on LinkedIn: With more than 30 years in the information technology industry, Paul Laberge – CGI Director Consulting-Expert, has a wide range of experience providing IT project management. He enjoys coaching leaders in deploying business technology solutions. His experience in organizational change management spans many different lifecycles including transitions to Agile frameworks (RUP, XP, Scrum, SAFe, Nexxus, LeSS) and incorporating Lean (Kanban) methodologies. Reach out on LinkedIn: Susan Parente is a Principal Consultant at S3 Technologies, LLC and a University Professor at multiple Universities. Mrs. Parente is an author, mentor and professor focused on risk management, traditional and Agile project management. Her experience is augmented by her Masters in Engineering Management with a focus in Marketing of Technology from George Washington University, DC, along with a number of professional certifications. Ms. Parente has 23+ years’ experience leading software and business development projects in the private and public sectors, including a decade of experience implementing IT projects for the DoD. Contact Susan at [email protected]  

The SPaMCAST 860 features a conversation with Paul Gibbons.  We discussed his new book, , which he co-authored with James Healy. This is not our first conversation with Paul, they have all been fabulous.   Paul Gibbons is a keynote speaker and author of five books, including the acclaimed Adopting AI: The People-first Approach, which came out in March 2025. Before that, he was IBM's thought-leader on the future of work, and before that, a professor of business leadership at the University of Denver.  In the Jurassic era, he was CEO of Europe's top leadership consulting firm.  He lives in Denver with his two sons and enjoys F45 and competitive high-stakes poker. Web: LinkedIn:   Note: Due to a technical error on my part, the opening is abrupt. One minute of chit chat was lost.    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   Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 861 begins an eight-week rewind featuring eight of my favorite panel discussions. We will be back on June 21st with new content and stories.  

SPaMCAST 859 features a panel discussion on the role of empathy in getting work done in teams and organizations. This is not a black or white issue, the panel suggests there are nuances. The panel includes , , , and Please welcome Brad to the cast!  I have wanted to get Brad on the podcast for several years. The stars finally aligned!  Visit Mr Bittorf on LinkedIn     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 12. The idea that I continue to return to when I contemplate this chapter, titled Individual Freedom As A Social Commitment, is that we are responsible for the consequences of our actions. Sen points out that we “cannot escape that the terrible occurrences that we see around us, are quintessentially our problems.”  He continues, “As competent human beings, we can not shirk the task of judging how things are and what needs to be done.”  Logistics note:  Next week, we will feature a few parting thoughts.   Previous installments of : All previous installments can be found at or Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 860 will feature a conversation with Paul Gibbons.  We discussed his new book, . As with my other interviews with Paul, we covered a wide range of topics from ethics to leadership.  

SPaMCAST 858 features a tale of work intake woe set in the Innovatech world that and I created. In this world, we use a bit of fiction to highlight real-world problems without pointing fingers or calling anyone a box of rocks. I would love your feedback about using allegory to highlight real issues.  We will also have a visit from Jeremy Bearriult, The Evolutionary Agilist, who will bring his humor and wisdom to the podcast.  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 10 titled Culture And Human Rights. This chapter explores the “intellectual edifice of human rights.” The concept of human rights is often trotted out almost as a totem in debates. We need to get beyond that perspective. Logistics note:  We have two more weeks in this re-read.  Next week, we will reflect on Chapter 12 (we did Chapter 11 earlier due to its relevance to current events), followed by a wrap-up.   Previous installments of : All previous installments can be found at or Next SPaMCAST  The SPaMCAST 859 will be a surprise. It will either be a panel discussion of the role of empathy in project management or an interview with Paul Gibbons. Whichever gets recorded first will be presented first. 🙂

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.