Friday, October 27, 2000

Meeting Topic:

Presenters:Kip Haggerty, Ph.D., P.E.
John Cosgrove, PE

Abstract

Software Engineering Licensing: Help or Hindrance?

Several years ago, Texas became the first state to license software engineers. Rather than treat software like math and science, that is bodies of knowledge used by all engineers, the Texas license is for those who specialize in the engineering of software. Although there is no effort to replicate this action in California, the fact that Texas now issues professional engineering licenses to software engineers should raise questions in the minds of software professionals, including:

1. What does it mean to be licensed by the state as an engineer?
2. How might the state define software engineering?
3. What responsibilities does this place on the software engineer?
4. Would licensing help or hinder process improvement?
5. Does licensing reduce or increase litigation risk?

This talk will address these questions and others. A scenario of how recognition and/or licensing of software engineering as a profession might impact the standard of care for software development processes will be presented.

Software Engineering & Forensics

Litigation involving computers and software has exploded recently. Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister estimate that "costs of litigation are rising faster than any other aspect of software development.", and "[l]itigation costs are … a larger component than coding." The pervasive nature of computers in every aspect of society has been noticed by the legal system. Forensic engineering refers to engineering services associated with the legal system. Forensics as applied to software engineering, has two meanings. The first is the engineering support provided to the legal system, usually as an expert witness in litigation. The second meaning is the concern that all software professionals should have for the forensic (i.e., litigation potential) implications of their work. The role of the software engineering forensics expert, the implications for developers, and a proposed means for survival in a litigation-intensive computer world constitute the core issues.

Your Presenters: Kip Haggerty, Ph.D., P.E. has over 20 years of experience in systems engineering for control systems, communications, and RF sensors. He received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1988. From 1980 to 1994, he was a member of the technical staff, systems engineer, and then senior staff engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company, El Segundo, CA. Since August of 1994, he has been a consulting engineer with H&A Systems Engineering. One aspect of his practice is the use of CASE methods and tools for modeling requirements and architectures of complex systems.
Dr. Haggerty is a senior member of the IEEE and a member of Tau Beta Pi. He is a licensed electrical and control systems engineer in the state of California and has five published papers. From 1995 to 1998, he was an IEEE delegate to the California Legislative Council of Professional Engineers, serving as a vice president for two years. He has been a speaker on professional engineering for IEEE meetings in Southern California and San Francisco.

John Cosgrove, PE, principal, Cosgrove Computer Systems Inc. has over forty years experience in real-time software engineering and has been a self-employed, consulting engineer in the Los Angeles area since 1970. He is a charter member of the LASPIN Steering Committee. Recently, his consulting business has seen the demand for forensic services increase significantly.

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