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Welcome to the Software Process and Measurement Cast's final podcast. Today we have a treat, a radio play titled, Navigating the Silos or Playing a Game with House Rules written by David Herron and me. Over the years, Mr. Herron has been a boss, colleague, mentor, and most of all, a friend. The story unfolds in the aftermath of the late 1990s tech boom. Innovatech, a pioneer in construction software, once rode the wave of innovation, disrupting the industry with its flagship product, Site Flow. However, as the digital landscape evolved, Innovatech found itself struggling to keep pace. Faced with increasing competition and stagnating growth, the company's leadership embraced AI as a panacea. The play is extracted from a business novella/case study that David and I wrote to help process and measurement consultants learn to generate process improvements in organizations. The SPaMCAST players include: Jeremy Willets- Narrator Susan Parente - Emma (the protagonist) David Herron - Jerry, Emma's mentor, and Jeremy, the product owner Tom Cagley - Ali, the gruff CTO Jeremy Berriault- Cory, QA manager Script reviewer included: Jon M Quigley Brad Bittorf Freddie Clark Daniel Dorion Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay And Royalty Free SFX Pack from Dark Fantasy Studio, www.darkfantasystudio.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 As always, thoughts, comments, and discussion are welcome. Contact us at [email protected] Enjoy the play!

42, not 67, is still the answer. We begin the end of a 20-year run today. SPaMCAST 884 will mark the planned end of new interview content. There are several pieces of content that we still have to publish. Still to come: An audio play written by David Herron and me. The SPaMCAST players provided the voice talent! A review of several podcasts that changed my professional life. A retrospective. Anthony's Bio Anthony coaches and trains Agile Leaders to help them understand Agile and Scrum and how to create an environment where people come first, productivity is high and teamwork is effective and enjoyable. He is also the author of two books, Agile Project Management and Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers. Website: https://www.vitalitychicago.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonymersino/ 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Next! We will have a short hiatus, 2 or 3 weeks, before the audio drama lands!

Does the Agile Manifesto still guide us? The Manifesto has been an integral part of our professional lives. Organizations and teams seem to be tired of values and principles. Is the Manifesto still relevant? Our panel today features: Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Jeremy Willets - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets/ Jon M Quigley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmquigley/ Freddie Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-clark/ Jeremy Berriault- berriaultandassociates.com Me 🙂 - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Next! The final interview Anthony Mersino and I discuss the life, the universe, and everything. The answer is still 42, but this time we will record the question for posterity. SPaMCAST 884 will be posted in two weeks. We look forward to having you with us!

Another trip around the sun! This year's topics are drawn from a talk by Neil Postman: "All technological change is a trade-off. Technology giveth and technology taketh away." - Do we control the risk? "There is a common tendency to think of our technological creations as if they were God-given, as if they were a part of the natural order of things." - WHY? What will 2026 bring? Our panel today features: Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Jeremy Willets - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets/ Susan Parente - linkedin.com/in/susanparente Freddie Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-clark/ Jeremy Berriault- berriaultandassociates.com Me 🙂 - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Next! Does the Agile Manifesto still guide us? The Manifesto has been an integral part of our professional lives. Organizations and teams seem to be tired of values and principles. Is the Manifesto still relevant?

What would you tell your 25-year-old self? It is the time of year for celebration and introspection. Why? If not now, then when? Our panel today features: Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Jeremy Willets - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets/ Jon M Quigley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmquigley/ Freddie Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-clark/ Me 🙂 - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Next! OUR ANNUAL YEAR PANEL DISCUSSION! SPaMCAST 882 will be posted in two weeks. We look forward to having you with us!

Involving Others in Personal Change Can Cause Problems. Involving others when changing a team or organization is unassailable. The same isn't true when changing yourself. Why this matters: Understanding boundaries and what you control is important for owning your own productivity. Our panel today features: Jeremy Berriault - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Brad Bittorf- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bittorfbradley/ Me 🙂 - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Next! What would you tell your 20-year-old self? It is the time of year for celebration and introspection. Why? If not now, then when? SPaMCAST 881 will be posted in two weeks. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

Process Debt Swamps Platform Teams! Over-abstraction slows teams by INCREASING complexity. Why this matters: Profitability is HIGHLY related to productivity. Mark Fussell is the CEO of Diagrid, a cutting-edge company that simplifies building and scaling cloud-native applications. As the co-founder of Dapr (Distributed Application Runtime), Mark has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of modern application development by empowering developers to build resilient, distributed systems with ease. With decades of experience in the software industry, Mark has been a driving force behind innovative solutions that bridge the gap between developers and complex infrastructure. LinkedIn: inkedin.com/in/mfussell Website diagrid.io/ (Company) 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Next! Involving Others in Personal Change Can Cause Problems. Involving others when changing a team or organization is unassailable. The same isn't true when changing yourself. Why this matters: Understanding boundaries and what you control is important for owning your own productivity. SPaMCAST 880 will be posted in two weeks. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

AI, the Future of Work, and Cybersecurity Are Intertwined! Why it matters: Business processes are being transformed, yielding opportunities and RISKS - leaders should be aware. Bio: Ephraim Ebstein is the CEO and Co-founder of FIT Solutions, LLC. Ephraim is not just another cybersecurity guy-he's a $30M entrepreneur who built two national companies from the ground up, and now helps business leaders turn tech headaches into growth engines. .IG: @kingspear @fitsolutionsllc Ephraim Ebstein | LinkedIn https://fitsolutions.biz/ Web 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Process Debt Swamp Platform Teams! Over-abstraction slows teams by INCREASING complexity. Why this matters: Profitability is HIGHLY related to productivity. SPaMCAST 879 will be posted in two weeks. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

Many firms are bringing everyone back to the office and demanding longer hours. They are conflating effort and productivity. Why this matters: Increasing productivity is NECESSARY for profitability and growth. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Jeremy Willets - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets/ Brad Bittorf- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bittorfbradley/ Me - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Involving Others in Personal Change Can Cause Problems. Involving others when changing a team or organization is unassailable. The same isn't true when changing yourself. Why this matters: Understanding boundaries and what you control is important for owning your own productivity. The SPaMCAST 878 will post in two weeks. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

The Theory Of Constraints: A Real-World Tool Constraints and friction generate interest in process improvement. Why this matters: The lack of friction leads to overuse which is the tragedy of the commons. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Me - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Work-Life Balance IS DEAD Many firms are bringing everyone back to the office and demanding longer hours. They are conflating effort and productivity. Why this matters: Increasing productivity is NECESSARY for profitability and growth. The SPaMCAST 877 will post in two weeks. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

The Theory Of Constraints: A Real-World Tool Constraints and friction generate interest in process improvement. Why this matters: The lack of friction leads to overuse which is the tragedy of the commons. Our panel flows with: Jeremy Berriault - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Me - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 Work-Life Balance IS DEAD Many firms are bringing everyone back to the office and demanding longer hours. They are conflating effort and productivity. Why this matters: Increasing productivity is NECESSARY for profitability and growth. The SPaMCAST 877 will post in two weeks. If you would like to participate in the panel discussions, email me at [email protected].

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 - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Jeremy Willets - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets/ Jon M Quigley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmquigley/ Daniel Doiron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldoiron/ Me - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 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 - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Jeremy Willets - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywillets/ Brad Bittorf- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bittorfbradley/ Me - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 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 - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Freddie Clark - https://www.linkedin.com/in/freddie-clark/ Brad Bittorf- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bittorfbradley/ Me - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 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 - https://berriaultandassociates.com/ Jon M Quigley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonmquigley/ Brad Bittorf- https://www.linkedin.com/in/bittorfbradley/ Me - www.tomcagley.com 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: https://bit.ly/474ul6G Amazon: https://amzn.to/4236013 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].