Call for Participation

Dear Colleague,

We would like to invite you to participate in the third Workshop on Software Assessment (WOSA'2004). As in previous years, WOSA will be held jointly with ISSRE. WOSA'2004 will be held concurrently with the tutorial sessions on November 2, 2004. The purpose of WOSA is to provide a forum for the detailed exchange of ideas among researchers—both from academe and industry—about quantitative models, data analysis, and tools.

In addition to the regular presentations, this year the working group for the revision of the IEEE P1633 ANSI/AIAA Recommended Practice on Software Reliability, ANSI/AIAA R-013-1992, will lead an open forum to solicit comments on work accomplished to date and plans for completion of the revision.

Participants will have from 45 to 60 minutes, including the Track Chair's summary, to explain their quantitative methods. During and after the presentations, other participants will be encouraged to comment on the presentation, and to offer suggestions or alternative views. Tracks will be organized by topics that represent competing views of quantitative methods. For example, there might be a track on classical reliability growth models versus software metrics models as predictors of software quality. Other examples include principal components analysis versus Boolean discriminant functions versus logistic regression as predictors of fault prone modules, and relationships between structural measurements of a software system's specification or design and the quality of the implemented system. In the plenary session, at the beginning of the workshop, the General Chair and Program Co-Chairs will provide an overview of the workshop events. In the plenary session, at the end of the workshop, the Track Chairs will summarize and critique their track presentations and make comparisons of competing research approaches.

WOSA is geared to participants who:

1. Wish to present their quantitative methods in detail and get feedback from their peers.
2. Would like to participate in sessions where competing models and methods can be explained, compared, and critiqued.
3. Are willing to present data to back up their claims and believe in validating models.
4. Are not afraid of equations.
5. Are not trying to sell a service or product during WOSA.

We hope you'll be able to attend WOSA'2004. If you'd like to make a presentation, please send email containing the title of your presentation to the Program Co-Chairs by Friday, September 17, 2004. By Friday, October 1, 2004, please prepare a summary, limited to 200 words, and email it to the Program Co-Chairs. Please make sure the summary contains the following information:

1. Purpose of research, including motivation.
2. Methodology, including rationale, model construction, alternate approaches, and limitations.
3. Data collected and process of data collection.
4. Model validation.
5. Applications.
6. Lessons learned.
7. Optional: description of model tools and computer demos.

Watch the ISSRE'2004 web site for information on the WOSA'2004. We'll be posting information there as workshop arrangements progress. If you have any questions, or suggestions for the program, we'd like to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Norman Schneidewind
WOSA'2004 General Chair
nschneid@nps.navy.mil

Allen Nikora
WOSA'2004 Program Co-Chair
Allen.P.Nikora@jpl.nasa.gov

Noel Samaan
WOSA'2004 Program Co-Chair
ozpman@att.net