SEI Partner Network Newsletter

In this issue:

• SEI Partner Network Survey
• Annual CMMI Workshop Reminder
• People CMM Upgrade Training
• Ethics and Compliance News
• SEI Certification News: PSP Developer Certification
• TSP Symposium 2006 Update
• SEI Partners Receive Savings on SEI Membership Program
• Software Process Improvement Networks (SPINs) looking for presenters
• SEPG Survey and chance to win free registration to SEPG 2007
• SEI Annual Report, Guide to Products & Services Published
• SEPG Conference Latin America (SEPG LA)
• SEI Europe Announcement
• Survivable Systems Initiative Opportunity for Organizations

SEI Partner Network Survey

The SEI Partner Network has composed a short survey of 9 questions based on some suggestions that were made during various Partner meetings held this year. The SEI Partner survey is open only to SEI Partners and SEI-authorized individuals. An email with the required password will be sent to you within a few days. If you do not receive the email with the password by August 16, please email Kay Vinay at klv@sei.cmu.edu. We know your time is valuable, so we greatly appreciate you taking the time to complete our survey.

Annual CMMI Workshop Reminder

This is a reminder that the 4th Annual CMMI Workshop for SCAMPI Lead Appraisers, SCAMPI B&C Team Leaders, and CMMI Instructors will be held October 16-19, 2006 at the Charlotte Marriott City Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Registration materials, additional workshop logistics, and a preliminary agenda can be found at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/appraisal-program/workshop/.

Attendance at this workshop is limited to SEI-authorized and candidate SCAMPI Lead Appraisers, SCAMPI B&C Team Leaders, CMMI Instructors and SEI Partner Business Points of Contact. The workshop will start at 8:30 am on Monday, October 16th.

With the release of CMMI V1.2, SCAMPI LA and CMMI Instructor upgrade trainings will be delivered during this workshop. Upgrade training for SCAMPI Lead Appraisers will fulfill the SEI Appraisal Program’s face-to-face requirement and will be made available at various venues throughout the coming year. A list of these venues will be posted to the SEI website in the coming months. CMMI instructor upgrade training will be made available via web delivery and will be released with V1.2. There is no face-to-face requirement. However, an exam will be administered.

People CMM Upgrade Training

People CMM Lead Assessors and SCAMPI Lead Appraisers who are interested in the opportunity to deliver SCAMPI Appraisals with the People CMM must attend People CMM upgrade training. A People CMM upgrade training session has been scheduled for Friday, October 20th at the Charlotte Marriott City Center. To be considered for this training, please indicate your interest by registering for this training using the workshop registration materials. A confirmation of your admittance will be provided.

If you have any questions regarding the workshop, you may send email to any of the following SEI representatives:

Customer Relations (customer-relations@sei.cmu.edu)
Michele Baker (mbaker@sei.cmu.edu), SEI Appraisal Program
Barbara Baldwin (blb@sei.cmu.edu), CMMI Authorization Program
Kay Vinay (klv@sei.cmu.edu), SEI Partner Network

Ethics and Compliance News

CoPC Review Board installed
We are pleased to announce and congratulate the following individuals who have been elected to serve on the Code of Professional Conduct (CoPC) Review Board:

Yoshihiro Akiyama
Ellen George
Jeanie Kitson
Judah Mogilensky
Patrick O’Toole
Charles Ryan
Mark Servello
Kathy Smith

We would also like to thank all the nominees, and the professional community for participating in the nomination and voting process.

The members of the professional community were asked to nominate and vote for individuals who embodied the SEI’s and Partner Network’s commitment to excellence and integrity.

The Board’s primary function will be to provide, when requested, an independent review of data gathered, as well as any investigatory findings in connection with a CoPC investigation. The Board may also be asked to make recommendations relating to its review to the Director of the SEI.

We believe that a Board comprised of representatives from the professional community will ensure fairness, inclusiveness and objectivity in connection with a review of CoPC investigations.

Please feel free to contact Jill Diorio, Manager of Ethics and Compliance for the Partner Network at jdiorio@sei.cmu.edu or (412) 268-7782 with any questions you may have.

Hotline Established
We are pleased to announce the SEI Partner Network’s Ethics and Compliance Hotline commencing August 1, 2006. The hotline is an important component of the Partner Network’s commitment to high ethical standards and to ensure the implementation of the Code of Professional Conduct.

The hotline is a toll-free, 24 hour, 365 day confidential and anonymous service for reporting unethical, illegal or quality compromising activities, operated by The Network, Inc., an independent company.

Although we encourage you to contact us directly to report your concerns, the hotline provides an avenue for individuals who may feel more comfortable filing an anonymous report of ethics violations. Direct reports of violations can be sent to jdiorio@sei.cmu.edu or ethics-compliance-reporting@sei.cmu.edu.

When you call the hotline, you will speak to an interview specialist at The Network, Inc, who will document your concern in detail. English and Spanish-speaking interview specialists, as well as translators for more than 140 different languages are available.

All calls are confidential. Your call is not recorded, there is no caller identification, and you are not required to give your name. At the end of your call, you will be provided with a report reference number. The details of your concern will be submitted to the appropriate individuals within the SEI so that possible violations can be investigated. If you have provided your name, the appropriate SEI staff member may contact you for additional information. If you have chosen to remain anonymous, you will be asked to place a follow-up call to the hotline with your reference number in the event the SEI has additional questions.

Within the next few weeks you will be receiving communication materials including brochures and posters which will provide you with pertinent information in connection with the hotline. You may also download the materials from http://www.sei.cmu.edu/partners/downloads.html.

We welcome your questions and comments. Please feel free to contact Jill Diorio at jdiorio@sei.cmu.edu or (412) 268-7782.

SEI Certification News: PSP Developer Certification

The ranks of SEI-Certified PSP Developers continue to grow. In July, a new Professional Development program was released. At the request of the community and Partners, this program offers those individuals who have attended PSP I and PSP II courses a benefit that can be applied to the PSP Developer certification. (See http://www.sei.cmu.edu/certification for more information.)

The Certification Office proctored an online testing session on June 23, 2006 for 15 participants. The session was conducted for a course offering in Pittsburgh. The exam was hosted through the KRYTERION testing network; the same network through which the SEI-Certified PSP Developer exam is offered.

TSP Symposium 2006 Update

The TSP Symposium 2006 will be held at the Omni Hotel in San Diego, CA September 18-20, 2006. We are proud to announce Mike Konrad, Software Engineering Institute, CMMI Project Manager as the 2006 keynote speaker. Be sure to register by August 28, 2006 to get the Early Bird registration fee of $350. You can find more information about the Symposium at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/tsp/symposium/.

SEI Partners Receive Savings on SEI Membership Program

An as SEI Partner, you are already connected to the SEI, but did you know that you can improve your professional standing and increase your affiliations with the software community by joining the SEI Membership Program? You can join the SEI Membership Program at a discounted rate of $200, a savings of $150 off our regular commercial rate.
Membership to the SEI offers a number of benefits, including:

• SEI Education and Training Discount
  
  Members save $150 on one SEI course per membership year.
  
  
• Registration discount to the annual SEI SEPG Conference
  
  Members save $100 on registration and have access to exclusive events.
  
  
• The Member Center
  
  Gain access to the member Web site with a searchable member directory where you can connect to other members for collaborating and other networking opportunities.
  
  Access an archive of member publications as well as learn ways to make the most of your membership benefits
  
  
• Member publications
  
  The Bulletin - Weekly email bulletin with the latest news and information on SEI publications, courses, conferences, and activities.
  
  The Monitor - Newsletter for members about members
  
  
• SEI merchandise and training materials discount
  
  Members save 10% on every SEI merchandise product and on select training materials.
  

Software Process Improvement Networks (SPINs) looking for presenters

Software Process Improvement Networks (SPINs) are comprised of individuals who want to improve the software engineering practice. The individuals are organized into regional groups called a SPINs that meet to share their experiences initiating and sustaining software process improvement programs. Many are looking for quality presenters at their monthly meetings. If you are interested in presenting at a SPIN meeting, please contact one via the information posted at the below three links:

SPIN Meeting Calendar
U.S. SPIN Directory
International SPIN Directory

For more information about SPINs, please contact the SEI SPIN Coordinator at spin@sei.cmu.edu or 412-268-2358.

SEPG Survey and chance to win free registration to SEPG 2007

Have you attended SEPG? We would like your feedback. Please take a minute to fill out the SEPG survey and let us know your thoughts. All respondents who share their email with us will be entered to win a free registration to SEPG 2007!

SEI Annual Report, Guide to Products & Services Published

The SEI has published two documents: the 2005 SEI Annual Report and the Guide to Products and Services.

The 2005 SEI Annual Report is available at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/annual-report. It describes the accomplishments of the SEI during fiscal year 2005 (October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005). The report features stories that exemplify how the SEI pursued its strategy of "Create-Apply-Amplify" to improve the practice of software engineering during the year. The report also presents information about the SEI, its staff members, and its organization, including staff accomplishments, publications, leadership positions, demographics, dissemination activities, and funding data.

The Guide to Products and Services is available at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/publications/guide.pdf. It is a complete catalog of all the SEI's tools and methods, services, courses, conferences, credentials, books, and opportunities to collaborate with the SEI on research.

To obtain a hard copy of these documents, contact SEI Customer Relations at
1-888-201-4479 or customer-relations@sei.cmu.edu.

SEPG Conference Latin America (SEPG LA)

The European Software Institute (ESI) and the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) are pleased to announce the third annual SEPG Conference Latin America (SEPGSM LA) which will take place 6-8 November at Gran Meliá World Trade Center Hotel in São Paulo, SP, Brazil. For more information, visit http://www.esi.es/Projects/SEPGLA/index_eng.php.

SEI Europe Announcement

The Software Engineering Institute and Geir Fagerhus have mutually agreed to terminate their collaboration to manage and develop the SEI operation in Europe. The SEI appreciates the efforts of Geir Fagerhus since 2002 to establish and develop the SEI in Europe.
The SEI remains fully committed to its partners and collaborators, and will continue to explore new ways to pursue its mission of technology development and transition through its European operation.

 

Survivable Systems Initiative Opportunity for Organizations

As part of the Survivable Systems Initiative, the CERT® Coordination Center of the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University develops technologies to analyze network systems with an eye toward making those systems more survivable. Their survivability analysis (hereafter referred to as Survivable System Analysis) helps identify the essential functions that must survive attacks, accidents and failures, the effects of those attacks, accidents and failures, the associated risks and the architecture changes that could improve the system survivability. [Survivability is defined as a system’s capability to fulfill its mission (in a timely manner) in the presence of attacks, failures or accidents. Thus the focus is on the delivery of essential services and the preservation of essential assets during attack and compromise and timely recovery of full services and assets following attack. Essential services and assets are defined as those system capabilities that are critical to fulfilling mission objectives.]

The Security Architecture and Analysis course offered during the Fall term in the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University is seeking organizations willing to allow a student team to perform a Survivable Systems Analysis of an existing (or proposed) (sub)network between September and the end of November 2006. There is no charge for this analysis. The organization is hereafter referred to as the client organization. The client organization receives a copy of the final student team report on the Survivable System Analysis as applied to the client organization’s (sub) network.

A one-page description of the areas addressed by the four student team presentations for the Survivable Systems Analysis Method is available at http://www.cert.org/archive/html/analysis-method.html. A 10 page condensation of a case study, “Survivable Network System Analysis: A Case Study” is available at http://www.cert.org/archive/pdf/network-analysis.pdf. A more detailed case study report, “A Case Study in Survivable Network System Analysis” (http://www.cert.org/archive/pdf/98tr014.pdf ) and a technical report describing the Survivable Systems Analysis Method in detail, under its earlier name, Survivable Network Analysis Method, (http://www.cert.org/archive/pdf/00tr013.pdf ) are also available.

Please contact Carol Sledge at 412-268-7708 or cas@sei.cmu.edu for additional information or to volunteer your organization for this opportunity.