IEEE Software Special Issue on Technical Debt

We have written a number of posts on managing technical debt, part of the SEI’s ongoing research agenda on providing a software architecture perspective to managing agility at scale.

In our most recent post, Ipek Ozkaya discusses how an architecture-focused analysis approach helps manage technical debt by enabling software engineers to decide the best time to rearchitect—in other words, to pay down the technical debt.

IEEE Software and the SEI Collaborate on SATURN 2012 to Build a Community of Practice

IEEE Software, published by the IEEE Computer Society, and the SEI share a mission in common: both build communities of practice by providing opportunities for practitioners to share their experiences and insights broadly. It is for this reason that in 2010, IEEE Software and the SEI agreed to collaborate on the SATURN Conference.

There are two opportunities for SATURN presenters to take advantage of this collaboration: attendee-selected presenter awards, and articles in IEEE Software derived from SATURN presentations. We encourage SATURN presenters to prepare their presentations with these opportunities in mind.

Free Webinar: Architecting Software the SEI Way: Essential Stops Toward Mastery

Reblogged from SATURN Network Blog:

Start down the path to using architecture-centric practice more effectively. Join SEI researchers on February 28 at 1:00 pm ET for a FREE webinar, Architecting Software the SEI Way: Essential Steps Toward Mastery.

Get an expert perspective on three key areas in this webinar:

• Fundamentals: Learn what software architecture is and why it is important
• Improved Practice: Get a quick look at architecture evaluation guidelines…

Read more… 18 more words

SATURN 2012 Tutorial Highlights (Olaf Zimmermann)

The SEI has asked me to blog about some of the highlights of the tutorial program at SATURN 2012. Well, since I am the tutorial chair for this year’s conference, all eight tutorials are highlights to me of course; I sincerely hope that you will have a chance to attend at least some of them and will come to the same conclusion. 

Our selection of eight tutorials ties in with this year’s conference theme–Architecture: Catalyst for Collaboration. For instance, you will have the chance to learn how to interact with business stakeholders, developers, and operations staff more successfully, how to elicit architecturally significant requirements rapidly, and how to enforce and evaluate your architectures effectively.

Five Ways to Make Your Presentation Stick at SATURN 2012

Speakers, now that SATURN 2012 registration is open, it’s time to start thinking about the presentation you’ll be giving at the conference in May. Even experts get pre-presentation jitters, and whether you’re a first-time presenter or a veteran presenter, don’t let yourself get caught off guard the day of.

Presenting at SATURN gives you the unique opportunity to boost your résumé, make invaluable professional contacts, and garner feedback from your peers. Perhaps most importantly, your presentation will be considered for publishing in a future issue of IEEE Software magazine. To make your time at the podium count, read through our Five Ways to Make Your Presentation Stick:

The Collaboration Theme at SATURN 2012

As projects continue to grow in scale and complexity, effective collaboration across geographical, cultural, and technical boundaries is increasingly prevalent and essential to system success. SATURN 2012 will explore the theme of “Architecture: Catalyst for Collaboration.”

The theme of collaboration will be pervasive throughout all of the keynote addresses, plenary sessions, panels, presentations, and tutorials at SATURN 2012 this year. In particular, SATURN will offer a tutorial on the morning of Tuesday, March 8 by John Klein of the SEI titled Effective Stakeholder Collaboration and a Thursday afternoon panel discussion on architecture and collaboration.

New SEI Advanced Software Architecture Workshop to be Offered at SATURN 2012

A new course from the SEI, Advanced Software Architecture Workshop, will be offered publicly  for the first time at SATURN 2012 in St. Petersburg, Florida on May 7 and 8. Register now.

The course, taught by Felix H. Bachmann of the SEI, is targeted to

• software architects and software lead designers who want to practice what they learned in the SEI software architecture curriculum, and
• seasoned software architects who want to get ready for a project that requires major architecture improvements

SATURN 2012 Registration Now Open

Registration is now open for the eighth annual SEI Architecture Technology User Network (SATURN) 2012 Conference. Register by April 9 to take advantage of early-bird savings, which include $250 off the regular full-conference rate.

SATURN 2012 will be held May 7-11, 2012 in St. Petersburg, Florida  at the St. Petersburg Bayfront Hilton hotel. The conference is presented in collaboration with IEEE Software magazine.

Architecture: Catalyst for Collaboration

The SATURN 2012 program includes more than 25 technical sessions, tutorials, courses, panel discussions, and keynote addresses that will explore how effective collaboration across geographical, cultural, and technical boundaries is increasingly prevalent and essential to system success. You will leave the SATURN 2012 conference with new ideas and solutions to implement in your organization. You will also have the opportunity to

• Share ideas and hear case studies on hot topics including cloud computing; software architecture for ultra-large-scale systems; certification, culture, and process; architecture evaluation and review; enterprise architecture; and the interaction of architecture and Agile development
• Take the first public offering of a new course from the SEI, the Advanced Software Architecture Workshop
• Learn from and interact with industry leaders (including keynote speakers Michael Stal and Andy Hunt), researchers, and senior members of the SEI staff

To register and review rates, visit the SATURN 2012 website. We hope to see you in Florida!