Software Engineering Institute
The Carnegie Mellon® Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center headquartered on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. SEI also has offices in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Arlington, Virginia, and Frankfurt, Germany. The SEI operates with major funding from the U.S. Department of Defense. The SEI also works closely with industry and academia through research collaborations.
Since 1984, the SEI has served as a global resource in software engineering, networked systems survivability, and process improvement. The SEI provides technical leadership to advance the practice of software engineering so that software-intensive systems can be acquired and sustained with predictable and improved cost, schedule, and quality.
In recent years, software has continued to grow in importance and impact, not only in defense systems, but also in transportation, finance, medicine, entertainment, and all other aspects of everyday life. The SEI has contributed to this growth in many areas including software process improvement, network security and survivability, software architecture and software product lines, interoperability of systems, and the improvement of software acquisition skills.
The SEI program of work is conducted in three principle areas: management practices, engineering practices, and acquisition practices. Within these broad areas of work, the SEI defines specific initiatives aimed at solving problems that impede the ability of organizations to acquire, build, and evolve software-intensive systems predictably, on time, within expected cost, with expected functionality, and without vulnerabilities.
Areas of work
Management practices
Organizations need to effectively manage the acquisition, development, and evolution of software-intensive systems. Success in software engineering management practices helps organizations predict and control quality, schedule, cost, cycle time, and productivity. The best-known example of SEI work in management practices is the SEI’s Capability Maturity Model® (CMM®) for Software (now CMMI). The CMMI® approach consists of models, appraisal methods, and training courses that have been proven to improve process performance. In 2006, Version 1.2 of the CMMI Product Suite included the release of CMMI for Development. CMMI for Development is the first of three constellations defined in Version 1.2: the others under development, to be released in 2007, include CMMI for Acquisition and CMMI for Services.
Engineering practices
SEI work in engineering practices increases the ability of software engineers to analyze, predict, and control selected functional and non-functional properties of software systems. Key SEI tools and methods include the SEI Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method® (ATAM®) methodology, the SEI Framework for Software Product Line Practice, and the SEI Service Migration and Reuse Technique (SMART).
Acquisition practices
Acquiring software-intensive systems that work on their first promised date a global imperative. The goal of SEI work in acquisition support is to help acquisition organizations improve their processes and minimize their risks.
Security
The SEI is also the home of the CERT/CC (CERT® Coordination Center), the federally funded computer security organization. The SEI CERT Program's primary goals are to ensure that appropriate technology and systems-management practices are used to resist attacks on networked systems and to limit damage and ensure continuity of critical services in spite of successful attacks, accidents, or failures. The SEI CERT program is working with US-CERT to produce the Build Security In Web site, which provides a wealth of knowledge and practices gained from SEI research and collaborations. The SEI has also conducted research on insider threats and computer forensics. Results of this research and other information now populate the CERT Virtual Training Environment.
® Carnegie Mellon, Capability Maturity Model, CMM, CMMI, Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method, ATAM, and CERT are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Carnegie Mellon University.
Special programs
SEI Partner Network
The SEI Partner Network helps the SEI disseminate software engineering best practices. Organizations and individuals in the SEI Partner Network are selected, trained, and licensed by the SEI to deliver authentic SEI services, which include courses, consulting methods, and management processes. The network currently consists of nearly 250 partner organizations worldwide.
Conferences
The SEI sponsors national and international conferences, workshops, and user-group meetings. The largest of these, the Software Engineering Process Group (SEPG) conference, is the world’s leading annual conference and exhibit showcase for process improvement. Other events cover subjects including acquisition of software-intensive systems, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based systems, network security and survivability, software process research, software product lines, CMMI, and the SEI Team Software Process.
Education and training
SEI courses help bring state-of-the-art technologies and practices from research and development into widespread use. SEI courses are currently offered at the SEI’s locations in the United States and Europe. In addition, using licensed course materials, SEI Partners train thousands of individuals annually.
Membership program
The SEI Membership Program provides leaders in the software engineering community the opportunity to learn, network, and advance through collaboration with the SEI and each other. Currently, there are more than 2,000 SEI Members around the world.
Affiliate program
Through the SEI Affiliate Program, organizations place technical experts with the SEI for periods ranging from six months to four years. Affiliates currently are working on projects with the SEI to identify, develop, and demonstrate improved software engineering practices.
Research and publications
The SEI publishes reports that offer new technical information about software engineering topics, whether theoretical or applied. Notable research in 2006 included the publishing of several special reports including "The Ultra-Large-Scale Systems: The Software Challenge of the Future" which describes a multidisciplinary, forward-thinking research agenda to deal with ultra-large-scale systems in our future. Experts were gathered from within and outside of the field of software engineering for this research report.
The SEI also publishes books on software engineering for industry, government and military applications and practices. In addition, the SEI offers public courses, workshops, and conferences in process improvement, software architecture and product lines, and security. Information is available on the SEI website.
For more information, visit the Publications section of the SEI Web site.
Focus of Progressive Protests
SEI has been a frequent site of anti-war movement and peace movement protests since its construction began.[1][2][3][4], many of which have been organized by Pittsburgh's Thomas Merton Center[5].