A Technical History of the SEI
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<strong>of</strong> Defense and flag <strong>of</strong>ficers from <strong>the</strong> military departments. This oversight body reviews and approves<br />
<strong>the</strong> strategy and <strong>the</strong> annual program plan. The JAC is supported by an executive group<br />
(JAC/EG), composed <strong>of</strong> executives representing <strong>the</strong> JAC organizations. The JAC/EG provides a<br />
more in-depth evaluation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> strategic plans and annual work plan, and recommends <strong>the</strong> appropriate<br />
actions to <strong>the</strong> JAC. While operational management is <strong>the</strong> responsibility <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong> director,<br />
<strong>the</strong> sponsoring organization assigns a program manager to ensure that <strong>the</strong> JAC and JAC/EG guidance<br />
is carried out within <strong>the</strong> provisions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> contract. The original Air Force program manager<br />
formed a <strong>Technical</strong> Advisory Group (TAG) composed <strong>of</strong> government and academic experts to advise<br />
<strong>the</strong>m on technical matters. The TAG has been continued to <strong>the</strong> present and has become part<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> oversight function.<br />
The principal responsibility <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> program manager has traditionally involved two primary functions:<br />
(1) guiding <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong>’s selection <strong>of</strong> effort to be conducted under line funding, and (2) overseeing<br />
efforts conducted under separately funded project work statements (PWS) to ensure that<br />
<strong>the</strong>se efforts are consistent with <strong>the</strong> needs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> DoD and associated U.S. government agencies.<br />
Just as <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong> understanding <strong>of</strong> its mission has changed and <strong>the</strong> technology upon which it bases<br />
its work has changed, so have <strong>the</strong> needs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> DoD changed. Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, as responsibility for<br />
<strong>the</strong> sponsoring agent has been shifted from <strong>the</strong> Air Force to OSD to DARPA and back to OSD,<br />
<strong>the</strong> individual perspectives <strong>of</strong> those who filled <strong>the</strong> (program manager/executive agent) position<br />
has changed. In 2010, <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong> was directed to concentrate line funding primarily on research and<br />
some workforce development, leaving technical support for PWS funding.<br />
Consequently, in 2010, <strong>the</strong> DoD sponsoring agreement modified <strong>the</strong> mission statement to provide<br />
greater emphasis on research,<br />
…to provide technical leadership and innovation through research and development to advance<br />
<strong>the</strong> practice <strong>of</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tware engineering and technology in support <strong>of</strong> DoD needs.<br />
The <strong>SEI</strong>’s core statement [<strong>SEI</strong> 2010] specified three areas in which <strong>the</strong> <strong>SEI</strong> has traditionally provided<br />
value, although <strong>the</strong> new guidance shifts <strong>the</strong> emphasis for line-funded work to R&D. The<br />
three areas were<br />
(1) Research and Development<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
research projects that make significant improvements to s<strong>of</strong>tware engineering and related disciplines<br />
collaborations that leverage work found in industrial research, academia, and government laboratories<br />
maintaining cognizance <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> global s<strong>of</strong>tware state <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> art/state <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> practice in s<strong>of</strong>tware<br />
engineering and related disciplines to identify potential advancements, trends, issues, and new<br />
strategic directions for DoD systems<br />
(2) <strong>Technical</strong> Support<br />
<br />
<strong>the</strong> delivery <strong>of</strong> technical support addressing specified s<strong>of</strong>tware engineering problems that impede<br />
<strong>the</strong> government’s ability to develop, acquire, deploy, evolve, and sustain high-quality<br />
s<strong>of</strong>tware-reliant systems at a predictable performance, cost, and schedule<br />
CMU/<strong>SEI</strong>-2016-SR-027 | SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE | CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY 9<br />
Distribution Statement A: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited