In SPaMCAST 692 we discuss Process Improvement as a phrase or perhaps even a mantra. Uttering the phrase evokes all sorts of baggage and cognitive biases that affect behaviors, not always for the better. What are the listeners of the Software Process and Measurement Cast to do? We also have a visit from Tony TImbol who brings his "To Tell A Story" column to the Podcast. We dive headlong into the tangled world of user stories and agile requirements. Tony also announces his new ebook on agile requirements. Get your own copy! https://bit.ly/3plyiAu Re-Read Saturday News Week 9 of our re-read of Agile Conversations by Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick is about commitment. Over the years I have observed that there are some people who are very committed to adopting a new way of working, some people that pay lip service, and others who flat-out resist. This is obviously a continuum. Update on last week's experiment: I was not able to leverage the concepts of joint design directly. I did use coherence busting techniques again (we are back to situational context). I am going to try again this week and I am also going to experiment with calculating the ratio of defined important words to total important words in conversations that people are trying to generate commitment. Amazon Affiliate Link https://amzn.to/3vEjr55 Week 1: Logistics and Introduction - https://bit.ly/3EZspxT Week 2: Escaping The Software Factory - https://bit.ly/3HIlivg Week 3: Improving Your Conversations - https://bit.ly/3ty0nYe Week 4: The Trust Conversation - https://bit.ly/3ApUrSk Week 5 The Fear Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3gahSpt Week 6 The Fear Conversation (Part 2) - https://bit.ly/34lLON4 Week 7 The Why Conversation (Part 1) - https://bit.ly/3Jg6KE2 Week 8 The Why Conversation (Part 2) – https://bit.ly/34YAsPc Week 9 The Commitment Conversation - https://bit.ly/3pmaooj Next SPaMCAST More AI with a conversation with Prateek Joshi. Mr. Joshi and I talked about the definition of AI, machine learning, and how to test AI (this was just the tip of the iceberg). AI is in your future and it won't be the Matrix or Skywarn (or will it).