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About Austin SPIN

Meetings

A-SPIN meets the second Thursday of the month, except for the months of June and December.
Attendance is free and open to anyone.  Most attendees are technology professionals.

Membership

Membership in the Austin SPIN is free and open to all.  To be added to our mailing list either attend a meeting and leave your email address or send your email address to: 

President “at” austin-spin.org

Charter

The Austin SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network) is a forum for the free and open exchange of software process improvement ideas and experiences. The organization serves as a source of educational, scientific, and practical information for its members, other SPIN organizations and the general software community. The Austin SPIN is affiliated with the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, and currently has sister SPINs in cities across the U.S. and around the world.

From the beginning, the Austin SPIN adopted the purpose of the SEI SPIN groups, stated below.

The Austin SPIN is a leadership forum for the free and open exchange of software quality and process improvement ideas and experiences. Our goals include sustaining commitment to software process improvement and product quality, enhancing our membership’s knowledge and skills through an active program, networking, and mutual respect and support, and serving as a source of educational and practical information for our members, other SPIN organizations and Austin’s software community.

History

In early 1993, software professionals and UT Computer Science Faculty determined that there was a need for a way to spread the word in Austin on Software Quality and Process Improvement. Being familiar with the SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network) groups sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, Herb Krasner decided to start a local Austin SPIN. Herb was the first Austin SPIN leader, and the first meeting was held on April 8, 1993. Early meetings rotated among local host companies and the group met every other month.

Also in early 1993, Dr. Al Dale, retiring Chair of the UT CS department, along with Herb Krasner, founded the UT Software Quality Institute as part of the UT Extension Division. The SPIN and SQI were quickly popular developments, and highly instrumental in helping Austin to develop as a technology center with many companies developing software. In mid 1994, SQI became the host for the SPIN meetings, and the group met on a monthly basis at the Commons in the Balcones Research Center (later Pickle Research Campus). SQI was able to act as a sponsor to the local SPIN for many years (through 2001). ASPIN was hosted by Dell for several years, and then by UT’s Applied Research Lab, adjacent to the Pickle Research Campus, 2007-2008. Starting in July 2008, Amplify Federal Credit Union was our host, and in August 2009 the meetings were moved to Microsoft’s offices.

Herb headed up the SPIN for several years (with the help of a Board of Directors after the first couple of years), then handed it off in 1996 to Geree Streun. Lynn Thurmond assumed the Presidency from 1999 – 2002, followed by Scott Killen, 2002 to 2004, Jeff Smith from 2004 to 2007, and Joyce Statz from 2007 to present.


More InfoFor more information about A-SPIN, or to suggest program topics, send email to: 

President “at” austin-spin.org


Mailing ListInformation about monthly meetings is distributed by E-mail. To be added to the mailing list, send your name, a brief description of what you do, and your email address to: 

President “at” austin-spin.org

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