SPaMCAST 562 features our essay on the power of saying no.  I firmly believe that unless you have control over the amount of work you take, you are asking for a trainwreck.  The problem is that saying no is often harder than being late or over budget.   We will also have a visit from the Software Sensei.  Kim Pries is back to kick off September with an essay titled, Real Planning. While the actual plan might not be exactly what happens in real life, the act of planning is crucial.  Re-Read Saturday News Well, I missed posting an entry of Re-read Saturday and if you had not noticed SPaMCAST 562 is not exactly what I had planned.  Five weeks ago my standard poodle Jax (named after the New Orleans Beer of yesteryear) died. My wife and I missed having a canine presence around the house.  Yesterday, we drove to Brantford, Ontario and picked up a new standard poodle, Nyssa (named after Nyssa of Traken -- Dr. Who aficionados will recognize the name). It was a round trip 14 hours, including a stop at the in Buffalo --- I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE PLACE.  This is the long way around saying that I did not have WIFI, so I failed to post. Hence the pivot on the material in the cast this week.  Never fear you never know what tomorrow may bring! Remember, if you do not have a favorite, dog-eared copy of , please buy a copy.  Using the links in this blog entry helps support the blog and its alter-ego, The Software Process and Measurement Cast. ,  It’s time to get reading!    The installments: Week 1: – Week 2: – Week 3: – Week 4: – Week 5: – Week 6: – Week 7: – Week 8: -   Week 9: -   Week 10:  -   Week 11: -   Week 12: -   Week 13: -   Week 14: -   Week 15: -   Week 16: -   Week 17: -   Next SPaMCAST SPaMCAST 563 will feature an interview with Steve Tendon and Daniel Dioron.  We discussed their new book Tame Your Work Flow. Steve and Daniel share deep insights into applying the Theory of Constraints in the real world. The flow of work is not an esoteric topic.  Steve and Daniel provide very useful advice on how to deliver more value.