This month’s Software East talk will take place at Red Gate Software. The speaker will be Dr. Rachel Jones of Instrata.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Event free of charge if you add your name to the list of attendees on or before February 15th, £10 thereafter (payable by invoice).

Synopsis
User-centred design: where it adds value and when you would engage this expertise in a development project.

User-centred designers have a skill set to carry out activities as varied as user interface design, user testing, user requirements specification, user research, concept creation, and user-centred innovation. On existing projects, a software engineer or business analyst is often asked to do some of these activities and muddle along as best they can.

In this talk, Rachel will discuss the type of development projects where user-centred design skills add value (and the type of projects where muddling along is fine) and indicate where and when user-centred skills are best engaged. User-centred designers also show new directions and spawn new projects in concept creation and user-centred innovation. Rachel will use case studies from projects with organisations such as Nokia, Skype, Microsoft and Oxfam, as well smaller organisations, to illustrate the various types of project where user-centred design expertise is used, the techniques employed and the process that is involved.

About Dr. Rachel Jones

Rachel has over 20-years experience working in user-centred design. Rachel founded Instrata with the purpose of bringing a people-centred approach to the innovation and design of technology to improve the user experience of systems and services and hence deliver greater value. Instrata is a leader in new service definition, novel concept creation, user research, and user-centred interactive solutions. Instrata has been conducting global projects for over eight years and has worked with clients such as BBC, BT, Microsoft, Nesta, Nokia, Orange, Oxfam, Reuters, Skype, Vodafone and Yahoo.

Prior to Instrata, Rachel was employed by two of the foremost pioneers of user-centred design, Xerox EuroPARC and Sapient. Rachel has a PhD in Human
Computer Interaction, publishes internationally and has authored 10 patents. Rachel is on the steering committee for the International Conference on
Ethnographic Praxis in Industry, she was Industrial Chair of the International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia in 2009, and co-technical chair for the British HCI conference in 2009.

Agenda:
18:30 – 19:00 Registration and Networking
19:00 – 20:30 Talk
20:30 – 21:00 Networking

A light buffet will be available from 18:30.

Visit the Software East web site for more information.

Thanks to Red Gate Software and ACCU for supporting Software East events.

With its focus on sharing practical experiences, Code Generation 2010 is the ideal opportunity for software practitioners to understand how to benefit from emerging tools, technologies and approaches in the broad area of Model-Driven Software Development.

Call for Speakers:
Submission Deadline: Friday January 15th 2010

We are seeking high-quality session proposals covering topics in model-driven software development (including Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs), Model-Driven Architecture (MDA), Executable UML, Software Factories & Software Product Lines, Generative Programming and related areas). Sessions could cover topics such as:

- Tool and technology development and adoption
- Code Generation and Model Transformation tools and approaches
- Defining and implementing modelling languages
- Domain Analysis and Domain Engineering
- Language evolution and modularization
- Meta Modelling
- Runtime virtual machines versus direct code generation

Case studies and interactive sessions based on these and related approaches are particularly encouraged although more theoretical sessions are also welcome.

Take part in Code Generation 2010 and find out why it is Europe’s leading event on Model-Driven Software Development.

Accepted speakers have their conference fees waived

For full details and instructions on how to submit a session please visit: http://www.codegeneration.net/cg2010/speak.php

Hear what participants thought about last year’s conference in this short video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsKQeuCCSvg

What people said about our previous events:

“I’ve been working in domain-specific modelling for a dozen years … and in this time this has been the highest-quality conference on this topic that I’ve been to – and I’ve been to a few.”

“The combined—for that matter, individual—expertise present was remarkable, and presented a tremendous opportunity for knowledge exchange.”

“The presentations were all top quality, making it often difficult to decide between the concurrently running sessions. The wealth of MDD knowledge present at the event was impressive, not only from the presenters, but from the other delegates as well.”

Code Generation 2010 is organised by Software Acumen.

The next Software East event on 19th November will see Lean and Agile software consultant Karl Scotland talk about Five Steps to Kanban.

Synopsis

A Kanban System for Software Development provides an alternative means of creating an Agile Development process using Lean Thinking. Creating a Kanban System is not as simple as adopting a previously defined process as a starting point. Instead, a team needs to come up a model of its own process which will form the basis for further continuous improvement. This talk will introduce 5 steps that a team can use to create their own Agile process using a Kanban System for Software Development.

About Karl

Karl Scotland is a versatile software practitioner with over 15 years of experience covering development, project management, team leadership, coaching and training. For the last 10 years he has been successfully applying Agile methods, and most recently has been a pioneer and advocate of using Kanban Systems for software development. Currently a Lean and Agile Coach with EMC Consulting, Karl is a founder member of the Lean Software and Systems Consortium and the Limited WIP Society, and has previously championed Agile and Lean Thinking with the BBC and Yahoo! Karl writes about his latest ideas on his blog at http://availagility.wordpress.com/.

Visit the Software East web site for more information.

Dutch speakers will be interested in Jan Bosch and Markus Völter’s recent interviews for Bits&Chips magazine.

The two product line experts were interviewed ahead of this month’s Practical Product Lines conference which they are keynoting and which I am co-organising.

English speakers will have to come to the conference in person to find out more from them…

Jan Bosch interview: http://www.practicalproductlines.org/ppl2009/pressreleases/JanBoschInterview.pdf

Markus Völter interview:

http://www.bits-chips.nl/nieuws/bekijk/artikel/bij-product-line-engineering-liefst-zo-veel-mogelijk-modelleren.html

Booking is now open for October’s Software East talk with internationally-renowned speaker Tim Lister on Project Patterns: Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies.

Synopsis

Tim Lister, a Principal of the Atlantic Systems Guild, along with five of his partners at the Guild, have been compiling project patterns from their combined 150 years of project consulting, and they have delivered them in their Jolt Award winning book, Adrenalin Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding Patterns of Project Behavior, Dorset House, 2008.

We all talk about “best practices” but a tiny minority of organizations actually practice them all. But not to worry, think of “best practices” for human health. We know all about them, but very few of us actually practice them all. Maybe if someone did arduously practice all health practices they would forget to have a life.

Tim has come to believe that project patterns are stronger than best practices. They are the habits, the decision practices, and the corporate culture, the unstated rules, which dominate office life.

The first key is to identify your own organization’s patterns. If they are positive, how can you perpetrate them across all projects? If they are negative, how can you break the habit?

Tim will start the talk with some examples from the book project. He will then let the audience offer up some of their own patterns.

Tim Lister

Tim Lister is a software consultant at the Atlantic Systems Guild, Inc., based in the New York office. He divides his time between consulting, teaching, and writing. Tim is a co-author with his Guild partners of Adrenalin Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding Patterns of Project Behavior, (Dorset House, 2008), He, is also co-author with Tom DeMarco of Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects (Dorset House, 2003.) Both books won Software Development magazine’s Jolt Award as General Computing Book of the Year, for 2003-2004, and 2008-2009. Tim and Tom are also co-authors of Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams, (Dorset House, 1999) now available in 14 languages.

Tim is currently a member of the Cutter IT Trends Council. He is a member of the I.E.E.E. and the A.C.M. He is in his 26th year as a panelist for the American Arbitration Association, arbitrating disputes involving software and software services.

This event will take place at Red Gate Software, Newnham House, Cambridge Business Park.

Directions to Red Gate Software.

Tickets (including light buffet) £15 if booked before 5th October available at the Software East  web site.

The observant among you will have noticed that the Code Generation 2010 web site is now live.

The conference will take place from June 16 – 18 2010 at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge – the same venue as for Code Generation 2009.

A Call for Speakers will be issued next month and we expect the full programme to be announced towards the end of February 2010.

If you can’t wait until then to find out more about Model Driven Software Development then please consider joining the Model Driven Software Network in the meantime.

I promised earlier that I would talk a bit about my own plans when I take part in October’s Practical Product Lines conference.

Being a co-organiser of the event I can’t be too biased but putting that aside for a moment here are the sessions I plan to take part in:

Mapping Product Line Value Streams – Marc Evers and Willem van den Ende. My reasoning – I’ve read about value streams but never applied them in a product line setting. I like getting my hands dirty in sessions and this promises to have lots of groupwork.

The challenges of implementing lifecycle management for Product Lines - Danilo Beuche. My reasoning – whole life cycle management for product lines is an emerging area. (We are also UK & Ireland distributors for pure::variants and a certain amount of loyalty must be shown…)

Productivity as a Management Tool - Peter Mazereeuw – My reasoning – I’ve never heard Peter speak and in my role as a product line consultant questions about measuring the success of the product line are key for senior management. I’m also keen to hear how other participants measure their product lines – and what sort of figures they’re seeing.

There are many other great sessions at the conference but having parallel streams always means I miss out on some good stuff. No doubt I’ll be kicking myself after I find out that people have got even more from the sessions I didn’t attend…

The early-bird deadline for October’s Practical Product Lines 2009 conference closes tomorrow. Save 100 Euro by booking now!

The 1st Practical Product Lines conference takes place from 20-21 October in Amsterdam.

The conference has 4 great keynote speakers lined up:

Jan Bosch (Intuit) – well-known software product line practitioner and researcher will talk about Software Product Lines: What got us here, won’t get us there - describing how companies using software product lines must adapt to changes in the development landscape in order to continue to have success with software product lines.

Markus Voelter (independent / itemis) – Model-Driven Software development guru and all-round nice guy will give a forward-looking talk on Language Workbenches and Software Product Lines - showing how these two concepts can come together in a way that will lead to Product Line Engineering for programming languages.

Dieter Rombach  executive and founding director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE) – will describe his organisation’s leadership in applying product line methods in industrial settings in his talk  Software Product Lines in Practice – A Fraunhofer Experience Report.

Dirk-Jan Swagerman of FEI presents a new (to me at least) experience report - Platform diversity and Innovation in electron microscopes - I’m hoping to learn a lot from this session, particularly around supporting product lines over a long time span – up to 20 years in this case.

There are 12 other sessions at the conference and I’ll comment on what I’m planning to attend later.

The early-bird booking period for the conference closes on 31st August – save 100 Euro by booking now. OMG and SPIder members get 10% off conference participation.

The Call for Speakers for the 2010 ACCU Conference is now available.

Call for Participation – ACCU 2010
April 14-17, 2010. Barcelo Oxford Hotel, Oxford, UK
Submission deadline: 30th of September 2009

Highlight: Special track on software testing, please read on
Email proposals to: Giovanni Asproni, conference@accu.org

We would like to invite you to present a session at this leading software development conference.

We have a long tradition of high quality sessions covering many aspects of software development, from programming languages (e.g., C, C++, Java, C#, Ruby, Groovy, Python, Erlang, Haskell, etc.),  and technologies (libraries, frameworks, databases, etc.) to subjects about the wider development environment such  as testing, development process, design, analysis, patterns, project management, and softer aspects such as team building, communication and leadership.

In particular, this year we are going to have a special track on software testing–we are interested in experience reports, techniques, lessons learned, etc.

Sessions may be either tutorial-based, presentations of case studies, or take the form of interactive workshops. We are always open to novel formats, so please contact us with your idea.

The standard length of a session is 90 minutes, with some exceptions.  In order to allow less experienced speakers to speak at the conference without the pressure of filling a full 90 minutes, we reserve a number of shorter 45 minute sessions.

If you would like to run a session please let us know by emailing your proposals to conference@accu.org by the 30th of September 2009 at the latest.

Please include the following to support your proposal:

• Title (a working title if necessary)
• Type (tutorial, workshop, case study, etc.) 
• Duration (45/90 min) 
• Speaker name(s) 
• Speaker biography (max 150 words)
• Description (approx 250 words)

Proposals about specific products and technologies will be taken under consideration only if they are open source and available for free (at least for non-commercial use). If you are interested in talking about a proprietary technology, there is the possibility of “sponsored sessions” which are presented outside the standard conference schedule. Please email conference@accu.org for more information.

If you are interested in knowing more about the conference you may like to consult the website for previous years’ editions at
www.accu.org/conference for background information.

Speakers running one or more full 90 minute sessions receive a special conference attendance package including free attendance, and assistance with their travel and accommodation costs. Speakers filling a 45 minute slot qualify for free conference attendance on the day of their session.

The conference has always benefited from the strength of its programme, making it the highlight of the year for many attendees. Please help us make 2010 another successful event.

I’ve taken part in the past three ACCU Conferences and spoken at the last two. It’s a large audience – for a UK conference – and knowledgeable – so very rewarding for a speaker.