Austin Software Process Improvement Network (A-SPIN)

A-SPIN HAS MOVED TO TUESDAY NIGHTS!

To view Terry Martin's January SPIN presentation on Implementing SEI-CMM Level 2 & 3 at MCI--Lessons Learned, (Acrobat 4.0 document) please click here.

For the latest version of Acrobat Reader:

Austin SPIN is having a Logo Competition!
Entries due February 5. Prize to be awarded at the February 20th meeting!

Austin Software Improvement Network (A-SPIN) is sponsoring a Logo Competition for the purpose of developing a logo that reflects Austin SPIN’s unique flavor. The logo will be chosen by attendees at the February 20th meeting and will be used on mailouts, flyers and the web page.

The Rules are:
1) Submittals must be available in jpeg or gif format
2) Submitted via e-mail to dwahrmun@totalaccess.net by 5pm February 5th or hardcopy (to be submitted electronically later) to Lynn Thurmond at Trimble Navigation, 2105 Donley Dr. (near Metric and Kramer).
3) Reflect the unique flavor of the Austin SPIN.
4) Be chosen by attendees at the February 20th meeting.

The person whose logo is chosen will be awarded a year long pass to attend A-SPIN presentations (meal not included). The logo will become the property of the Austin SPIN. For ideas check out the charter at http://utwired.engr.utexas.edu/sqi/groups/improve.html or the national organization’s logo at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/collaborating/spins/spins.html.

Next A-SPIN Meeting - February 20, 2001,
Presentation - The Global IT Talent Shortage, SPI, & People CMM, version 2,
presented by Dr. Bill Curtis, TeraQuest Metrics.

Presentation Abstract

Hiring and retaining software people is no longer a standard staff function in most organizations. It is war. Dr. Curtis will present recent research results on which factors are most critical in hiring and retaining software folks, and how they can be addressed with short term actions by managers. He will present a staged model to improve team-building success and some radically new ideas about how to create integrated product development teams that solve some of the biggest problems that cause them to fail. He will describe how these advances are being incorporated into version 2 of the People CMM which will be available for review from the www.sei.cmu.edu during February. He will present some results and lessons learned in trying to improve the management of software professionals in organizations like Boeing, Ericsson, Novo Nordisk, and Tata Consultancy Services using the People CMM. The bottom line is that organizations that take workforce management and development seriously can cut their turnover rates in half within one or two years. The reduced cost of replacing people more than pays for the improvement program. Bring your HR Director to the talk.

About the Speaker

Dr. Bill Curtis is Co-founder and Chief Scientist of TeraQuest, a company that works with clients to improve their software development capability. He is a former Director of the Software Process Program in the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. He led the project to produce the Capability Maturity Model from the process maturity framework developed by Watts Humphrey. He continues as a Resident Affiliate at the SEI where he is the principal architect and author of the People CMM. Prior to joining the SEI, Dr. Curtis directed research on advanced computing technologies at MCC, developed a world-wide software productivity and quality measurement system in ITT's Programming Technology Center, experimentally evaluated software engineering methods in GE's Space Division, and taught statistics at the University of Washington. Dr. Curtis can be reached at curtis@acm.org or at 1-512-219-9152.