INSPIRE '98, http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/INSPIRE98/ Advance Information and Call for Papers The British Computer Society Quality Special Interest Group's 3rd Annual International Conference on Software Process Improvement - Research, Education and Training 10th-11th September 1998 (with Tutorials on Wednesday, 9th September 1998) University of Sunderland, St. Peter's Campus, St. Peter's Way, Sunderland, SR6 0DD, UK. THE CONFERENCE The third International Conference on Software Process Improvement - Research, Education and training, INSPIRE '98, is being organised by the University of Sunderland's Software Engineering Research Group and the British Computer Society Quality Special Interest Group. It aims to provide an opportunity to improve understanding and to encourage the exchange of experiences between researchers, academics and industrialists thoughout the world, who have a commitment to improve all aspects associated with the planning, production and management of software. The conference will be held in the conference facilities at the School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Sunderland. The main conference sessions will be held on Thursday, 10th and Friday, 11th September 1997 with tutorials on Wednesday, 9th September. The conference will be suitable for researchers academics and industralists. In particular it will be relevant to managers who wish to improve their staff's understanding and adherence to quality practices and trainers within the software industry. Both companies specifically concerned with training of staff and companies involved in the production of software for process improvement and the teaching of process improvement will find the conference beneficial to them. GOALS To publicise research on software process improvement and provide a forum for technology transfer; To promote better understanding of software quality and process improvement issues; To improve the quality of teaching of process improvement issues at universities; To improve the quality of process improvement training courses for industry. CALL FOR PAPERS This year, as before, two kinds of submission are invited: A formal paper on a case study or of a research nature from industrial and/or academic authors; or A management summary from practitioner authors. For formal papers, five copies of a 500 word abstract are required as soon as possible to be followed by a full paper of up to 12 pages by 4th April 1998. Abstracts and papers will be peer reviewed by at least three referees. Authors will receive feedback in the form of a selection of referees' comments. On acceptance the final manuscript will be required by 30 June 1998. Accepted papers will be included in conference proceedings which will be available to delegates and will also be published internationally. For management summaries, peer review is on the basis of a two page management summary and a sample of the presenter's visual material which must be produced in a specified format. These are due as soon as possible. On acceptance, the final 2 page management summary and full set of reduced visual aids are due by 30 June 1998. CONFERENCE TOPICS Contributions are invited on research, teaching and training in areas such as: Process improvement and business process change; Quality models, quality audits, certification and standards; Methodologies and languages as an integral part of developing quality software; Project management, configuration management and human resources, as key issues to the management of the systems life cycle. The year 2000, EMU and related issues; Software tools, to assist good practices of management and the production of software systems; Software as a means of training of quality related topics; Alternative approaches to teaching software process improvement concepts, such as by video conferencing and the use of the Internet Submissions based on practical experience are particularly welcome. Also, your suggestions for topics for the tutorials on Wednesday, 9th September 1998 would be helpful. PLEASE NOTE Guidelines for preparation of manuscripts will be supplied by the conference secretariat and papers accepted for inclusion in the Conference Programme will be published in the proceedings. Consent to publish will be required by the organisers, but Copyright of accepted papers will remain with the authors. Presenting authors will receive one copy of the proceedings and will also be entitled to attend the Conference at the Academic Member rate. WHERE TO SEND ABSTRACTS AND SUMMARIES Please send abstracts and summaries to: Inspire 98 Secretariat, c/o Dr Albert Bokma, Senior Research Fellow, School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Sunderland, St. Peter's Way. Sunderland SR6 0DD, UK Tel: (44) 191-515 3233 Fax: (44) 191-515 2781 E-mail: albert.bokma@sunderland.ac.uk DUE DATES Abstract for formal papers: as soon as possible Full papers: 4th April 1998 Management summaries: as soon as possible Final Manuscripts: 30th June 1998 JOINT CONFERENCE CHAIRMEN Dr Chris Hawkins, Perspective Technica & GCS QSIG Chairman Hakan Wickberg, IVF, Sweden Prof J. Barrie Thompson University of Sunderland, Sunderland. CONFERENCE DIRECTORS Margaret Ross, Chairman, BCS Hampshire Branch and Southern Region Quality Special Interest Group Geoff Staples Head of Computing, Southampton Institute and Vice Chairman, BCS Southern Region Quality Special Interest Group LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE Dr Helen M. Edwards Mr Colin Hardy Prof Peter Smith Mr Simon C. Stobart INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE H Basson Laboratoire d'Informatique du Littoral, France J Brinkworth Anite Systems, UK M Curtis MullSoft Ltd, UK K Daily Bramour QPI, UK T Daughtrey Babcock & Wilcox, USA J Dolado Cosin Universidad del Pais Vasco, Spain A Dorling IVF, Sweden D Edgar-Nevill University of Lincolnshire & Humberside, UK L Fernandez Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain B Garner Deakin University, Australia E Georgiadou University of North London, UK E Gray Glasgow Caledonian University, UK R Green SQM Consultants Ltd, UK T Hall University of Westminster, UK B Hirsh Motorola, USA R Hunter University of Strathclyde, UK G King Southampton Institute, UK D Kitson SEI, Carnegie-Mellon University, USA P Kuvaja University of Oulu, Finland P Linecar South Bank University, UK C Mackie BT Laboratories, UK D Maisey ICL, UK C McGowan ESI, Spain M Müllerburg Institut für Systementwurfstechnik, Germany B Myers Triad Special Systems Ltd, UK M Pivka University of Maribor, Slovenia C Rego Fundacao CTI, Brazil S Rementeria ESI, Spain T P Rout ASRI, Griffith University, Australia V Sivess University of Southampton, UK A Symons Origin, Netherlands J Barrie Thompson University of Sunderland, UK D Wilson University of Technology, Sydney, Australia H Younessi Swinburne University of Technology, Australia S Zahran Quality & Process Consulting, UK