C4 Software Technology Reference Guide: A Prototype
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
CMU/SEI Report Number
CMU/SEI-97-HB-001Abstract
The Air Force acquisition community tasked the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) to create a reference document that would provide the Air Force with a better understanding of software technologies. This knowledge will allow the Air Force to systematically plan the research and development (R&D) and technology insertion required to meet current and future Air Force needs, from the upgrade and evolution of current systems to the development of new systems.
The initial release of the Software Technology Reference Guide is a prototype to provide initial capability, show the feasibility, and examine the usability of such a document. This prototype generally emphasizes software technology of importance to the C4I (command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence) domain. This emphasis on C4I neither narrowed nor broadened the scope of the document; it did, however, provide guidance in seeking out requirements and technologies. It served as a reminder that this work is concerned with complex, large-scale, distributed, real-time, software-intensive, embedded systems in which reliability, availability, safety, security, performance, maintainability, and cost are major concerns.
Cite This SEI Report
Foreman, J., Gross, J., Rosenstein, R., Fisher, D., & Brune, K. (1997, January 1). C4 Software Technology Reference Guide: A Prototype. (SEI Report CMU/SEI-97-HB-001). Retrieved September 12, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/c4-software-technology-reference-guide-a-prototype/.
@techreport{foreman_1997,
author={Foreman, John and Gross, Jon and Rosenstein, Robert and Fisher, David and Brune, Kimberly},
title={C4 Software Technology Reference Guide: A Prototype},
month={Jan},
year={1997},
number={{CMU/SEI-97-HB-001},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/c4-software-technology-reference-guide-a-prototype/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-12}
}
Foreman, John, Jon Gross, Robert Rosenstein, David Fisher, and Kimberly Brune. "C4 Software Technology Reference Guide: A Prototype." (CMU/SEI-97-HB-001). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, January 1, 1997. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/c4-software-technology-reference-guide-a-prototype/.
J. Foreman, J. Gross, R. Rosenstein, D. Fisher, and K. Brune, "C4 Software Technology Reference Guide: A Prototype," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, SEI Report CMU/SEI-97-HB-001, 1-Jan-1997 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/c4-software-technology-reference-guide-a-prototype/. [Accessed: 12-Sep-2026].
Foreman, John, Jon Gross, Robert Rosenstein, David Fisher, and Kimberly Brune. "C4 Software Technology Reference Guide: A Prototype." (SEI Report CMU/SEI-97-HB-001). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 1 Jan. 1997. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/c4-software-technology-reference-guide-a-prototype/. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.
Foreman, John; Gross, Jon; Rosenstein, Robert; Fisher, David; & Brune, Kimberly. C4 Software Technology Reference Guide: A Prototype. CMU/SEI-97-HB-001. Software Engineering Institute. 1997. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/c4-software-technology-reference-guide-a-prototype/