Software Delivery in Small Batches

In this episode of Small Batches, host Adam Hawkins welcomes Alex Nesbitt, a strategy expert and member of the Flow Collective, to delve into the nuances of strategic thinking. The discussion covers different types of strategies, pro-tips on strategic thinking, and how strategy relates to the concept of flight levels. 

Nesbitt shares insights from his extensive consulting career, touching on topics like identifying leverage points, the relationship between strategy and tactics, and why being strategic is often more critical than having a strategy. The episode also stresses the importance of having a clear vision, enabling organizational constraints, and the roles of resilience and maintenance in strategic planning. Alex mentions practical examples, resources, and tips to help software and business leaders enhance their strategic approach.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE giveaway for a copy of "Playing to Win"
• 🧭 Get the Small Batches Way guide to software delivery excellence 
• 🥋 Software Kaizen: My One-on-One System for Engineering Leadership
• 📘 Playing to Win by Lafely & Martin
• 📘 Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Rumelt
• 📘 The Effective Executive by Drucker
• 🧠 Effectuation Theory

Chapters

• (00:00) - Intro

Adam discusses strategy in preparation for the next episode.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE giveaway for a copy of "Playing to Win"
• 🧭 Get the Small Batches Way guide to software delivery excellence 
• 🥋 Software Kaizen: My One-on-One System for Engineering Leadership
• 📘 Playing to Win by Lafely & Martin

Chapters

• (00:00) - Playing to Win

Adam discusses three (new-ish) ideas from time on a new gemba. 

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE giveaway for a copy of "Modern Software Engineering"
• 🧭 Get the Small Batches Way guide to software delivery excellence 
• 🥋 Software Kaizen: My One-on-One System for Engineering Leadership
• 📘 Flight Levels by Klaus Leopold

Chapters

• (00:00) - On the Gemba

Adam describes using Hexagonal Architecture, also known as Ports and Adapters, for software delivery excellence.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE giveaway for a copy of "Modern Software Engineering"
• 🧭 Get the Small Batches Way guide to software delivery excellence 
• 🥋 Software Kaizen: My One-on-One System for Engineering Leadership
• 📘 Hexagonal Architecture by Alistair Cockburn
• ☕️ Small Batches #17 with Dave Farley

Chapters

• (00:00) - Hexagonal Architecture

Adam welcomes Steve Pereira and Andrew Davis to discuss their new book, Flow Engineering. They discuss the book's origin story and the use of cybernetics to drive effective action.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE giveaway for a copy of "Modern Software Engineering"
• 🧭 Get the Small Batches Way guide to software delivery excellence 
• 📘 Buy Flow Engineering: from value stream mapping to effective action
• 🧠 Join the Flow Collective
• 🥋 Software Kaizen: My One-on-One System for Engineering Leadership

Chapters

• (00:00) - Flow Engineering

Adam presents the mental model behind T1 and T2 signals, a necessary lexicon for understanding production operations.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE giveaway for a copy of "Flow Engineering"
• 🧭 Get your FREE Guide to software delivery excellence
• ☕️ Small Batches #103 - Understanding Production Operations (The MMIVM episode)
• ☕️ Small Batches #90 - As Measured By
• ☕️ Small Batches #88 - Golden Signals
• ☕️ Small Batches #26 - SLOs with Alex Hidalgo (Google SRE and author of the SLO book)
• 🥋 Software Kaizen: My One-on-One System for Engineering Leadership

Chapters

• (00:00) - T1 & T2 Signals

Adam answers a listener's request of advice on succeeding in high-level company or project environments with seven tips.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE giveaway for a copy of "Flow Engineering"
• 🧭 Get your FREE Guide to software delivery excellence
• 📘 Buy "Goldratt's Rules of Flow"
• 📘 Buy "Playing to Win" (my favorite book on strategy)
• ☕️ Small Batches #99: Wiring the Winning Organization
• ☕️ Small Batches #82: Leadership is Language

Chapters

• (00:00) - Rules of Flow

Adam presents TDD as skill zero, the one that unlocks all the others.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 April 2024 Giveaway instructions
• 🧭 Get your FREE Guide to software delivery excellence
• ☕️ Small Batches #65: Systems Thinking
• ☕️ Dave Farley on Small Batches
• 📘 Tidy First? by Kent Beck

Chapters

• (00:00) - Skill Zero: Test Driven Development

Adam presents a catch-all episode on ops reviews, visual management, call-to-actions, and SLOs.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 April 2024 Giveaway instructions
• 🧭 Get your FREE Guide to software delivery excellence
• ☕️ Small Batches #104: Blue-Yellow-Black Visual Management
• ☕️ Small Batches #26: Service Level Objectives with Alex Hidalgo
• ☕️ Small Batches #103: Understanding Production Operations
• 🥋 How to Find your Initial SLOs on Software Kaizen

Chapters

• (00:00) - Intro

Dave Mangot returns to discuss his new book "DevOps Patterns for Private Equity". Don't let the title fool you, this is best introduction to DevOps and many related software delivery topics. Buy this book for anyone in leadership.

Want more?

• 🚀 New listener? Start with the introduction.
• 🎁 Enter the FREE March 2024 book giveaway
• 🧭 Get your FREE Guide to software delivery excellence
• 📘 DevOps Patterns for Private Equity (Dave's Book)
• ☕️ Small Batches #37: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team with Dave Mangot

Chapters

• (00:00) - Intro