The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) was formed to provide the US government with a body that developed standards for the human and technology aspects of the processes of software and systems development. It is a research and development centre. It now has a European office in Frankfurt. So what does this mean to me you are probably asking yourself? Possibly not very much but for a few minutes of your time you may find that there is something the SEI can offer you by way of a different perspective on software and the process of developing software.

The purpose of the SEI (www.sei.cmu.edu) is to enable organisations to make measurable improvements in the way they deliver code, defect free, on time and within budget. This is the Holy Grail that all users of software would like to see. They don