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An Overview of the Computer Society Boards

By Susan Land, On 10/16/09 4:46 PM

The Computer Society has established long-term commitments, in the form of Boards that support the areas of Chapters Activities, Educational Activities, Professional Activities, Publications, Standardization, and Technical & Conference Activities. I wanted to provide an overview of each of these major volunteer governance activities this month.

Local Chapter and Regional activities offer the opportunity for Computer Society professionals to network locally with colleagues. The Chapters Activities Board (CAB) develops activities for professional development and supports these opportunities for members to share their expertise through technical exchange. The Computer Society supports over 200 professional and student chapters, both nationally and internationally. The Computer Society was the first IEEE society to establish student branch chapters. This activity began in 1974 as an experiment and was subsequently adopted by the IEEE. This Board will expand it charter in 2010 to include membership activities.

The mission of the Educational Activities Board (EAB) is to develop, implement and evaluate all educational activities in the computer fields at all levels. This Board focuses on curriculum accreditation, which requires the monitoring and evaluation of current curriculum accreditation guidelines in the field of computing and the recommendation of changes as needed. The Educational Activities Board also supports the development and implementation of various continuing education programs in the areas of computer science and engineering including the development and offering of continuing education courses, professional development seminars, and tutorials. For example, the Computer Society offers its members 100 online training courses through its Distance Learning Campus.

The Professional Activities Board (PAB) has the mission of coordinating, in collaboration with relevant IEEE Computer Society boards, the society’s participation in the development and maintenance of professional disciplines such as computer engineering, computer science, information technology, and software engineering. This includes the development of body of knowledge identification, curriculum, ethics, performance norms, and terminology. Currently, the PPC is focused on the profession of software engineering. The PAB supports the development of The Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) and Certified Software Development Associate (CSDA) Programs. For many, a product-specific certification, such as Novell, Microsoft or Linux certifications addresses the need for very specific knowledge and job requirements. But the Computer Society saw the need to cut across all products and drill down to the body of knowledge that would provide definition to the constellation of computer-related certifications as provided by the CSDA and CSDP.

The goal of the IEEE Computer Society’s Publications Board (Pubs) is to provide practitioners, researchers, and managers with readily available, accurate, peer-reviewed, and affordable, resources that they can rely on. A resource that can provide them with timely information about current research developments, trends, best practices, and changes in the profession. The Publications Board currently provides oversight for 25 periodicals, operates a technical book publications series, supports conference publications, a digital library, and a new electronic delivery Ready Notes series. Annually more than 150,000 pages are published and more than 10 million Computer Society articles are delivered electronically to members though the Computer Society ‘s Digital Library platform and the IEEE’s Xplore® platform. Computer is the flagship publication if the Computer Society and is a practitioner-oriented magazine. This magazine is sent to all members of the society and contains peer-reviewed articles, regular columns, and interviews that cover all aspects of computer science, computer engineering, technology, and applications.

Standards development and the Computer Society have been widely associated for many years through the application of the local area network (802) standards series, although many do not readily know the full extent of the Computer Society as a standards-developing organization. The Computer Society also sponsors the development more than 700 active industry standards. The Standards Activities Board (SAB) sponsors 11 standards committees, which develop standards in support of: design automation, intelligent physical agents, information assurance, learning technology, local and metropolitan area networks (802), microprocessors and microcomputers, portable applications, simulation interoperability, software & system engineering, storage systems, test technology, and environmental protection. In addition, the Computer Society Standards Activities Board was the first among peer professional organizations to define the body of knowledge of software engineering (www.computer.org/swebok ).

Technical Committees and Technical Councils (collectively called TCs) are encouraged to sponsor conferences and workshops. The TC acts as the sponsor, but it is the mission of the Technical and Conferences Activities Board (T&C) to oversee the growth and maintenance of all conferences and workshops and to provide high-quality technical intellectual property of value to the computing profession, and to service this community’s needs for information sharing. T&C supports over 175 international conferences and workshops, and last year over 30,000 individuals participated in technology exchanges at these events where they received the latest information from leaders in their fields. To show the broad range, here are just a few of the Technical Committees, Councils, and Task Forces available to individuals: Software Engineering, Test Technology, Bioinformatics, Computational Medicine, Electronic Commerce, Learning Technology, Information Assurance , Nanoelectronics, Nanoarchitecture, and Nanocomputing, Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Real-Time Systems, and Wearable Information Systems (Click to visit a complete listing.)

Each of these Boards serves as the governance focal point for the Society’s activities within a given domain. The ensure that emerging technologies are identified and shepherded, that adequate resources and expertise are provided, and that continued growth and vitality is assured for future generations of technology professionals.

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The IAB - Building a Bridge to the Practitioner

By Susan Land, On 9/28/09 2:53 PM

During a 2007 organizational review, the IEEE-CS leadership determined that a change in the Society’s external focus and its market position was needed. We wanted to become more industry and practitioner-focused. Our desire was to increase the quantity of relevant products and services for industry and practitioners while continuing to retain the high level of researcher and academic involvement that remains a major contributor of Society technical expertise and information. The IEEE-CS has a broad base of members, and we wanted to clarify our business model so that we might better serve our entire membership base.

In 2008, the IEEE Computer Society focused on our internal strategic plans. We have made significant process in moving from static strategic planning; plans that were previously developed in 2-3 yearly cycles. We now work our strategies dynamically allocating targeted plans and activities on a yearly basis. It is vitally important for any organization to understand what high level goals they would like to set, how these goals align with their mission and vision, and then set about to reach these goals by defining correlating activities with specific, measureable, targets. The IEEE-CS has defined both short (3-5 year) and long (5-10 year) goals. One of these short term goals was to reach out to industry to support the development of targeted solutions to their technical challenges.

The IEEE-CS Board of Governors authorized the creation of the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) in 2008. The purpose of the IAB is to help the Society build its relevance by serving as an advisory body to guide the development of Society products and services relevant to the industrial audience and by reviewing the Society’s plans that engage industry. The IAB will also assist in the dissemination of the Society’s information to industry and help the Society obtain support from the industrial sector. The IAB exists separately from the IEEE-CS governance body, the IEEE-CS Board of Governors. The IAB’s function is solely advisory in nature. [1]

We are fortunate; our IAB is comprised of a very impressive group of senior executives from key corporations. These individuals are committed to the IEEE-CS and provide us with 'straight talk' about how they view the Society, the efforts we put forward, and suggest things we should consider doing. They have been busy working in 2009 on several key initiatives that will provide the IEEE-CS Board of Governors with insight into how industry thinks, and what practitioner’s value from associations. Although we have many well known volunteers from industry who do sit on our Board of Governors, the IAB provides our senior volunteer leadership with an untarnished view of how well we are performing, what we might do to improve, and how best to support the industry practitioner. I am looking forward with much optimism to 2010 when many of the current IAB efforts will mature and bear fruit and help the IEEE-CS improve how we accomplish our mission.

[1] IEEE Computer Society Industry Advisory Board Charter, May 2009

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2009 IEEE-CS Activities Update

By Susan Land, On 9/1/09 1:39 PM

As we near the final IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) Board of Governors meeting series of 2009, I thought it might be good to provide a few highlights of IEEE-CS Board activities in 2009. During the February session the IEEE-CS Executive Committee meeting the Vice Presidents were asked to present their top 3-5 goals and supporting initiatives for 2009. Throughout the year their efforts remained focused and this has provided us with a very productive year.

Chapters Activities Board (CAB) and Membership: CAB, led by Vice President S.V. Sankaran, is operating with renewed vigor and continues to gain momentum looking forward to 2010. A few of this year’s highlights:

The Member Visit Program (MVP) was launched, to utilize regular visits of members to other regions or countries to easily organize technical activities at chapters. T.K. Ramesh is the first to inaugurate this in October with a technical talk to the Bangalore IEEE Section/IEEE-CS Chapter.
3 new Chapters and 9 new Student Chapters were formed in 2009.
CAB continues to support the Distinguished Visitor Program (DVP) and Scholarships Awards programs.
Regional Chapter Coordinators continue efforts to reach out to IEEE- CS Chapters.

Educational Activities Board (EAB): EAB’s charter was expanded in 2008 into professional development and training. Alan Clements, Vice President EAB, has been working with EAB members to maintain ongoing efforts yet expand volunteer efforts into these new areas:

EAB is working to develop a proposal to support a new IEEE-CS competition. Thepurpose of the competition is to promote excellence in the design of a system by a team of students.
Members of EAB are with IEEE-CS staff to develop Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) courseware. This courseware will provide training opportunities for software engineering professionals.

Professional Activities Board (PAB): This year, the Board of Governors created a Professional Activities Board to provide a focus for practitioner-oriented programs of the Society. Jim Moore is the Vice President for Professional Activities.

PAB’s IT Committee began defining a profession beyond the PAB initial portfolio of software engineering, maintained by the Software Engineering (SWE) Committee.
The PAB Planning Committee is working on a framework for defining additional computing disciplines and professions.
The PAB Certification Committee is refreshing the Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) exam with roll-out planned for first quarter of 2010.
The SWEBOK revision is underway, having assembled its editorial team, enlisted the support of the international standards committee for software engineering, and selected a tool for commenting.

Publications (Pubs): The Publications Board has been very active this year under the leadership of Vice President Sorel Reisman:

Worked during 2009 to successfully gain approval and launch a new publication, Transactions on Affective Computing.
Appointed almost 20 new editors-in-chief of our magazines, transactions, and books.
Created a work flow for the Plagiarism Investigation Committee.
Oversaw a dramatic rise in our journal citation rates.
Developed a Publications Board strategic plan recommending the creation of Special Interest Groups as a new and unique member benefit

Standards Activities Board (SAB): SAB, led by Vice President John Harauz, hosted an IEEE-CS Software Engineering Leadership Summit earlier this year. This meeting was held to support the Computer Society’s efforts to establish software engineering as a recognized engineering profession. The IEEE-CS currently supports a variety of SE-related programs (e.g., training, certification, SWEBOK, etc.). This meeting provided participants with the opportunity to share ongoing development efforts, outline areas of need, and support the development of a common outlook for coordinated SE work. Volunteers supporting standardization efforts remained very engaged throughout 2009. To highlight some of their more recent efforts:

Gaming Technologies: SAB is participating in the MIT Emerging Technologies conference (EmTech 2009), 22-24 September, IEEE-sponsored breakout session: "Standards and serious games". LTC Bret Wilson is also organizing a follow-up workshop on Gaming Technology in Piscataway (Oct 2009).
Electronic Voting: IEEE SASB approved that CS SAB sponsor a new working group to complete P1622. The scope of project P1622 is to develop electronic data interchange formats to be used by components of the voting system for exchange of electronic data.
Other areas of standardization: The SAB has been effective this year in efforts to keep the IEEE-CS portfolio current. They have also dedicated volunteer resources and have initiated efforts to support Smart Grid, Digital Personal Property, Cloud Computing, and collaboration with the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP).

Technical and Conference Activities (T&C): IEEE-CS Vice Presidents John Walz (T&C) and Sorel Reisman (Pubs), with the help of Past President Kasturi and Products & Services Director Evan Butterfield, developed a set of recommendations to maintain/improve the quality of conference articles in IEEE Xplore. The recommendations, categorized by different responsibility levels, assume that conferences and published proceedings are a positive contributor to research, information, and networking for the engineering and computer professional community. John Walz has agreed to be the IEEE representative for matters relating to quality associated with conferences and conferences publishing. In addition to working the issues associated with conference quality and conference publishing, T&C remained focused on the following throughout 2009:

Test piloting ways to host virtual Technical Meetings (TMs). As a way to increase industry participation and increasing business travel constraints.
Increasing transparency and streamlining the workflow between TC, Conference Steering Committee, Technical Meeting (TM) volunteers and staff.
Focusing on TC vitality by providing TC & TM leadership training and orientation.

I would like to thank all of the volunteers and staff who have worked so tirelessly to make 2009 a great year for the IEEE-CS as we look forward to 2010.

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CompSAC and SAINT - 2009

By Susan Land, On 8/5/09 10:00 AM

In July, I had the privilege of presenting the opening remarks to the attendees of the 33^nd COMPSAC Conference and the 9^th SAINT Conference in Seattle, Washington. CompSAC is the Computer Society’s Signature Conference on Computers, Software and Applications and SAINT, co-sponsored with the Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ), is a premier symposium supporting applications and the Internet. The Information Processing Society of Japan and the IEEE Computer Society share a long-time and very positive affiliate relationship.

Three keynote speakers presented during the week. Larry Smarr presented “Project GreenLight: Optimizing Cyberinfrastructure for a Carbon Constrained World”, Tony Hey presented “Programming the Cloud”, and Tatsuaki Okamoto presented “Towards Fine-Grained Secure Communications”. Conferences provide one of the many opportunities within the IEEE Computer Society where volunteers can help to support the Computer Society’s overall mission to advance the computing profession.

The IEEE Computer Society’s essential role is to provide a bridge between research and practice. Unique forums like CompSAC and SAINT serve industry by bringing to software engineering and other computing practices in industry the best thinking from theoretical computer science. The emphasis on multidisciplinary work, research and development of prototypes, industry-university collaborations, all based on new emerging and critical technologies, in turn inspires and informs next generation of computer scientists in academia.

Through participation in these conferences, as either authors or participants, technical professionals can develop or apply technology to help improve global conditions. The work of many dedicated volunteers helped make CompSAC 2009 a success. Carl Chang chaired the 2009 COMPSAC and SAINT Steering Committees. This year’s COMPSAC General Chair is Tony Hey and Program Chairs are Elisa Bertino, Vladimir Getov and Lin Liu. The SAINT 2009 General are Chairs Darrell Long and Haruo Takemura. In addition, this year’s SAINT Program Chairs were Morris Chang and Kenichi Yoshida. The Computer Society is indebted to such dedicated volunteers who devote many hours of their valuable time to organize outstanding technical conferences.

It was an honor to participate in this important international technical event and I look forward to continued collaboration between IPSJ and the IEEE Computer Society as CompSAC and SAINT are hosted in Seoul next year.

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IEEE Board of Directors Meeting

By Susan Land, On 7/8/09 12:16 PM

Here are the highlights of the June IEEE Board of Directors (BOD) Meetings Series, held 23-28 June in Los Angeles, CA.

1. Several changes were approved that impact IEEE CS conferences. First, papers published by IEEE from non-sponsored conferences are to be subject to the same peer review practices as are those published by sponsored conferences. Second, all technical co-sponsorships will now require the approval of an MOU, using an IEEE form and process. The MOU must define how the IEEE will have a direct and substantial involvement in the conference and how the papers will be reviewed. Our Vice President for Conference and Technical Activities John Walz has done an incredible job representing the Computer Society's interests in these discussions. I thank him for his efforts, in addition to VP of PSPB Jon Rokne and Computer Society rep to the IEEE Conferences Committee Bill Pitts.

2. In preparation for the 2010 Student Offer launch beginning in September, IEEE MGA, through a Student Branch Initiative, took steps in Los Angeles to identify barriers to student branch and chapter formation. The bylaws permit only one IEEE student branch and more than one chapter to be formed at a particular school, with few exceptions where Sections have formed chapters. To encourage greater participation from computer science, IT, and other interdisciplinary program areas, MGA intends to bring forward amendments to the bylaws in November that would allow the formation of more than one IEEE student branch. In parallel with these governance changes, MGA and CS volunteers and staff will select a number of target schools and computer science and IT departments where IEEE should have a presence and does not, invite participation in the IEEEXtreme Programming Contest scheduled on 24 October 2009, and identify faculty advisors willing to start a new IEEE student branches or chapters once bylaws changes are approved. Division Director Elect Mike Williams is our MGA representative.

3 . The Computer Society's IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing was approved. I thank VP of Publications Sorel Reisman for his efforts in getting this publication through the publications approval process. It will launch in 2010; the Editor in Chief (EIC) search is underway.

4. The Biometrics Council's Biometrics Compendium was also approved. This new "virtual journal" will draw heavily from Computer Society publications, especially TPAMI. Former TPAMI EIC Kevin Bowyer will be the EIC. While we were in Los Angeles, the 2008 Journal Citation Report was released, and I am pleased to report that TPAMI was once again the top-ranked journal of all journals in the electrical engineering category that are indexed by Thomson-ISI.

5. IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) received a progress report on the formation of a Technical Committee on Sustainable Systems and Technology. This IEEE Presidential initiative is derived from the work done by the Computer Society's Technical Committee on Sustainable Systems and Technology. President-Elect Jim Isaak is working on an MOU between the current TC and its conference and the proposed TAB Technical Committee (TC). The Computer Society intends to maintain a TC in this area, under new leadership, if the TAB TC is created.

6. The IEEE-USA's Board of Directors agreed to become the lead technical society in the development of an SE licensure exam. VP of Professional Activities Jim Moore has negotiated a key role for the Computer Society in this work.

7. TAB approved the formal definition of an Affiliate member, something that had been overlooked in the past. This work was led by Director Deb Cooper, and the result is entirely consistent with Computer Society current practice.

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The IEEE Computer Society - How to Join and Volunteer

By Susan Land, On 6/9/09 4:15 PM

One of the questions that I am often asked by individuals wishing to volunteer to support the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) is “How do I join?” and “How might I best contribute?” As the IEEE and Computer Society have grown, signing up for the correct communities has become a challenge, it is hard to know where you might best fit within the organization and locate these so that you are included when you sign up to join the Society. There are also many membership options and it is important to understand what is offered, so that you might maximize your membership experience and volunteer potential.

I thought it might be useful to describe the registration process, along with potential communities of interest, and how to sign up for these as well.

IEEE enrollment

You can join IEEE by visiting the Membership Website. Membership renewals can also be processed through the online application process. There are two basic “starter” IEEE membership categories – the professional grade or student grade. It is important for individuals to understand our membership requirements as these requirements are meant to be inclusive.

Excerpts from IEEE Bylaws Section I-104: Membership Qualifications:

Member. The grade of Member is limited to those who have satisfied IEEE-specified educational requirements and/or who have demonstrated professional competence in IEEE-designated fields of interest. For admission or transfer to the grade of Member, a candidate shall be either

(a)	An individual who shall have received a three-to-five year university-level or higher degree (i) from an accredited institution or program and (ii) in an IEEE-designated field, both of which are defined in IEEE Bylaw I-104.11; or
(b)	An individual who shall have received a three-to-five year university-level or higher degree from an accredited institution or program and who has at least three years of professional work experience engaged in teaching, creating, developing, practicing or managing in IEEE-designated fields; or
(c)	An individual who, through at least six years of professional work experience, has demonstrated competence in teaching, creating, developing, practicing or managing within IEEE-designated fields.

Student Member.

(a)

A Student Member must satisfy the following conditions (1) carry at least 50% of a normal full-time academic program as a registered undergraduate or graduate student in a regular course of study in IEEE-designated fields; and (2) not yet qualify for Member grade. The total cumulative period for a member to hold the Student Member grade and/or the Graduate Student Member grade shall be limited to 8 years.

Qualifying Fields of Interest:

Engineering;
Computer sciences and information technology;
Biological and medical sciences;
Mathematics;
Physical sciences;
Technical communications, education, management, law and policy.

Applicants will need the referral of another IEEE or Society member; if you need a referral contact the Ombudsman or IEEE Computer Society governance staff at 1-202-371-0101. Once you join you will need to create an IEEE web account.

After you join the IEEE you should also look at the list of available related IEEE professional organizations. If you would like to support and develop Standards, join the IEEE Standards Association. If you want to support diversity, try IEEE Women in Engineering. Also, check out our many societies. If you are working in a computer-related field, then you should consider joining the IEEE Computer Society.

Joining the IEEE Computer Society

There are two membership options, 1) join both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society, or 2) join the IEEE Computer Society as an IEEE affiliate member. If you join just the Computer Society, then you are considered an affiliate member of the IEEE. You are entitled to all Computer Society benefits and services, but you are not entitled to IEEE member benefits. It is important to understand this distinction, but if your desire is to only provide support, or derive benefits, from the Computer Society, then affiliate membership may be for you.

Once you sign up as an IEEE Computer Society or Computer Society Affiliate member you will need to create a web account. This account will provide you with access to areas of the IEEE and IEEE Computer Society websites that are available to our membership. This account is your personal link to the Association and allows you to customize communication and establish your own profile within the organization. Also be sure to complete your Technical Interest Profile (TIP) as this will help the various groups within the IEEE Computer Society understand your areas of interest.

Find your Community

Once you have established your web account, it is easy to volunteer to support communities within the IEEE Computer Society that align with your area of interest. Student Activities: As a student member you might be interested in starting, or joining, a student club or in attending a student branch of the IEEE Computer Society. Standards: To support standards activities check out the list of sponsors and projects. Each of the standards activities has supporting web sites which identify the ways to volunteer. For example, the Software and Systems Engineering Standards Committee (S2ESC) has a link for volunteers who wish to join. Technical and Conference Activities: A description of IEEE Computer Society technical and conference activities is provided as well as the link to join these communities. For individuals interested in conference attendance, support, or organization this conference information is also available. Regional and Membership Activities: If you are interested in providing support for local activities such as speaking to local chapters, awards activities, or in forming a local IEEE Computer Society chapter. Participation as a volunteer supporting regional and membership activities may appeal to you. Publications: If you are interested in finding publications and publishing resources you may want to check out information to support these activities.

Summary

Take steps to get the most from your IEEE Computer Society membership today. The IEEE Computer Society is a technical professional association and we are always looking for members who will become actively engaged. To summarize the process for joining:

1) Become a member of IEEE and/or the IEEE Computer Society (create your web account)

2) Check out related IEEE professional organizations (WIE, Standards Association)

3) Become an active member of one of our communities of interest (standards, technical and conference, regional and/or Student, publications, etc.)

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IT Leadership

By Susan Land, On 5/13/09 8:03 AM

I was recently asked to describe the characteristics of success, or more directly stated, when two equally technically intelligent and skilled individals are compared - what makes one stand out above the other? I believe it comes down to one common factor, leadership. Webster’s Dictionary defines a leader as “a person who has commanding authority or influence”. I am going to present the things I think make an effective IT leader. However, these leadership qualities can be generalized for any career path. These are 10 characteristics - the 10 items I think are crucial to professional success.

Team-Building Skills hits the list at number one

Leaders must be effective team builders. A team builder must be a strong person. Essentially it is the leader of any IT group who sets the tone of any teaming environment. A strong team is essential in working to accomplish a common purpose. In order for a team to progress from a group of strangers to a single cohesive unit, the leader must understand the process and dynamics required for this transformation. Different phases of a project often require the application of different leadership techniques and an IT leader must be able to adapt the appropriate leadership style to use during each stage of team development. An effective leader must also have an understanding of the each team member and know how to capitalize on their assets and abilities.

At number two, a leader Inspires a Shared Vision

Visionaries thrive on change and being able to draw new boundaries. An effective leader is often described as having a vision of where to go and the ability to articulate it. These leaders possess the ability to create a vision that is compelling and can be shared by others. Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have real buy-in. They empower people to experience the vision on their own. An effective leader also offers people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what their vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organization. Others follow their guidance and instruction and seek out their advice; during times of crisis, teams follow their guidance, performing their best, enjoying their work, getting the job done.

A close third, a leader must be a Good Communicator

The ability to communicate a clear vision is paramount. Leaders must understand their goals, how to reach them, and they must be able to communicate their strategies for success. Leadership calls for clear communication about goals, responsibility, performance, expectations and feedback. There is a great deal of value placed on openness and directness. There is a big difference between a dictator and the leader who communicates, leaders support individual and team achievements by creating a vision for accomplishing results, communicating how to reach the goal, and inspiring others to work together to support the goal.

Fourth, a leader must possess Integrity

Integrity may be seen as the quality of having a sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivations for one's actions. A person of integrity is consistent. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. Honest dealings, predictable reactions, and well-controlled emotions are all signs of integrity.

A person of integrity takes responsibility for their own actions and the actions of their team. Their motivation is selfless and they remain concerned with the greater good. Self-motivation and integrity are conflicting motivations. Leadership based on integrity represents nothing less than a set of values others share, behavior consistent with values and fairness, and dedication to honesty with self and team members.

Fifth on the list, Resilience

Plain and simple, the leader sets the tone for the team. Leaders pursue goals with enthusiasm. We tend to follow people with a can-do attitude, not those who give us a multitude of reasons why something can’t be done. Resilient leaders are committed to their goals and express this commitment through optimism and the pursuit of solutions. Resilient leaders are always looking forward-looking past any current obstacle. Leadership emerges as someone expresses such a confident commitment to a project that others want to share his or her optimistic expectations. The enthusiasm associated with the resilient leader is contagious and effective leaders know it.

Commitment to Excellence comes in sixth

IT changes rapidly and continually and leaders face the ongoing challenge of keeping themselves current with respect to the state-of-the-art. Individuals viewed as leaders often see the real personal value in doing the things that maintain their value to their employers (while also earning the respect of their peers). In the course of their careers, well-adapted senior technical professionals develop many skills and practices that go well beyond mere technical competence in one or more subject areas:

Establishing relationships with other technical professionals to exchange both technical and organizational knowledge.
Effectively participating in professional organizations to help keep abreast of and lead the development of technology in our company.
Achieving technical and professional career development goals through an understanding of how the corporate organizational systems work, both formally and informally.

These things separate those who are only filling time in a job to those who wish to promote excellence and further their careers. Simply put, to enlist in another's cause, we must believe that that person has a demonstrated commitment to excellence.

Seventh, Problem Solving Skills

We expect leaders to have excellent problem-solving skills themselves. They must possess the ability to pursue fresh and creative responses to common problems. Leaders must be ready to listen to others in the pursuit of solutions. Leaders demonstrate an ability to get through times of crisis successfully using their skill set to effectively solve the problems at hand. Leaders demonstrate the ability to creatively solve problems, manage change, and minimize complexity.

At number eight, Assertiveness

A leader with a tough attitude takes challenges in stride. It is important to not confuse assertiveness with aggressiveness. Being assertive is defined as the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. When leaders encounter a challenge, they rise to the occasion trying to influence the outcome. One quote that I found states it very eloquently: “Out of the uncertainty and chaos of change, leaders rise up and articulate a new image of the future that pulls the project together."[3]

Number nine, the Ability to Delegate

Leaders demonstrate their trust in others through actions. Individuals who are unable to trust other people often fail as leaders and forever remain little more that micro-managers, or end up doing all of the work themselves. A good leader knows how to delegate effectively. This delegation includes the ability to identify the correct mix of talent required to support a project effectively. It is also important to remember that a leader gives credit where credit is due providing recognition for the work accomplished and takes responsibility for failure.

Ten, a good leader is a Mentor

Leaders foster an environment that actively supports continual technical development and growth and look for opportunities to mentor individuals with less practical experience. Leaders want to develop the next generation of technologists. The primary goal of any mentoring program should be to promote the personal and professional growth of its participants through the establishment of personal relationships. Through mentoring, leaders guide and encourage newest team members. Mentoring also helps to ensure that other team members remain challenged and motivated.

Conclusion

I hope that these leadership characteristics have been helpful. As we each move forward in our careers it is important to try to focus on the qualities associated with leadership. Each of these qualities can help us be more effective in our day-to-day responsibilities. Combined, these qualities can help us each become better leaders and we should all strive to become the best at what we do.

References:

[1] Barry, Timothy R.. Top 10 Qualities of a Project Manager; http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/top-10-qualities-project-manager.html

[2] Bass, Bernard (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 18, Issue 3, Winter, 1990, 19-31.

[3] Bennis, W., 1997. "Learning to Lead," Addison-Wesley, MA.

[4] Kouzes, James M. & Posner, Barry Z. (1987). The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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A Perspective on Certification

By Susan Land, On 4/16/09 1:47 PM

I am often asked questions about the IEEE Computer Society certification programs. I have compiled some of the most frequently asked questions and answers for this month's blog entry.

1) Why is the Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) important for professionals to obtain?

Because it signals to others that they have taken a voluntary measurement to confirm that they are a qualified software engineers. The Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP) is the only exam created by the IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) that provides individuals with the opportunity to measure their knowledge against the eleven core areas of the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWSEBOK). The CSDP provides software engineers with this unique opportunity to demonstrate their software engineering proficiency.

2) What are the benefits to employers?

Employers must understand that no other certification exam provides a direct mapping to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK). In addition, the CSDP requires a stringent 9,000 hours of current software engineering experience within at least six of the core SWEBOK knowledge areas. In my opinion, the CSDP provides a true measure of the software engineering professional.

Hiring managers need to look for software engineers – individuals who know how to identify requirements, can categorize and identify project risk, and can provide accurate estimates. These skills are critical to providing customers with the correct product, on time, within budget. These things are just a few things that software engineers are paid to do; programming is a small, small part of the overall software lifecycle.

3) What benefit does the CSDP have for the wider business community and even consumers, if any?

The CSDP can provide a measure of assurance that individuals developing software understand software engineering principles. Although no formal studies have been conducted, it would seem logical that if you have a software team comprised of individuals who have demonstrated knowledge of: software requirements, design, construction, testing, maintenance, the supporting engineering processes, and tools and methods that the likelihood of overall success would be increased. The CSDP covers eleven knowledge areas associated with the SWEBOK.

With the advent of software process improvement, models like the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), ISO 9001, and Lean and Six Sigma we still find that many, many software projects fail. Why? I would challenge that we are failing in educating individuals in software engineering fundamentals. The IEEE Computer Society hopes that the CSDP might ultimately provide some measure of assurance for the hiring manager and the wider acquisition community. We have the process improvement methodologies, but if individuals do not understand software engineering fundamentals, they will not be able to establish basic software processes and then manage these efforts successfully.

3) Why should an employer hire a CSDP over another software development professional?

I can only say what I have done previously as a hiring manager. My focus has been on software management, development, integration, deployment, and maintenance. I have encouraged members of my development staff to obtain vendor specific certifications and programming language specific certifications when needed to meet immediate project requirements. However, I specifically tried to discourage a focus among technical staff on developing expertise in narrow technical specialties.

I feel it is important to focus on the technical professional rather than on training the technical expert. I feel managers should nurture and develop mature and adaptable technical professionals. Not develop narrowly defined specialists whose specialty might become obsolete. There is the additional risk that technically creative individuals who are constrained to a narrow technical arena can become frustrated. Looking at individuals as software engineers lowers this risk. The goal of any manager should be to help technical professionals in their careers and to encourage high potentials in their staff.

4) Are there any upcoming news/enhancements to the CSDP credential?

The IEEE Computer Society has developed a second examination, the Certified Software Development Associate (CSDA). The CSDA is the Computer Society response to industry demand for a way to confirm the skill and knowledge levels of entry-level software engineers. The CSDA is meant for recent software or computer engineering graduates, undergraduates who are in their final year of a bachelor's degree program in software or computer engineering, or non-degree professionals with more than 2 years of programming experience who wish to demonstrate their software engineering expertise.

For additional information in support of IEEE-CS certifications:

www.computer.org/certification/

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CS President Visits Asia-Pacific Region

By Susan Land, On 3/18/09 9:37 PM

I would like to share information from my recent travel to Japan on Computer Society business.

In my role as IEEE Computer Society (CS) President, the IPSJ (Information Processing Society of Japan) invited me to present a technical talk at their 71st National Congress during 10-12 March 2007 at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. During my visit, I was also able to meet with representatives from Waseda University, the IEEE Kansai Section Chair, CS Kansai Chapter Chair, and members of the IEEE Japan Council.

The IEEE Computer Society has had an Asia-Pacific Region Office in Tokyo since 1988. This office is currently supported by CS staff member Iwao Hyakutake. Iwao supports CS products and services, helps to coordinate membership activities with local CS chapters, IEEE and CS members, IEEE Japan Council officers, and acts as the CS local liaison within Japan and for the Asia-Pacific Region. Iwao works closely with CS Headquarters Washington, DC staff member Violet Doan, the CS Director for Membership Development.

IPSJ

The IPSJ and Computer Society sister society relationship dates back more than a decade, to 1997. Our first meeting was at the encouragement of IPSJ past president, Dr. Iwao Toda (Fellow, Fujitsu Laboratories), who envisioned that connecting our members would enrich their professional careers. The CS has enjoyed many years of friendship, information exchange, visits by delegations by both societies, and, most importantly, collaborative projects.

Waseda University

Waseda University strongly supports the CS. This institution currently boasts a student population of 45,000 with 10,000 students in engineering. I met with Drs. Kasahara and Washizaki. Dr. Kasahara is a CS Board of Governors member, and Dr. Washizaki is the director of University Educational Research for Waseda. During our meeting we discussed how the CS might provide support to the institution and CS student members. We were presented with a copy of the Curriculum Standard J07 project. The CS/ACM Model Curriculum was used as a basis for this effort and took over two years to develop. J07 includes five BOKs-- CS, IS, CE, SE, IT-- and was published in March 2009 for the Japan market. Dr. Kakehi Katsuhiko, also of Waseda and a senior IPSJ volunteer leader, was the lead on this effort. He and his team are to be congratulated for its publication.

Kansai Section/Chapter

I met with Prof. Nakamura, IEEE Kansai Section Chair (Past CS Kansai Chapter Chair, and professor, Ritsumeikan University.) and Dr. Motohara, CS Kansai Chapter Chair (Semiconductor Division of Panasonic). The Kansai Section supports Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga, and Wakayama prefectures. This Section currently boasts 2,764 members with 532 of those belonging to the CS. Our discussions focused on membership activities. The number of IEEE CS members in Japan is increasing and we discussed ways that the CS might better serve this membership.

Susan K. (Kathy) Land

2009 IEEE CS President

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IEEE and the Computer Society: Learn, Connect, and Serve

By Susan Land, On 2/18/09 8:34 PM

I wanted to take a moment to point everyone to a few of the resources that are available and to encourage everyone to try to get the most from their IEEE Computer Society (IEEE-CS) membership during 2009. We are constantly trying to improve the benefits offered to our members as well as their membership experience.

Learn:

The IEEE-CS provides a number of online resources to help promote continued learning. This information is topical and relevant. The following information is available at no cost to both IEEE-CS members and non-members: Webinars, Podcasts, and Free Articles.

Also check out Computing Now which presents new print and online content from the Computer Society's 13 peer-reviewed magazines into one website. Computing Now offers cross-magazine coverage of hot computing topics.

For IEEE-CS members, using your Web Account you can access a digital subscription of Computer magazine, 600 Safari® Books Online titles (2009), 500 Element K IT books and technical articles, the Computer Society digital library, and 2,700 e-learning course modules.

Check out our Press Room for the latest IEEE-CS news and sign up for electronic delivery of the IEEE-CS newsletters. Four publications are currently offered Build Your Career, Computer Society Member Connection, Computing Now, and What’s New in the CSDL. An IEEE-CS news feed is also available for those who wish to current with the latest in technology news.

Connect:

Find and attend an IEEE-CS conference. The IEEE-CS has over 200 conferences and postings. The calls for papers are updated regularly. Online tools for conference organizers are also available.

Access the IEEE-CS Career and Job Center. Post your resume, search for job postings, use the Job Agent to receive notifications on new opportunities.

To provide ongoing support for local chapters, the IEEE-CS Standards Activities Board (SAB) has established a Standards Speakers Bureau. This provides Computer Society Chapters with the opportunity to request local speakers on computer standards. In addition, the IEEE-CS Distinguished Visitors Program also provides top quality speakers to IEEE-CS professional and student chapters.

IEEE is celebrating its 125^th anniversary this year and has produced a video entitled “IEEE:One Voice” . This video is online and available, this video will make you proud you are working as a computing professional and an IEEE-CS member.

IEEE has also set up a YouTube Channel for IEEE Technical Activities. There are currently three videos posted, with links to similar IEEE items: 1) Smart Grid, 2) Plug In Hybrids, and 3) IEEE and Second Life.

LinkedIn is a networking site that provides a great way to connect with other professionals. Many IEEE, society, section, and chapter groups have been established. To link to others in the Computer Society, simply search the groups providing ‘IEEE Computer Society Members’ and join.

Serve:

I have been contacted by many individuals who are interested in volunteering, but do not know where to begin. The IEEE-CS offers many communities of interest to support our membership. Individuals can participate with others in one of the many technical activities sponsored by the IEEE-CS. Join via the TECA (Technical Committee Archives) website. Information is also available in support of standards development and participation as a member of our standards community.

To get involved at the local level. Locate a local chapter. If a chapter does not exist in your area, think about starting a branch. The IEEE-CS is also now supporting student clubs for organizations not previously meeting chapter requirements.

For those interested in publication one source of information is provided by the IEEE-CS Magazine Editorial Calendar. This site provides an overview of the projected publication schedules, along with the associated calls for papers, for IEEE-CS publications.

Susan K. (Kathy) Land

2009 IEEE CS President

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Threaded Replies		Author		Date
This is a great summary of the current things...		James Isaak		9/14/09 1:42 AM