SEI Partner Network Newsletter

In this issue:

• SEI Partner Network Hosts Exclusive Seminar at SEPG 2006
• Benefit to SEI Partners Exhibiting at SEI SEPG 2006
• Online Partner Directory Popular with Partners
• CBA IPI Sunset
• SEI Lead Evaluator Notice
• The SEI Partner Network Welcomes Jill Diorio, Mary Ellen Rich, and Valerie Chilson
• SEI Partner Network Ethics and Compliance Corner
• SCAMPI LA and CMMI Instructor Workshop a Success
• Improvements to Reporting Materials for Introduction to CMMI Course
• Update: SCAMPI A Practice Characterization and Aggregation Rules
• Become an SEI-Certified PSP Developer
• Reminder to Business Points of Contact: Keep Your Information Current
• Reminder: Marketing Official SEI Services from a Third Party
• Interview With CERT’s Robert Seacord is the Cover Feature in LinuxWorld
• New SEI Courses Available in 2006
• Upcoming Events

Note from the Editor:

On behalf of the SEI Partner Network, I would like to extend our best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2006.

SEI Partner Network Hosts Exclusive Seminar at SEPG 2006

At this year's SEPG Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, the SEI Partner Network will host an exclusive session about marketing your courses, seminars, and events. "How to Get More People to your Events through Effective Seminar Marketing" will be presented by Ralph Elliott, the head of continuing education at Clemson University and an overseer of a multi-million dollar seminar/conference program as Vice Provost for Off-Campus, Distance and Continuing Education at Clemson University. Dr. Elliott will give you simple but effective techniques that work together to build trust in your organization, remove obstacles to registration, and persuade fence-sitters to attend. This event will take place on Monday, March 6, 2006 from 1:30p.m.-5:00p.m.

Benefit to SEI Partners Exhibiting at SEI SEPG 2006

The SEI SEPG 2006 being held in Nashville, Tennessee on March 6 - 9 is coming up faster than you think! As an SEI Partner exhibiting at the SEPG conference, you may receive one free conference registration. This is for one individual per Partner organization, not per booth space.

Booth spaces are going fast, therefore if you have not already done so, visit http://www.sei.cmu.edu/sepg/exhibit.html for more information on how to rent a booth. Once you have submitted the booth registration and the payment for the booth please send the name of the individual from your organization who should receive the free registration to partner-info@sei.cmu.edu.

If you have already rented booth space, please send the name of individual who is to receive the free registration to partner-info@sei.cmu.edu.

Online Partner Directory Popular with Partners

Since its release in August 2005, the SEI's Online Partner Directory has been embraced by Partners. To date, 252 Partners have logged in to complete their information, and we have processed more than 1,500 change requests.

The Online Partner Directory is a great tool for reaching potential clients. As a Business Point of Contact, you can choose to show your location, your licensed SEI services, sponsored SEI-authorized individuals, and your contact information in our public, searchable directory to allow those interested to contact you directly. Visit the Online Partner Directory today to ensure that your information is current and accurate.

CBA IPI Sunset

Effective December 31, 2005, the SEI will retire the CBA IPI assessment method and the CMM Appraisal Framework (CAF). The SEI has sent notice that all CBA IPI license agreements will be cancelled for convenience. All CBA IPI assessment kits obtained from the SEI will expire with the cancellation of these agreements, and, all rights to use the SEI intellectual property will be withdrawn.

Please note that SCAMPI appraisals against the Software CMM cannot be conducted after December 31, 2005. The results from any CBA IPI assessments completed prior to the termination date of you agreement must be submitted to the SEI within 30 days of the assessment end date or by February 6, 2006, whichever is earlier. No CBA IPI assessment results will be accepted after February 6, 2006.

For all SEI Partners and authorized appraisers who have not already begun the process of transitioning to the SCAMPI appraisal method, we encourage you to begin that process now. If your organization does not have a Partner agreement to deliver SCAMPI services, please visit our Web site to apply for a license agreement.

The Software Engineering Institute thanks our Partners for your participation in the CBA IPI program and hopes that you will continue your appraisal work using the SCAMPI Appraisal Services.

SEI Lead Evaluator Notice

Effective December 31, 2005 the SEI will retire the SCE method and the CMM appraisal Framework (CAF). The SEI has sent notice that all SCE Lead Evaluator agreements will be cancelled for convenience on January 31, 2006. Effective that date SCE Lead Evaluators will no longer be authorized and rights to use the SEI intellectual property will be withdrawn.

The results from any SCE evaluations completed prior to the termination date of the agreement must be submitted to the SEI within 30 days of the evaluation end date or by February 6, 2006, whichever is earlier. No SCE evaluation results will be accepted after February 6, 2006.

Thank you for your participation as a SCE Lead Evaluator in the Appraisal Program.

The SEI Partner Network Welcomes Jill Diorio, Mary Ellen Rich, and Valerie Chilson

Jill Diorio has joined the SEI Partner Network team as Manager, Partner Ethics and Compliance. Jill will be working with the Partners to establish a compliance program. Her first task will be to establish the new Code of Professional Conduct review board.
Mary Ellen Rich has joined the SEI Partner Network Certification Team as a Certification Assessment Specialist. She will be assisting Jeff Welch in the role of developing, managing, and implementing assessment instruments.
Valerie Chilson has joined the SEI Partner Network as Administrative Coordinator. She will be supporting the SEI Partner Network team in their daily tasks as well as their continued efforts to ensure quality and efficient communications.

SEI Partner Network Ethics and Compliance Corner

The SEI is dedicated to maintaining the highest level of professional and ethical standards for SEI Authorized or Certified Professionals, Candidates and SEI Partners, as well as its staff. We are pleased to announce that in future issues of the Partner Newsletter, we will be introducing initiatives which we will be developing for the Network’s Ethics and Compliance program to enhance our Code of Professional Conduct and reinforce the SEI Partner Network’s commitment to excellence and integrity.

SCAMPI LA and CMMI Instructor Workshop a Success

The October 2005 SCAMPI LA and CMMI Instructor Workshop, held in San Diego, CA was a great success with thirty two SEI employees (including visiting scientists) in attendance and a total registration of 220. Thanks to everyone for helping to make it so!
We have made the presentations and the breakout session notes available for download on Partner Resource Center. They are in both the Intro to CMMI section and the SCAMPI Appraisal (v1.1) download section for your convenience. Please pay particular attention to the Read Me file for the breakout session notes, which is located at the end of the download list.

Improvements to Reporting Materials for Introduction to CMMI Course

In September 2005, the SEI made available new course materials for the Introduction to CMMI course and the new (v1.8) email template to be used when submitting course attendee lists. Since then, we have received many suggestions from our Partners for corrections and improvements to the email template. We plan to implement these suggestions in a new release of the form in the coming year. Thank you for your suggestions. If you have any additional comments, please send them to tpweb@sei.cmu.edu.

Update: SCAMPI A Practice Characterization and Aggregation Rules

The SCAMPI Method Definition Document was changed effective October 20, 2005. You can view the updated document at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/appraisal-program/appraiser-
communications/rules.pdf. Please contact Michele Baker if you have any questions regarding this update.

Become an SEI-Certified PSP Developer

Do you use the PSP in your daily work? The new SEI-Certified PSP Developer certification offers you an opportunity to prove your PSP skills. This certification requires you to pass an examination based on the PSP Body of Knowledge.

In March 2006, the SEI will offer its first formal SEI-Certified PSP Developer examination. Contact psp-certification@sei.cmu.edu for more information.

Reminder to Business Points of Contact:
Keep Your Information Current

Please remember to keep the SEI informed of changes to your contact information or sponsored SEI-authorized individuals. Send email to partner-info@sei.cmu.edu to let us know when someone has left your organization. You may add or delete an SEI-authorized individual from your organization by logging in to https://olpd.sei.cmu.edu.

Reminder: Marketing Official SEI Services through a Third Party

If you are advertising an official SEI service for which you are not currently licensed, be sure to use the following wording:

"[Insert name of third party], in collaboration with [Insert name of SEI Partner authorized to deliver the [name of service]], is arranging the Software Engineering Institute's authorized [Insert name of SEI service].

[Insert date, place, etc.]

This {name of SEI service} will be delivered under [Insert name of SEI Partner's} license Agreement with the Software Engineering Institute."

This wording is still to be used in general terms even if you have not secured a Partner to deliver the course. Please send any variation of this wording to partner-info@sei.cmu.edu for approval. Refer to the March 2005 SEI Partner Newsletter for more details.

Interview With CERT’s Robert Seacord is the Cover Feature in LinuxWorld

Is Linux more or less secure than proprietary operating systems? Which programming languages provide the most safeguards? What are the most dangerous C lib functions?
Robert C. Seacord answers these and other questions in an interview in the November 2005 issue of LinuxWorld Magazine. The interview, which is one of the magazine’s cover features, is based on Seacord’s recent book Secure Coding in C and C++ (Addison-Wesley, 2005). Seacord is a senior member of the technical staff at the Software Engineering Institute and a senior vulnerability analyst at CERT.

See the complete LinuxWorld interview at
http://www.cert.org/books/secure-coding/LWM%203-
11%20%28Haddad%29.pdf

More information about Secure Coding in C and C++ is available at
http://www.sei.cmu.edu/publications/books/cert/secure-
coding.html

New SEI Courses Available in 2006

Software Engineering Measurement and Analysis (SEMA)
The SEI is developing a train-the-trainer course for those interested in teaching Implementing Goal-Driven Software Measurement. This course has been significantly improved based on 10-years of experience gained from delivering it publicly and on-site to organizations.

The Implementing Goal-Driven Software Measurement course is a two-and-a-half-day course teaching a method for identifying and defining indicators (graphical displays) and measures that directly support an organization's business goals.

We expect the first offering of the train-the-trainer course to be held in Spring of 2006. If you are interested in pursuing this unique opportunity, please send email to partner-info@sei.cmu.edu. Someone will contact you to discuss the necessary requirements. If you are interested in this opportunity be sure to register for this course by following the link at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/products/courses/implement.goal-
driven.sw.meas.html.

Other New Courses
The SEI will be offering new courses in process improvement, product lines, measurement, and security in 2006. Visit SEI Education and Training for more information.

Upcoming Events

February 13-16, 2006
IEEE International Conference on COTS-Based Software Systems
Orlando, Florida USA

February 13-17, 2006
RSA Conference 2006
San Jose, California USA

March 6-9, 2006
18th Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) Conference
Nashville, Tennessee USA

April 19-21, 2006
19th Conference on Software Engineering Education & Training (CSEE&T)
Oahu, Hawaii USA

April 25-26, 2006
SEI Software Architecture Technology User Network (SATURN) Workshop
Pittsburgh, PA USA