Software Engineering Institute

Pittsburgh, Pa., July 8, 2015—With the increasing reliance on and penetration of software into everyday lives, the need for organizations to predictably develop, acquire, and sustain high-quality software systems has never been greater. To address this need, the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (SEI) will host its first Software Solutions Conference (SSC) in Crystal City, Va., from Nov. 16 through 18.

The conference is designed to focus attention on emerging technologies and technical strategies for assuring quality, timeliness, trust, and affordability in current and future software-reliant systems. These technologies and strategies are vitally important to the missions of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), government agencies, and the industry that supports them. The SEI is a federally funded research and development center at Carnegie Mellon University dedicated to helping government and industry organizations acquire, develop, operate, and sustain software systems that are affordable, enduring, and trustworthy.

“Software increasingly defines the way we live our lives and conduct business,” said John Foreman, conference technical chair. “Innovations in software technology enable today's systems to deliver rich functionality, enhance productivity, spur innovation, and provide competitive advantage. However, the rapid evolution of software-reliant systems creates risks along with unprecedented technical and management challenges.”

The SEI designed the three-day SSC technical program to provide attendees with a wealth of practical, readily applicable information in the form of tutorials, presentations, panel discussions, and keynote addresses by distinguished experts in government, including

• David Duma, principal deputy director, operational test and evaluation, U.S. Department of Defense
• Arun Seraphin, member of congressional staff, House Armed Services Committee
• Dr. Theresa Cullen, executive director for health informatics and chief medical informatics officer, Veteran's Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• sessions in three tracks: Project Experiences, Research Topics/Emerging Technology, and Acquisition Practice
• a broad range of presentations on key topics including legacy-system modernization, large-scale Agile development and Agile for defense programs, system complexity, system and software testing, high-assurance software for real-time systems, systems of systems, acquisition, risk, cloud computing, decision-support systems, computing at the tactical edge, DevOps in the federal government, measurement and analysis, software architecture, software sustainment, and technical debt
• an expert-panel discussion about open systems architecture
• a summary of the SEI research program by SEI Chief Technical Officer Kevin Fall
• a question-and-answer panel discussion with senior SEI leaders
• social events and opportunities for attendees to network with industry leaders, conference speakers, peers, and experienced innovators, and to influence the SEI technical research agenda.