When Management Won’t Buy In, A Panel Discussion, SPaMCAST 871

Impressions are NOT facts - No Matter What Your Gut Tells You! Stoic philosophy holds that impressions are not facts and must be tested.  Why this matters: It is very easy to jump to conclusions. In some cases, this is harmless, while in others it leads to disaster.  The question the panel faces is whether EVERY impression needs to be examined or is there a continuum. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault -   Jeremy Willets -   Jon M Quigley -   Daniel Doiron -    Me -   Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less.  Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value.  Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Constraints and Friction Are Our Friends Constraints and fiction are required to generate interest in process improvement. Why this matters: The lack of friction leads to overuse - the tragedy of the commons. The SPaMCAST 876 will post on September 28th. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].  

We only have control over ourselves! The dichotomy of control. Why it matters: We have direct control over our thoughts, judgments, and actions, but external events, other people's opinions, and the outcomes of our actions are not directly within our control.  When discussing problem statements, Jeremy Berriault stated, “stick with STIC.” The alliteration was great! Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault -   Jeremy Willets -   -    Me -   Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less.  Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value.  Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Impressions are NOT facts. — The next SPaMCAST  Stoic philosophy holds that impressions are not facts and must be tested.  Why this matters: It is very easy to jump to conclusions. In some cases, this is harmless, while in others it leads to disaster.  The SPaMCAST 875 will post on October 14th. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].  

Dry riverbeds or flash floods - flow matters! Why it matters: Understanding how value is created and moves through an organization is critical. The problem is that the concept is complicated.  Freddie Clark stated, “measuring flow is a two-dimensional measure of a three-dimensional problem.”  Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault -   Freddie Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-clark/ -    Me -   Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less.  Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value.  Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: There are things you can control and things you can’t. — The next SPaMCAST  Epictetus described this idea as the dichotomy of control.  Why this matters: We have direct control over our thoughts, judgments, and actions, but external events, other people's opinions, and the outcomes of our actions are not directly within our control.  The SPaMCAST 874  will be posted on August 31st. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

The work has to get done, be miserable, or find JOY in it – it’s your choice.  Why it matters: It is hard to motivate yourself and your team if you do not find joy in the work you do day in and day out.  Our panel finds a joyful path: Jeremy Berriault -   Jon M Quigley -   -    Me -   Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less.  Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value.  Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Dry riverbeds or flash floods - flow matters! — The next SPaMCAST  Flow measures what gets delivered. Why this matters:  Flow just doesn’t happen. You and your organization shape how work moves through the organization.  Flow measures efficiency and influences satisfaction.  The SPaMCAST 873  will be posted on August 17th. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

Pushing cooked spaghetti uphill…is exhausting.  Why it matters: It is hard to make change happen if leaders provide lip service to the cause. It is impossible if they actively oppose change. So what are you going to do?  Panelists include: Jeremy Berriault -   -   Jon M Quigley -   -    Me -   Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less.  Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value.  Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Find joy in your daily activities! The next SPaMCAST  Finding approaches to find joy in the little things at work is more than just a slogan; Why this matters:  How much time do you spend at work? Joy is the path to higher quality and productivity. The SPaMCAST 872  will be posted on August 3rd. If you want to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

Habits, doing work without thinking, are the death of process improvement.  Why it matters: When your brain goes on autopilot, it is easy to miss subtle changes and problems in product flow.  Is it ever ok to stop thinking? Panelists include: Jeremy Berriault -   -   Jon M Quigley -   Freddie Clark -    Me -   Mastering Work Intake sponsors SPaMCAST! Starting Everything Means Finishing Nothing   One big thing: Poor work entry means delivering less.  Why it matters: Work Intake controls what a team works on and when they work on it. Overloaded teams deliver less value. Poor prioritization leads to delivering the wrong work. Chaotic work intake costs organizations money and time. Zoom in: Mastering Work Intake by Jeremy Willets and Tom Cagley provides the reader with ideas, principles, actionable advice, worksheets, and examples to deliver more value.  Buy a copy! JRoss Publishing: Amazon: Fix Your Organization's Operating System FIRST: The next SPaMCAST  Fix your organization BEFORE you try to fix teams. Why this matters: People work in the system that management created The SPaMCAST 871  will be posted on July 20th. For the summer of 2025, we will drop bi-weekly and focus on panel discussions. If you want to participate, email me at [email protected].

And we are back!  The SPaMCAST 869 features a conversation on whether AI means the death of the specialist.  Why it matters: AI tools and agents are becoming a core feature in the workplace of nearly all forward-facing organizations.  To keep up, employees need to see the future and take action. Panelists include: Jeremy Beeriault -   -   -   SusanParente -   Me -   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   Habits or Rituals: The next SPaMCAST  Have your daily events become habits with all the conscious thought you’d give to scratching your…ear?    Why this matters: If true, the value and joy from these events have probably gone the way of your conscious thought. THAT IS A BAD THING!   Teams that get no value from retrospectives just go through the motions and then quit. This is true for ANY repeated event. The SPaMCAST 870  will be posted on July 6th. For the summer of 2025, we will drop bi-weekly and focus on panel discussions. If you want to participate, email me at [email protected].

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: Another year has flown by, and 2025 is near.  The SPaMCAST 844 features our year-end panel discussion. This year, Jeremy Willets, Jeremy Berriault, Susan Parente, Jon M Quigley, and I discussed AI, Agile, mixing methods, and tried to forecast what comes next. This episode is a cornucopia of opinions and frivolity. Websites: Jeremy Berriault: https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Susan Parente: http://www.s3-tec.com/ Jon M Quigley: https://valuetransform.com/ Jeremy Willets: https://www.jeremywillets.com/  

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 788 is our annual SPaMCAST panel featuring most of the podcast regulars, including:  Jeremy Berriault, Keis Kostaqi, Jon M. Quigley,  Jeremy Willets, and Tom Cagley appears in the ringmaster role.  Tony Timbol and Susan Parente, regular contributors, were unable to join, and we missed them (this time of year is busy). Maybe I should do the annual panel in February, no one is busy in the colder parts of February.  During this year's panel, we discussed using AIs in coaching, working in the office, Jon’s tent, and 2024.    

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: In the Software Process and Measurement Cast 762, we host a panel discussion on the impact of AI on project management prospects. The panel of Paul Clapis, Susan Parente, Michael Milutis, and Mark Tolbert state categorically that project administration will be overtaken, but the high-value human side of project management will not be displaced. I am not sure what that means for most people working in the project management space. Listen to the discussion and then look carefully at the work you are doing. Will AI be a boon or a bane for project management?  Let the conversation begin. About Paul J. Clapis, Ph.D.: Dr. Clapis has over 30 years of experience managing AI, Machine Learning, and RPA projects for NASA, aerospace, and financial services industries. He also directed the Hughes Advanced Computing Lab at Yale Science Park, where he conducted applied research in AI, Expert Systems, Machine Learning, and Neural Networks.  About Susan Parente: Susan is an Engineer/Consultant, speaker, and author with experience managing both software and hardware development. She is proficient in managing complex system implementation for companies seeking to use enterprise business software to improve business process efficiency. Susan is a regular contributor to the Software Process and Measurement podcast.    About Michael Milutis: Michael Milutis is an international keynote speaker, instructor, and 25-year veteran of the IT industry who has dedicated his career to helping individuals learn, develop, and compete within a shifting technology landscape.   About Mark Tolbert: Mark has over 30 years of experience in I.T., including 27 years at Hewlett-Packard. He successfully managed support programs and projects within HP Services. He is a full-time instructor for PMP Prep classes since November 2007. He is very passionate about project management and believes adopting the best project management practices and skills is crucial to the success of enterprises today.