Mission Statement: The Washington DC Area Software Process Improvement Network (DC SPIN) is a leadership forum for the free and open exchange of software process improvement experiences and practical ideas.  We promote achieving higher levels of process maturity, software quality, and mutual respect.  Our goal is to help sustain commitment and enhance skills through an active program of networking, publications, recognition of excellence, and mutual support.

Meetings Planning:  We are currently planning the meetings for January - June 2009.  Several key presenters have contacted DC SPIN already and we plan to respond promptly.  Anyone with topics, speakers, or meeting types (e.g., presentations, workshops, tutorials, Q&A-only sessions, debates, etc.) to suggest should contact Jonathan D. Addelston.  Thank you.

Monthly Meetings:  SPIN holds monthly meetings (normally the first Wednesday evening of each month — we try to avoid Federal and religious holidays, or conference conflicts). These meetings are free and open to the public.  The meetings generally start at 7:00 PM for networking and light refreshments.  At 7:30 PM, there is a short business meeting (10 minutes) that is followed by the evening's special program, which generally lasts about 1½ hours (until about 9:00 PM), depending on topic and audience participation.

We request RSVPs for our meetings at least 2 business days in advance of the meeting for three reasons: (1) Some meeting venues need to have attendee lists in advance to facilitate security check in; (2) We can adjust the meeting room configuration to accommodate the number of attendees; and (3) We can estimate the amount of refreshments we try to provide.

Anyone can join SPIN and be on our membership list.  There are no membership fees and there are no membership requirements.

Next SPIN Meeting
Date:	Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Title:	Process Improvement Free-For-All (Night after the National Elections)
Speakers:	Judah Mogilensky Process Enhancement Partners, Inc.
Please RSVP if you plan to attend. See Next DC SPIN Meeting web page for more information.

Washington DC Area
Software Process Improvement Network (DC SPIN)
Announcements

• Introduction
• Standard Meeting Location Guidelines
• Program Committee News
• Earning Credit for PMI Certification through SPIN Meetings
• Planned 2008 DC SPIN meetings

You are invited to our DC SPIN meetings, generally held on the first Wednesday of each month (except during weeks with holidays and as needed to accommodate speakers.), 7:30 - 9:00 PM, at CACI in Fairfax, VA.  Please arrive at 7:00 PM for networking and refreshments.  Jonathan D. Addelston (703-860-3070) generally hosts the meetings and is the Program Chair who arranges future meeting topics, speakers, locations, and schedules.  Rita Hadden (202-244-3268) manages meeting announcements.  Florence Upson (703-243-6434) maintains all mailing lists and sends all announcements. Upstart Systems, LLC is the sponsor for and manages our DC SPIN website at http://www.upstartsystems.com/dcspin.

Standard Meeting Location Guidelines

Our DC SPIN Program Chair, Jonathan D. Addelston (UpStart Systems, Reston, VA at 703-860-3070), would like support from DC SPIN members to help with the planning of these events.  Please contact him, if you can help or have any advice, suggestions, or feedback on our current plans and recent programs.

DC SPIN is a membership-based organization, so your participation is needed to make DC SPIN's activities beneficial to you and the systems and software engineering community that DC SPIN intends to serve.

According to PMI's Continuing Certification Handbook (CCR), attendance at DC SPIN meetings qualifies as a Category 2 (Professional Activities and Self-Directed Learning) activity.  You can earn one PDU for each documented hour of self-directed learning that enhances project management knowledge or skills, to a maximum of 15 PDU's per CCR cycle.  You can access additional information on PDU's at the PMI website.  In particular, check their page on Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) Reporting Forms.

See Next DC SPIN Meeting web page for more information.

Please Post and Distribute this Notice

Please post this notice, distribute it broadly, and extend this invitation to colleagues in industry or government who are working on process improvement, program management, configuration management, quality assurance, and SPIN issues.  We would like more of the current members to participate with presentations and in the discussion sessions.  Please contact Jonathan D. Addelston with topic, speaker, scheduling, location, and program format ideas and feedback on any DC SPIN or process improvement community issues.

Please consider linking to our DC SPIN Website from other professional organization websites and meeting notices.