Software Engineering Institute
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics [OUSD (AT&L)].
The SEI's core purpose is to help others make measured improvements in their software engineering capabilities.
The right software, delivered defect free, on time and on cost, every time.
To successfully integrate teams of developers, acquirers, and software users they must have the necessary software engineering skills and knowledge to ensure that the right software is delivered to end users.
What is the "Right software" this implies software that satisfies requirements for functionality, performance, and cost throughout its lifetime.
"Defect-free" software is achieved either through exhaustive testing after coding or by developing the code right the first time. The SEI's body of work in technical and management practices is focused on developing it right the first time, which results not only in higher quality, but also in predictable and improved schedule and cost.
The SEI carries out its mission through two principal areas of work:
Software
Engineering Management Practices
This work focuses on the ability of organizations to predict and control
quality, schedule, cost, cycle time, and productivity when acquiring,
building, or enhancing software systems.
Software
Engineering Technical Practices
This work focuses on the ability of software engineers to analyze, predict,
and control selected properties of software systems. Work in this area
involves the key choices and tradeoffs that must be made when acquiring,
building, or enhancing software systems.
Within these broad areas of work, the SEI has defined specific initiatives that address pervasive and significant issues impeding the ability of organizations to acquire, build, and evolve software-intensive systems predictably on time, within expected cost, and with expected functionality.
SEI Website : http://www.sei.cmu.edu/