Profound Podcast Recap 2023

Throughout the past year, "Profound" has interviewed thought leaders, experts, and practitioners to explore the intersection between Deming's wisdom and the possibilities within digital transformation. These guests shared their experiences and helped align Deming's ideas with the ever-evolving landscape of technology, exemplifying the convergence of theory and real-world application to illuminate the path toward organizational success. Join us for this past year's recap as we revisit the highlights, profound moments, and transformative insights unfolding throughout the episodes.

S3 E1 - Damon Edwards - Profound Knowledge

With our first guest of the new season, Damon Edwards, we flip the show's script. Damon interviews me about the now-released "Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge" book.

We uncovered the immense impact that Dr. W. Edwards Deming had on modern management practices. His "system of profound knowledge" established connections between systems thinking, variation, human motivation, and the scientific method that eventually catalyzed lean, Six Sigma, agile, and DevOps. By understanding the origin story and fundamental truths behind today's most successful operational frameworks, leaders can nurture an optimal culture that learns, adapts, and sustains peak performance amidst complexity.

I invite you to check it out below.

S3 E2 - Dennis Sergent - From Bell Labs to DevOps

In this podcast, I interviewed Dennis Sergent, a longtime Deming devotee and management consultant.

Dennis shares an enlightening story early in his career about how his supervisor used a control chart to uncover the truth behind a supposed quality issue. Leaders can pierce through what they think they know by questioning assumptions, understanding variation, and respecting people's intrinsic motivation to reveal deeper insights. Through patience and tools like PDSA cycles, he guides his team to gather evidence themselves, recognize the system behind their problems, and realize there's a better way forward.

Our conversation reiterates that methods like lean and agile trace back to Deming's timeless teachings on continuous improvement rooted in ethics, empathy, and the scientific method.

S3 E3 - Donna Knapp - Dr. Deming as a Sustainability Specialist?

For our third episode, I sat down with my old friend Donna Knapp to walk down memory lane, reflecting on our early days in the DevOps movement.

Over time, however, we gained insights that still ring true today - change enables risk, but when done correctly, it also allows speed. Rigid processes strangle agility, but no processes lead to chaos. Striking the right balance is critical.

Ultimately, we explored how many of Deming's teachings seem increasingly relevant. Despite modern technologies, results still come down to leadership, communication, and collaboration. The conversation revealed enduring perspectives worth revisiting for anyone passionate about balancing stability and innovation.

S3 E4 - John Willis - Why Deming Still Matters (Sample Audio Book)

For the fourth episode of the year, I had a little treat for all Deming fans: a sneak peek of my "Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge" book. This episode, performed by Derek Lewis, was an early audio version of the book's first three chapters. I hope you enjoy listening to this audiobook's first three chapters. If you find it interesting, you can also check out the book available now.

S3 E5 - Donna Knapp - Probable Cause versus Root Cause

For the next episode, Donna and I picked up where we left off last time, diving deeper into problem-solving approaches.

We tackled the controversy around root cause analysis in modern tech practices like DevOps and SRE. I explained my journey to understanding objections to the term "root cause" and proposed "probable cause" as an alternative, embracing analytical thinking and continual learning. Additionally, Donna shared insightful perspectives from her world of IT service management, a field often dismissed by new methods. She revealed her evolution on root cause notions. We explored misapplications and techniques, like Ishikawa diagrams, that uncover multiple contributing factors.

Ultimately, we aligned on adjusting language where needed while retaining practical concepts. This was an incredibly insightful conversation that you all will enjoy.

S3 E6 - Mike Harris - Profound Testing

In this episode, I interviewed software testing expert Mike Harris about his journey with Dr. Deming's teachings.

Mike discovered Deming when his startup transitioned to agile and lean working methods. As Mike read more about Agile, Deming's name became a key influence. This piqued Mike's interest to dig deeper. In the podcast, Mike and I explored topics like the Red Bead Experiment, systems thinking, operational definitions, and bridging software testing with Deming's teachings, including systems thinking concepts like optimizing the whole and the importance of psychological safety for teams to put out their best work.

I enjoyed speaking with Mike and hearing his unique perspective as a passionate testing professional with a firm grounding in Deming's profound knowledge.

S3 E7 - Tracy Bannon - DevOps, DevSecOps, SRE, Risk, and Generative AI

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tracy Bannon, an experienced software architect with expertise in security and federal government work. Our wide-ranging conversation touched on many important issues facing technologists today.

Tracy shared insightful perspectives on problems like the lack of diversity in tech and the need to advance modern governance models. We also dove deep into the hype and reality around AI tools like ChatGPT. Tracy also offered a balanced view - recognizing the promise while warning about quality control challenges.

I recommend tuning in to hear takes on prompt engineering, legacy modernization, and responsible AI adoption. Tracy's understanding of cutting-edge advances and foundational best practices makes her an ideal guide to help organizations harness innovation prudently.

S3 E8 - Bill Bellows - Genichi Taguchi and Quality - Part 1

In the last episode of this podcast season, I spoke with Bill Bellows where we had a fascinating discussion about his introduction to the work of Genichi Taguchi and how it overlays with Deming's ideas on quality and variation.

Bill recounts how a trip to General Motors in the 1980s to learn about "Taguchi Methods" for solving a technical problem unexpectedly and led him to understand a whole new perspective on quality. He realized that simply measuring if something meets specifications (a "go/no go" assessment) is taking a black-and-white view. In contrast, Taguchi promoted examining variation even within the acceptable range, seeing quality in "shades of gray." Using examples like a dartboard, we explore the difference between precision (consistency/reducing variation) and accuracy (hitting the ideal target).

You will appreciate our conversation, and I look forward to sharing more from him in the series.

Thank you all for a wonderful last year, and I cannot wait to share with you what's in store for 2024.