321-Gang The Continuous Engineering Experts

Many of the world’s biggest companies struggle to be nimble, efficient, and data-driven, which then makes them less productive than they should be. It’s not just their size that holds them back - much of the problem is created by a traditional business model that’s been created for scale and standardization, rather than for agility and innovation.

While many organizations have teams working in an Agile way, very few businesses have been able to implement this model across their entire enterprise. As companies move from implementing agile on individual projects to portfolios and, ultimately, to an entire business, more and more core processes need to be adapted—a significant operational challenge in itself.

Join the Continuous Engineering Experts’ Bryan Smith as he welcomes back IBM Solutions Architect, Amy Silberbauer to the show, as she gives us an in-depth overview and demo of 3 must have tools for Enterprise Agile teams.

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0:02:25 - What’s new in IBM’s Continuous Engineering 6.0.6 solution to help support large enterprises scale agile?
0:03:10 – Let’s focus on this new focus on usability --- what can you tell us about Quick Create, Quick Planner and the new Program Board?
0:04:45 – Who is “Quick Create” built for and why should they want to use it?
0:07:18 – Tell us a bit about “Quick Planner” now --- how does this solution help Enterprise Agile teams?
0:10:29 - How does the new “Program Board” fit into this picture? Is this feature specifically for SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) users? Or can it be used with any other process methodology?
0:13:15 – Who is the “Program Board” designed for and how would they typically use it?
0:16:04 – DEMO – “Quick Create” Features Overview
0:22:34 – DEMO – “Quick Planner” Features Overview
0:33:36 – DEMO – “Program Board” Features Overview
0:38:40 – Can you give us an example of how an ART team or a larger PI Planning team would use these tools in a real – world scenario?
0:39:45 - What are some of the advantages for using these specific solutions for organizations that are in highly regulated industries?

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is the practice of developing a set of related system models that help define, design, and document a system under development. These models provide an efficient way to explore, update, and communicate system aspects to fellow System Engineers and business stakeholders (like clients or software engineers) while significantly reducing or eliminating dependence on traditional documents.

When combined with Agile & Lean practices - where the focus is based on adaptive planning and fast-learning and shorter delivery times – Agile & MBSE become a powerful discipline that allows engineers to quickly and incrementally learn about the system under development before the cost of change gets too high.

Join the Continuous Engineering Experts’ Bryan Smith as he welcomes Dr. Bruce Douglass – IBM’s Chief Evangelist for their Watson IoT division – as they discuss the benefits to adopting Agile and Model Based Systems Engineering and how you can get started with aMBSE in your organization.


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0:03:41 – What does it mean to be “Agile” in Systems Engineering? How do you do Agile in a practical way in Systems Engineering?
0:04:48 – What do you mean by “verification & validation” and how important is this when applying Agile in Systems Engineering?
0:06:35 – How do elements like UML and SysML come together in an Agile MBSE (aMBSE) process?
0:14:01 - Where does aMBSE fit within a larger, engineering effort that combines software, firmware and hardware?
0:23:47 – How do organizations get started in adopting Agile MBSE?
0:31:14 – Is there a place for the Harmony aMBSE process and the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to work together, or are they inherently different?

Banks and financial services organizations of all sizes are now more concerned than ever about cybersecurity risk and compliance management.

The scope and nature of managing compliance have evolved and are no longer limited to rules-based banking regulations. Operational and compliance risks have become more complex and entwined, increasing the potential for failed processes that cause customer confusion and compliance control breakdowns. Without a new approach to cyber risk, compliance and operational risk management, many financial services institutions will continue to face high costs and losses in the form of escalating litigation, penalties, and staffing needs.

Join the Continuous Engineering Experts’ Bryan Smith as he welcomes Bradford Leigh from IBM to the show, as he shares with us some best practices in how to successfully manage your cyber security and compliance requirements.

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0:01:30 – From an institutional perspective, why the hype? Why are Cyber Criminals targeting the Financial Services Sector?
0:07:00 – What has the reaction been from regulators and from the Finance industry?
0:08:27 – Hasn’t CyberRisk and NY Department of Financial Services (NY DFS Rule 500) been addressed? Where are firms with their implementations?
0:10:55 - What is IBM’s solution? I thought that IBM’s Solution (Watson IoT) CLM is a tool for software development? How does managing compliance and cybersecurity fit with Watson IoT?
0:14:43 – So what is missing? What do companies need to do to better manage their cyber risk and compliance programs?
0:19:45 – Can you give us an example of a client who has taken these tools from IBM and then used them to successfully meet these regulatory mandates?

Agile Methodology is a people-focused, results-focused approach to software & systems development that respects our rapidly changing world. It’s centered around adaptive planning, self-organization, and shorter delivery times.

While it seems that nowadays most systems engineers & software developers claim they are doing Agile, it is also a well-known fact that many teams are only following part of the practices that characterize Agile systems & software development.

Join the Continuous Engineering Experts’ Bryan Smith as he welcomes IBM Solutions Architect, Amy Silberbauer to the show, as she shares with us some tips, tools and templates that you can use to ensure a successful Agile deployment in your organization.

Short on time? Just click on any of the links below and jump to that section of the interview:

0:01:32 – How popular are Agile practices in a place like IBM?
0:04:10 – What are the most important concepts to grasp for organizations to implement Agile successfully?
0:06:04 – What are some of the tools specifically in the Watson IoT suite that help support Lean, Agile & SAFe Development?
0:09:25 - Why did IBM adopt the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in their templates and toolset?
0:12:40 – Why would an organization choose IBM tools to adopt Agile and specifically the Scaled Agile Framework?
0:13:14 – How does the IBM CLM suite specifically support SAFe? You mentioned there were SAFe templates built in? How do you apply them and how much does it cost?
0:20:35 – Can the tools and templates provided calculate things like “Definition of Done” or “Retrospectives? --- things of this nature?
0:27:32 – Can you share with us a success story from a customer who wanted to Scale Agile and use IBM’s tooling?

Agile has become the preferred methodology for almost every systems & software development company. And it’s no wonder: Benefits of adopting agile development include reducing risk, boosting productivity and establishing a more sustainable development environment.

Join the Continuous Engineering Experts’ Bryan Smith as he welcomes back Kelly Weyrauch, Founder of Agile Quality Systems, to the show as they discuss some of the great number of benefits to adopting agile in your organization as well as key factors that you should consider.

Agile ways of working are increasingly sought after by organizations seeking the successful development and delivery of hardware and software. But while the agile approach is a proven one, ‘going agile’ is not a switch you can simply flick to galvanize your delivery teams.

Successfully embedding agile methodologies requires effort beyond the development team itself – and while all organizations are different, the challenges they face in adopting a truly agile approach are often similar.

Join the Continuous Engineering Experts’ Bryan Smith as he welcomes Kelly Weyrauch, Founder of Agile Quality Systems, as they discuss some of the most common barriers we’ve come across to adopting Agile – together with some thoughts on how to overcome them.

Short on time?
Click on any of the below links to jump to that section of the interview!

0:01:47 – What are some common challenges in the medical device development field?

0:04:35 – Would it be safe to say that undergoing change ---any kind of change really especially organizational process change is hard?

0:08:01 – Where does the Agile Manifesto come into play here? Are organizations concerned that if they adopt Agile its principles will directly contradict some of their firmly-held beliefs?

0:10:20 – How does compliance and regulations play into Agile adoption? Does the “definition of done” concept play nicely with Agile Adoption and Compliance?

0:13:10 – How does the FDA feel about Agile? Do they support its practice in medical device development?

0:16:25 – Where does the Scaled Agile Framework fit in with Medical Device Development companies?

0:18:18 – What tools are available for integrating Agile into the development process?

0:20:01 – How can organization begin to successfully implement Lean-Agile or Scaled Agile Practices?

0:22:10 – How important is leadership in the successful adoption of Agile?

Want to learn more?
Register for “Leading SAFe 4.5” and learn how to execute and release value through Agile Release Trains, how to build an Agile Portfolio, and how to lead a Lean-Agile enterprise. Targeted towards the lean-agile leaders in your organization, attendees typically include executives, managers, consultants, Lean-Agile Leaders, and other Agile change agents.

http://bit.ly/321Gang_LeadingSAFe