EGTF Software

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EGTF - Software

• Final Report on Software Practice
• Sept 2006

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Purpose of Session

• To present the Final Report of the
• External Groups Task ForceSoftware.

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EGTF - SW

• Mandate Members of Task Force
• Background
• Issues / Problems to be Addressed
• Statistics Inferences
• Current Status of Software Engineering (SE)
• Analysis
• Conclusions and Recommendations

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EGTF-SW Mandate and TF Members
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EGTF - SW Mandate

• As an outgrowth of PEOs 2001 Strategic Plan, PEO
  established the External Groups Taskforce (EGTF)
  which was mandated to dialogue with professions
  that border on the practice of Engineering.

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EGTF - SW Mandate

• The Software sub-committee was then created to
  specifically pursue the problem of regulating
  Software Engineering and perhaps other areas of
  Software practice.
• To effect the border constraint, the EGTF-SW
  determined that the Canadian Information
  Processing Society (CIPS) Ontario best
  represented the views and interests of
  non-Engineering software practitioners.

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EGTF - SW

• External Groups Task Force Software
• Task Force Chair
• Peter DeVita, MASc, MBA, P.Eng. Past President,
  PEO
• Current Task Force Members
• PEO Members
• George Comrie, P. Eng. Past President, PEO
  initial EGTF-SW Chair
• Gerry Meade, P. Eng.
• Peter Voldner, MASc., P. Eng.
• CIPS Guests
• Jim Finch, ISP, CMC - President, CIPS Ontario
• Bob Fabian, PhD., ISP, President Elect, CIPS
  Ontario
• David Batchelor, CMC CITP Past President, CIPS
  Ontario
• Stephen Ralphs, ISP
• Original Members with thanks
• George Hammond, P. Eng. (deceased)
• Eric Brown, P. Eng., ISP, PMP (current Observer)
• Support Staff
• Brian MacEwen, P.Eng.

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Background

• Issues / Problems to be Addressed
• Statistics Inferences

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Issues / Problems

• Licensing of Software Practice within Engineering
• Establishing exclusive Rights to Practice for
  this Specialty in Engineering

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Issues / Problems
Nov1983 - Quote from AG, Hon R. McMurtry

• A license is an exclusive right to practise an
  occupation.
• As a general principle, every person should be
  free to utilize his or her abilities, education,
  training, and experience in earning a livelihood.
  Therefore, it is wrong to create a restriction on
  this general principle by establishing licenses,
  unless this legislature is satisfied that
  licensing is necessary to protect the public.

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Issues / Problems

• Exclusive Rights to Practice are necessary and
  essential for PEO to regulate the practice of
  Engineering.
• Without exclusive Rights to Practice PEO is
  powerless to protect the public interest!

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Issues / Problems

• PEO Policing Powers
• Enforcement - ability to stop a non-P.Eng. from
  practicing Engineering
• Discipline - ability to stop a P.Eng. from
  practicing engineering.
• Both of these depend on the existence of a
  practice that is protected in Law and can ONLY
  be done with a Licence.
• (Drivers Licence analogy)

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Issues / Problems

• Investigate and account for the Border
  Discipline to Engineering

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Disciplines and Overlaps
Issues / Problems
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Background - Statistics

• Licence Practice Coverage
• (motivation to act)

CCPE stats- ans P.Eng. essential to work
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Capture Rates
Background - Statistics

• 1997 - average of 60 of Grads obtain their
  P.Eng.
• 2002 - dropped to 53
• In high tech,
• only 40 obtained their P.Eng. in 1997
• dropping to below 20 by 2002

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Background - Statistics

• Society Trends
• the me generation
• Busters demand return on time given
• both husbands wives work married older
• distrust for institutions
• drop in volunteerism - churches, charities, etc
• impact felt on Profession as young people shy
  away
• more difficulty for Profession to respond to new
  disciplines

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Background - Statistics

• Pace of Technological Change

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Background - Statistics Accelerating Pace of
Change

• Another growth rate statistic
• 90 of all scientists that have ever lived are
  alive TODAY.

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Background - Statistics Accelerating Pace of
Change

• Technology Diffusion Rates
• 1900 46 years for 25 population to adopt
  electricity
• 1990 7 years for 25 population to adopt the
  Internet

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Background - Statistics Accelerating Pace of
Change
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Background - Statistics Inferences

• The Profession has not kept pace with the
  times.The pace of change has now made this
  noticeable.
• We have been loosing ground since about the
  1950s when most engineering was done by a P.Eng.
  We have 60 years of catch up to do!
• Software is a major leading edge discipline. The
  ability to License Software Practice properly
  will help set the path for others.

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Issues / Problems - inferences

• The practice of Software in Engineering requires
  Exclusive Rights to Practice to be properly
  Licensed.
• We are Not alone - We need to take the greater
  Society context into Account when establishing a
  new Licence and its Rights to Practice
• CIPS is most suitable choice for Software - a
  body certifying individuals to practice software
• We should avoid unnecessary conflict like the
  M.U. Law Suit as these are counter productive.

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Current Status
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Current Status of Licensure of Software Engineers
(SE)

• PEO Licenses SEs must be from CEAB accredited
  courses, or pass 18 exams listed in SE Syllabus
• ARC has established the SW Eng Board sheet since
  1999
• CofA is required to provide services directly to
  the public
• HOWEVER - without exclusive rights to practice,
  Engineering/Software is not enforceable

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PEOs Software Policies

• On February 18-19, 1999, Council adopted the
  following position statement
• PEO recognizes that a specialty exists within
  engineering with an emphasis on software design,
  and that there are currently professional
  engineers who practise engineering within that
  specialty.
• PEO maintains that the use of the title "software
  engineer" be restricted to professional
  engineers, for the same reasons that the use of
  the title "civil engineer" is restricted to
  professional engineers.
• All degree programs offered with engineering
  titles should be accredited or designed to be
  accredited.
• PEO maintains that non-accredited engineering
  programs will weaken standards intended to
  protect the public. Such programs could be viewed
  as fraudulent by graduates who find that the
  degree they earned is not sufficient to qualify
  for the P.Eng. licence.

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PEOs Software Policies

• On May 29, 1999, Council approved the following
  motion
• That Council ratify the document Experience
  Requirements for Cross-Discipline Applicants
  Practising in the Software Engineering Field, as
  endorsed by the Executive Committee, which
  defines the core knowledge required by a software
  engineering practitioner pursuing PEO licensure.

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PEOs Software Policies

• Approved by Council at its meeting on December 9,
  1999
• Practice Statement A
• Any software component of a product or system
  whose development is the practice of professional
  engineering, as defined under the Professional
  Engineers Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter P.28, must be
  approved by a licensed professional engineer. 
• Practice Statement B (CAD and Embedded Software)
• Licensed professional engineers utilizing
  software in the design process for a device or
  structure, the design of which constitutes the
  practice of professional engineering as defined
  under the Professional Engineers Act, R.S.O.
  1990, Chapter P.28, must either use software
  approved by a licensed professional engineer or
  verify that the software used produced acceptable
  results.

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Analysis
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Analysis

• Key elements for Licensure are
• 1. Body of Knowledge for the occupation
• 2. Code of Ethics
• 3. Exclusive Rights to Practice
• PEO has established 1 2 for Engineers
  practicing Software
• 3 remains - the subject of this work!

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The Different Worlds of Software Practice
Border Disciplines
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Segmentation and Positioning Concept
Border Disciplines
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Segmentation and Positioning Concept
Legend Approximate Placement for Several
Example Segments (all targets refer to
Software used therein) A Stock Exchange B
Nuclear Generation C Elevators D Computer
Game E CAD Software F Accounting (Software)
large systems G Financial Software H Internet
I ATM machines J Automobiles engine and
brake controls in particular K Virtual Reality
game L Data Acquisition System (e.g.
temperature monitoring station)
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Opinion of the PEO members on the EGTF-SW

• It is the opinion of the PEO members on the
  EGTF-SW that the Segment 9 represents the initial
  target segment to enhance Software Regulation.
  (e.g., Nuclear Generation, Elevators, medical
  apparatus, Automobiles esp. engine and brake
  controls, etc.)

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Creating Quality Software Based Products - the
purpose for this occupation
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Conclusions Recommendations
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ROAD Map for Progress

• Main Thread
• Recall that PEO has already recognized the
  Specialty in Software Engineering.
• Create the designation for the Specialty of
  software engineering (similar to the BDS
  designation concept).
• Establish the Enhanced Specialty Standards upon
  which such a new designation will depend.
• Modify the PEO Regulation to refer to these
  Enhanced Specialty Standards as a mandatory
  requirement to obtain the software specialty
  designation.
• Define the Scope of Practice for Engineers
  designing Software based systems.

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ROAD Map for Progress

• Main Thread
• A mechanism for handling the idea of the Software
  Certificate of Authorization (SCA) must be found,
  i.e. a method to ensure that best practices for
  software design are implemented at the
  corporate/management level.
• Appropriate Demand Legislation must be put in
  place (this will involve several Acts due to the
  ubiquitous nature of software).
• The Enforcement/Compliance Committee must
  initiate actions consistent with the defined
  Scopes of Practice and any legislation in
  existing fields where there is clearly an
  engineering work that includes a software
  component. As new Demand Side Legislation is
  created the Enforcement/Compliance Committee
  needs to initiate actions that will give more
  force to the legislation.

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ROAD Map for Progress

• Contextual Threads
• Create a Permanent External Relations Committee
  of Council to handle border practices to
  Engineering. This will have sub-committees that
  will deal with specific external non-engineering
  organizations.
• Work with CIPS (could be via a new External
  Relations Committee) to define Scopes of
  Practice for Software, identifying areas of
  overlap and the unique practices of engineers and
  I.S.P.s.
• Establish a formal tie with the Faculties of
  Engineering and EIC (Engineering Institute of
  Canada) focused on tracking global advances in
  technology.
• Begin anew the considerations of licensing all
  Science and Engineering whether by one or
  multiple organizations.

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Main Recommendations - Specialization
1. Enhanced Designation (e.g. P.Eng. Software)

• 3. Defining Exclusive Rights to Practice
• Demand Legislation
• Common Law via Enforcement Committee

S
2. Enhanced Standards (enhanced obligations
expectation of Continuing Competency in specialty
field)
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Context Recommendation-CEQB Proposal - 1996
New Profession of Science Technology
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Nov1983 - Quote from AG, Hon R. McMurtry

• The Professional Organizations Committee
  recommended that no new occupational licensing
  should be created until a public inquiry
  establishes the need for restricting access to an
  occupation to protect the public.
• In essence, this was the recommendation of the
  McRuer Report as well as the Professional
  Organizations Committee

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Motions for Council
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Motions

• 1. That Council receive the EGTFs report as its
  final report and stand-down this Task Force.
• 2. That Council approve in principle the plan
  proposed by the attached Road Map Chart
  (presented in section 6.1 of the detailed final
  report of the EGTF Software)

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Motions

• 3. Whereas Council has previously acknowledged
  the Specialty in software engineering (created by
  PEO Council in 1999),
• Be it resolved that Council
• a)create a unique designation for this specialty
  (e.g., P.Eng., Software Specialist or P.Eng.,
  S.S. etc)
• b)request the Professional Standards Committee
  (PSC) to establish the enhanced Specialty
  Standards upon which such a new designation will
  depend
• c)authorize the Executive Committee to take the
  necessary steps
• i. to modify PEO Regulations to refer to these
  Enhanced Specialty Standards as a mandatory
  requirement to obtain the software specialty
  designation and
• ii. to identify Appropriate Demand Legislation
  and advocate for changes (this will involve
  several Acts due to the ubiquitous nature of
  software).

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Motions

• 4. That Council create a permanent standing
  Committee of Council to interface with Border
  disciplines to Engineering and direct that
  Committee to
• a) define the Scope of practice for engineers
  designing Software based systems and prepare a
  definition for the scope of practice for this
  specialty with the potential to be used in a
  future revision of the PEO Act
• b) establish a new task force to begin anew the
  consideration to licence/regulate all science and
  engineering practices whether by one or multiple
  organizations.

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Motions

• 5. That Council request the Enforcement Committee
  to initiate actions consistent with the defined
  scopes of practice and all future legislation.
  As new Demand Side Legislation is created the
  Enforcement/Compliance Committee needs to
  initiate actions that will give more force to the
  legislation.

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Motions

• 6. That Council direct the Professional Standards
  Committee (PSC) to work with Faculties of
  Engineering and the Engineering Institute of
  Canada (together with its applicable sub-groups)
  to track global advances in technology with
  respect to enhancing the standards, knowledge and
  know-how of engineers in Ontario

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Motions

• 7. That council authorize the Executive Committee
  to initiate further activity to find a mechanism
  for handling the idea of the Software Certificate
  of Authorization (SCA), i.e. a method to ensure
  that best practices for software design are
  implemented at the corporate or management level.

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The END
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A note on Standards for Firms

• ISO/IEC 15504 model is recognized internationally
• ISO/IEC 15504 has many advantages over CMM
• Lower assessment costs (5K to 20K)
• Can adapt to a range of engineering processes
• International recognition
• Works well with smaller firms
• A well known assessment model in North America
  is CMM (Capability Maturity Model) from the
  Carnegie Mellon University.