Software engineering body in SA

THE SA chapter of the global Software Process Improvement Network (Spin) aims for the country to be recognised as a dominant player in the international software market, by improving the quality, lead-time, cost and characteristics of software products.

Pieter Nel, Spin member and Swist Group Technologies project manager, explains that Spin, a non-profit organisation, comprises members who wish to improve software engineering practices, and are organised into regional groups that meet and share their experiences in initiating and sustaining software process improvement programmes.

"As with the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering at Wits, our intention is to build capacity and raise professionalism in the South African software industry. In Spin's case, the focus is specifically on the interchange of information between professionals in the field."

Nel says the Spin concept was initiated by the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute, and now has 160 chapters worldwide.

The group aims to create a network of peers who exchange views on the state of the South African IT and software industry for the international market, and cross-fertilise ideas and synergies for the development of co-ordinated ICT-enabled growth strategies.