Inspect and Adapt
82 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 10 ratingsWorld-class software development requires far more than language/platform expertise and steady sprints. Join us as we describe time-tested, industry-proven software best practices at the team, organization, and leadership levels, sharing examples from recent engagements with software teams of all sizes.
Construx is led by industry leader Steve McConnell, author of Code Complete and More Effective Agile. Software experts first and software trainers and consultants second, our team has seen what works and doesn’t work in hundreds of software organizations.
Host Mark Griffin spent the first half of his career as an electrical engineer doing silicon hardware design and leading software automation teams. He moved into the sales side of software because he wanted to spread the value of what his company was building. It was supposed to be a one-year assignment that turned into the second half of his career. His balance of deeply technical skills and right-brain artistry also makes him a masterful home brewer!
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Episodes
#13 More Effective Agile, Part 5: Manage Technical Debt, Support Large Agile Projects Through Architecture, Automate Repetitive Activities
April 23, 2020 15:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBFifth in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Manage Technical Debt." A consistent focus on quality is part of an effective Agile implementation. Managing technical debt supports higher team morale, faster progress, and higher quality products. (See page 131 in the book.) "Support Large Agile Projects Through Architecture." Good architecture can support portione...
More Effective Agile, Part 4: Steve McConnell Describes the Key Principles of His New Book
April 07, 2020 15:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBFourth in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Keep Projects Small." Small projects are easier and more often successful. Not all work can be structured into small projects, but the work that can be structured that way should be. (See page 120 in the book.) "Keep Sprints Short." Short sprints support a frequent Inspect and Adapt feedback loop. They expose prob...
#12 More Effective Agile, Part 4: Keep Projects Small, Keep Sprints Short, Deliver in Vertical Slices
April 07, 2020 15:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBFourth in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Keep Projects Small." Small projects are easier and more often successful. Not all work can be structured into small projects, but the work that can be structured that way should be. (See page 120 in the book.) "Keep Sprints Short." Short sprints support a frequent Inspect and Adapt feedback loop. They expose prob...
More Effective Agile, Part 4: Keep Projects Small, Keep Sprints Short, Deliver in Vertical Slices
April 07, 2020 15:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBFourth in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Keep Projects Small." Small projects are easier and more often successful. Not all work can be structured into small projects, but the work that can be structured that way should be. (See page 120 in the book.) "Keep Sprints Short." Short sprints support a frequent Inspect and Adapt feedback loop. They expose prob...
#11 New to Scrum? From Individuals to Team, the Persistent Role of Design, and Staffing Scrum Roles
March 18, 2020 22:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBIs your team fairly new to Scrum? Construx Senior Fellow Earl Beede and Mark Griffin discuss specific strategies and concepts that will help your first Scrum efforts be successful. Learn about the shift in mind-set from individual contributors to a true team dynamic in which throughput is far more important than being busy in parallel activities. You don’t need to be good at everything, but you need to be able to help out on anything, rather than focus only on your specialty. Helping others...
New to Scrum? From Individuals to Team, the Persistent Role of Design, and Staffing Scrum Roles
March 18, 2020 22:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBIs your team fairly new to Scrum? Construx Senior Fellow Earl Beede and Mark Griffin discuss specific strategies and concepts that will help your first Scrum efforts be successful. Learn about the shift in mind-set from individual contributors to a true team dynamic in which throughput is far more important than being busy in parallel activities. You don’t need to be good at everything, but you need to be able to help out on anything, rather than focus only on your specialty. Helping others...
#10 More Effective Agile, Part 3: Tighten Feedback Loops; Fix the System, Not the Individual; Increase Team Capacity by Building Individual Capacity
March 02, 2020 22:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBThird in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Tighten Feedback Loops." Don’t take any longer to learn lessons than you need to; keep the feedback loops as tight as possible. This supports more rapid progress from the "Inspect and Adapt" key principle and faster improvements in effectiveness from the "Develop a Growth Mindset" key principle. (See page 89 in the bo...
More Effective Agile, Part 3: Tighten Feedback Loops; Fix the System, Not the Individual; Increase Team Capacity by Building Individual Capacity
March 02, 2020 22:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBThird in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Tighten Feedback Loops." Don’t take any longer to learn lessons than you need to; keep the feedback loops as tight as possible. This supports more rapid progress from the "Inspect and Adapt" key principle and faster improvements in effectiveness from the "Develop a Growth Mindset" key principle. (See page 89 in the bo...
More Effective Agile, Part 3: Steve McConnell Describes the Key Principles of His New Book
March 02, 2020 22:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBThird in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Tighten Feedback Loops." Don’t take any longer to learn lessons than you need to; keep the feedback loops as tight as possible. This supports more rapid progress from the "Inspect and Adapt" key principle and faster improvements in effectiveness from the "Develop a Growth Mindset" key principle. (See page 89 in the bo...
#10 More Effective Agile, Part 3: Tighten Feedback Loops; Fix the System, Not the Individual; Increase Team Capacity by Building Individual Capacity
March 02, 2020 22:00 - 42 minutes - 29.5 MBThird in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Tighten Feedback Loops." Don’t take any longer to learn lessons than you need to; keep the feedback loops as tight as possible. This supports more rapid progress from the "Inspect and Adapt" key principle and faster improvements in effectiveness from the "Develop a Growth Mindset" key principle. (See page 89 in the bo...
More Effective Agile, Part 2: Motivate Teams Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose; Develop a Growth Mindset; Develop Business Focus
February 17, 2020 19:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBSecond in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Motivate Teams Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose." Agile practices inherently support the factors that contribute to motivation. Teams are intended to work with Autonomy and to become better over time (Mastery). In order to do so, they need to understand their Purpose. The concepts of “healthy Agile team” and “mo...
#9 More Effective Agile, Part 2: Motivate Teams Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose; Develop a Growth Mindset; Develop Business Focus
February 17, 2020 19:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBSecond in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Motivate Teams Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose." Agile practices inherently support the factors that contribute to motivation. Teams are intended to work with Autonomy and to become better over time (Mastery). In order to do so, they need to understand their Purpose. The concepts of “healthy Agile team” and “mo...
#9 More Effective Agile, Part 2: Motivate Teams Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose; Develop a Growth Mindset; Develop Business Focus
February 17, 2020 19:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBSecond in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Motivate Teams Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose." Agile practices inherently support the factors that contribute to motivation. Teams are intended to work with Autonomy and to become better over time (Mastery). In order to do so, they need to understand their Purpose. The concepts of “healthy Agile team” and “mo...
More Effective Agile, Part 2: Steve McConnell Describes the Key Principles of His New Book
February 17, 2020 19:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBSecond in our series in which Steve McConnell describes the 28 key principles in his new book, More Effective Agile (Construx Press, 2019). The principles discussed this time: "Motivate Teams Through Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose." Agile practices inherently support the factors that contribute to motivation. Teams are intended to work with Autonomy and to become better over time (Mastery). In order to do so, they need to understand their Purpose. The concepts of “healthy Agile team” and “mo...
Scaling Agile: The Importance of Batch Size, Using Backfilling to Clarify Direction, and the Key to Collaboration
February 03, 2020 19:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBTeams succeeding with Agile approaches on smaller projects often encounter difficulties when attempting to scale those methods. In this episode, Construx Senior Fellow Earl Beede and Mark Griffin discuss specific strategies for successfully scaling Agile. First, they cover the importance of batch sizing. Overly large batches easily lead to waste, and many scaling issues can be solved by manipulating batch size. The next strategy—backfilling—addresses two challenges: The tendency for teams to...
#8 Scaling Agile: The Importance of Batch Size, Using Backfilling to Clarify Direction, and the Key to Collaboration
February 03, 2020 19:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBTeams succeeding with Agile approaches on smaller projects often encounter difficulties when attempting to scale those methods. In this episode, Construx Senior Fellow Earl Beede and Mark Griffin discuss specific strategies for successfully scaling Agile. First, they cover the importance of batch sizing. Overly large batches easily lead to waste, and many scaling issues can be solved by manipulating batch size. The next strategy—backfilling—addresses two challenges: The tendency for teams to...
#7 Special Guest Jeff Atwood, Part 2: Jeff and Steve on Effective Software Development Process
January 23, 2020 22:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBWe’re happy to continue the conversation between Steve McConnell and Jeff Atwood. Jeff is a software developer, author, and entrepreneur known for blogging at Coding Horror, co-founding the computer-programming question-and-answer website Stack Overflow, and, currently, developing Discourse, a powerful open-source discussion platform. Over the holidays we recorded Jeff and Steve discussing Steve’s new book, More Effective Agile, which Jeff had just read. Their discussion touches on numerous ...
Special Guest Jeff Atwood, Part 2: Jeff and Steve on Effective Software Development Process
January 23, 2020 22:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBWe’re happy to continue the conversation between Steve McConnell and Jeff Atwood. Jeff is a software developer, author, and entrepreneur known for blogging at Coding Horror, co-founding the computer-programming question-and-answer website Stack Overflow, and, currently, developing Discourse, a powerful open-source discussion platform. Over the holidays we recorded Jeff and Steve discussing Steve’s new book, More Effective Agile, which Jeff had just read. Their discussion touches on numerous ...
Special Guest Jeff Atwood, Part 1: Jeff and Steve on Effective Software Development Process
January 14, 2020 23:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBWe’re happy to the share the first of two episodes featuring Jeff Atwood, a software developer, author, and entrepreneur known for many things: blogging at Coding Horror, co-founding the computer-programming question-and-answer website Stack Overflow, and, currently, developing Discourse, a powerful open-source discussion platform. Over the holidays we recorded Jeff and Steve McConnell discussing Steve’s new book, More Effective Agile, which Jeff had just read. Enjoy a conversation that touc...
#6 Special Guest Jeff Atwood, Part 1: Jeff and Steve on Effective Software Development Process
January 14, 2020 23:00 - 43 minutes - 29.9 MBWe’re happy to the share the first of two episodes featuring Jeff Atwood, a software developer, author, and entrepreneur known for many things: blogging at Coding Horror, co-founding the computer-programming question-and-answer website Stack Overflow, and, currently, developing Discourse, a powerful open-source discussion platform. Over the holidays we recorded Jeff and Steve McConnell discussing Steve’s new book, More Effective Agile, which Jeff had just read. Enjoy a conversation that touc...
Design Patterns: What's Their Connection to Fundamental Design Principles?
December 17, 2019 15:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBConstrux Principal Consultant Steve Tockey and Mark Griffin discuss design patterns in a unique way by emphasizing the importance of understanding fundamental design principles when you’re using patterns. Of the top five reasons that software projects get into trouble, the most significant issue that is directly under the control of software developers is the complexity in the code base. Both industry data and Steve’s own engagement-derived data over 20 years of software consulting support ...
#5 Design Patterns: What's Their Connection to Fundamental Design Principles?
December 17, 2019 15:00 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBConstrux Principal Consultant Steve Tockey and Mark Griffin discuss design patterns in a unique way by emphasizing the importance of understanding fundamental design principles when you’re using patterns. Of the top five reasons that software projects get into trouble, the most significant issue that is directly under the control of software developers is the complexity in the code base. Both industry data and Steve’s own engagement-derived data over 20 years of software consulting support ...
#4 More Effective Agile, Part 1: Inspect and Adapt, Start with Scrum, Build Cross-Functional Teams, Integrate Testers into the Development Teams
December 02, 2019 21:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBIn the first of a series of episodes sharing crucial information from Steve McConnell's new book, More Effective Agile, Steve and Mark begin to describe the 28 key principles you need to understand to reap the full benefits of effective Agile. The principles discussed in this episode are "Inspect and Adapt." Agile is an empirical approach that depends on learning from experience. This requires creating opportunities to reflect periodically and make adjustments based on experience. "Start ...
More Effective Agile, Part 1: Inspect and Adapt, Start with Scrum, Build Cross-Functional Teams, Integrate Testers into the Development Teams
December 02, 2019 21:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBIn the first of a series of episodes sharing crucial information from Steve McConnell's new book, More Effective Agile, Steve and Mark begin to describe the 28 key principles you need to understand to reap the full benefits of effective Agile. The principles discussed in this episode are "Inspect and Adapt." Agile is an empirical approach that depends on learning from experience. This requires creating opportunities to reflect periodically and make adjustments based on experience. "Start ...
More Effective Agile, Part 1: Steve McConnell Describes the Key Principles of His New Book
December 02, 2019 21:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBIn the first of a series of episodes sharing crucial information from Steve McConnell's new book, More Effective Agile, Steve and Mark begin to describe the 28 key principles you need to understand to reap the full benefits of effective Agile. The principles discussed in this episode include the following: "Inspect and Adapt." Agile is an empirical approach that depends on learning from experience. This requires creating opportunities to reflect periodically and make adjustments based on exp...
#4 More Effective Agile, Part 1: Inspect and Adapt, Start with Scrum, Build Cross-Functional Teams, Integrate Testers into the Development Teams
December 02, 2019 21:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBIn the first of a series of episodes sharing crucial information from Steve McConnell's new book, More Effective Agile, Steve and Mark begin to describe the 28 key principles you need to understand to reap the full benefits of effective Agile. The principles discussed in this episode are "Inspect and Adapt." Agile is an empirical approach that depends on learning from experience. This requires creating opportunities to reflect periodically and make adjustments based on experience. "Start ...
#3 Developer Testing: The Legacy Code Dilemma, Modified Condition Decision Coverage, and Pairwise Testing
November 05, 2019 18:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBConstrux Senior Fellow Melvin Perez-Cedano and host Mark Griffin dive into developer testing in response to a recent engagement with a telecommunications client trying to improve quality and productivity. As developers, we know that we’re going to make mistakes. The point of developer testing is to discover those mistakes as early as possible so that we can remove them when it is far more economical to do so. Test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development help here. Plus, wri...
Getting Unstuck: Addressing Struggling Scrum Adoptions, Responding to the Agile Test, and Properly Sizing Backlog Items
November 05, 2019 18:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBConstrux Senior Fellow John Clifford—our Agile Practices lead—joins host Mark Griffin to discuss a repeated theme of multiple recent engagements: how to get Agile teams unstuck. Many teams are struggling with “Scrum adoptions,” they think, but this characterization is inaccurate because the teams aren’t really running Scrum. Instead, they’re doing an approximation based on faulty assumptions—namely, that the teams can take a bit of this and a bit of that and make it work. But Agile framewor...
Developer Testing: The Legacy Code Dilemma, Modified Condition Decision Coverage, and Pairwise Testing
November 05, 2019 18:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBConstrux Senior Fellow Melvin Perez-Cedano and host Mark Griffin dive into developer testing in response to a recent engagement with a telecommunications client trying to improve quality and productivity. As developers, we know that we’re going to make mistakes. The point of developer testing is to discover those mistakes as early as possible so that we can remove them when it is far more economical to do so. Test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development help here. Plus, wri...
Our Inaugural Episode: Gradients of Agreement, Forms of Waste, Real Kanban Boards, and Longer-Term Scrum Planning
November 05, 2019 18:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBConstrux Senior Fellow Melvin Perez-Cedano joins host Mark Griffin to discuss two recent engagements: a Lean-Agile Practices custom workshop with a team using proto-Kanban (a board without work-in-process limits) and a deep-dive Scrum class with experienced Scrum practitioners. In the first case, Melvin describes using a participatory decision-making technique to determine whether everyone on the team was in agreement about the team’s primary challenges. In this case, team members ranked th...
#1 Our Inaugural Episode: Gradients of Agreement, Forms of Waste, Real Kanban Boards, and Longer-Term Scrum Planning
November 05, 2019 18:00 - 35 minutes - 24.6 MBConstrux Senior Fellow Melvin Perez-Cedano joins host Mark Griffin to discuss two recent engagements: a Lean-Agile Practices custom workshop with a team using proto-Kanban (a board without work-in-process limits) and a deep-dive Scrum class with experienced Scrum practitioners. In the first case, Melvin describes using a participatory decision-making technique to determine whether everyone on the team was in agreement about the team’s primary challenges. In this case, team members ranked th...
#2 Getting Unstuck: Addressing Struggling Scrum Adoptions, Responding to the Agile Test, and Properly Sizing Backlog Items
November 05, 2019 18:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBConstrux Senior Fellow John Clifford—our Agile Practices lead—joins host Mark Griffin to discuss a repeated theme of multiple recent engagements: how to get Agile teams unstuck. Many teams are struggling with “Scrum adoptions,” they think, but this characterization is inaccurate because the teams aren’t really running Scrum. Instead, they’re doing an approximation based on faulty assumptions—namely, that the teams can take a bit of this and a bit of that and make it work. But Agile framewor...