How did the EuroSPI² name develop
The EuroSPI² conference series has been formed in 1994 as a result of an EU Comett project (1993 - 1994, expert transfer from TU Graz). Comett was a specific EU program that supported the creation of networks for specific domains. The idea was to create a network for SPI (Software Process Improvement). In 1994 a company ISCN has been formed to organise the conference and to build services around the conference. From 1995 - 1997 the conference was called ESI - ISCN conference because it acted as a community builder for the ESI (European Software Institute). In 1997 ESI changed their strategy to not support just one conference but to rather act as exhibitor in various conferences. Therefore in 1998 the industrial partners and universities supporting the former ESI - ISCN series invented the name EuroSPI (European Software Process Improvement) and continued to organise EuroSPI conferences.
In 2005 the EuroSPI conference series widened their context to not only look at improvement experiences but at various innovation methods. At this time the EU funded project ORGANIC (led by ISCN) developed the ECQA certified innovation manager job role (2003 - 2005). This led to the name EuroSPI² (I² stands for improvement and innovation).
In the years 2008 - 2013 various projects developed the ECQA certified researcher entrepreneur, the ECQA certified integrated design engineer, the ECQA certified functional safety manager / engineer etc. And also the workshop communities have been established to exchange knowledge in these topics. In this phase the meaning of the letter S of SPI has been extended to System, Software, Service, and Safety and the meaning of the letter P has been extended to Process and Product.
From 2013 onwards new communities (cybersecurity, Internet of Things, Agile) joined EuroSPI² and the letter S meaning extended to System, Software, Service, Safety, and Security and the letter I meaning extended to Improvement, Innovation, and Infrastructure (Internet of Things).
In 2015 EuroSPI² decided to support the cooperation with Asian SPI groups and changed the name to EuroAsiaSPI². We have regular visitors from Turkey, Japan (JASPIC - Japanese Software Process Improvement Consortium), China (Hongkong) and India.
In 2021 EuroSPI² cooperation with companies active in Africa (Egyot, Nigeria) has been established and speakers from 2021 on wards also came from leading industry which has a cooperation with Egypt and Nigeria.
In 2023 EuroSPI² established an agreement with the ISSPA from the USA to colocate the EuroSPI and ISSPA conferences and to jointly organise a conference where both events can be attended in one. This is then the first time managed for the year 2024.
What is the Vision of EuroSPI²
Since its beginning in 1994 in Dublin, the EuroSPI² initiative has outlined that there is not a single silver bullet with which to solve SPI issues, but that you need to understand a combination of different SPI methods and approaches to achieve concrete benefits. Therefore, each conference covers a variety of different topics, and at the conference we discuss potential synergies and the combined use of such methods and approaches.
The EuroSPI² initiative developed an SPI Manifesto and further develops the term SPI since decades now. The current understanding by 2018 is that S(5)P(2)I(3) stands for System, Software, Services, Safety, and Security Process and Product Improvement, Innovation, and Infrastructure (Internet of Things). EuroSPI² is the network that develops the term SPI for Europe and the world. In 1994 - 2000 there was in Europe the ESSI (European Systems and Software Intitiative) program and EuroSPI² was an accepted dissemination platform for ESSI pilots. Here the EU actively supported the implementation of the SPI improvement programs in middle sized industry. When ESSI stopped in 2000 EuroSPI² continued to further support the SPI and further develop the scope of the term SPI. Large and leading industry in Europe is based on supply chains with innovative middle sized industry. EuroSPI² does have the vision that this connection of midddle sized innovation, large industry and research is the ground in Europe that fertilizes innovation and improvement.
EuroSPI² conferences are attended by both, middle sized and large industry and research. One of the main ideas is to closely connect industry and research to empower the implementation of ideas in industry.
Core knowledge developed by communities needs to be packaged to transfer that knowledge to European industry and universities. This packaging of knowledge with certificates is done together with ECQA, the European Certification and Qualification Association.
The future vision is further extend the conference and network with more thematic topics, therefore growing from a conference to a European thematic topics week within the next years. Major European panels and projects will be included to extend the existing workshop communities.
EuroSPI² cooperates with SPRINGER who publishes a book series with EuroSPI since 2003 and there were more than 150000 (one hundred fifty thousand) chapter downloads so far, and the 2017 SPRINGER book had 750 pages. The goal is to grow the book to the biggest SPI compendium for Europe.
EuroSPI² cooperates with WILEY who publishes top selected articles in an annual volume in the Wiley Journal of SW Evolution and Process Series.
In cooperation with partners like VALEO a vision for cooperation with Africa has been developed in 2021. The innovation in the automotive industry will change our daily life tremendously. These days, all new key technologies are used to push new functionality within a complex and critical environment. The Automotive market in Egypt & Africa is growing especially in the field of SW and automotive parts production. Which is raising the need to comply with the well established industry standards (e.g. ASPICE, IATF 16949, ISO 26262, Cyber Security related standard, INNOSPICE, …… ). EuroSPI Africa mission starting of 2021, includes:
Bridging the gap between Automotive Assessments and the following actions (i.e. Improvement action plans, actions closure & verification, actions capitalization)
Sharing the best practices from several other countries from Europe, Asia , Japan, Africa
New Automotive trends in the automotive sector, e.g. Cyber security, Artificial intelligence, ….
SW processes Improvements.
The impact of Automotive parts production on the SW development techniques
The new cooperation with ISSPA intends to bring the European and USA best practices exchange closer together and to elaborate further a future vision of SPI in the next years.
The main principles underlying EuroSPI²
When EuroSPI² was founded in 1994 we defined principles to be followed for achieving acceptance in a future Europe and the world.
- Addressing Regions of Europe: Europe has many different regional cultures and customs, and still we need to work together in the EU frameworks. It was decided to place the conference in a different region every year and that the local host organises social events that help us to learn about the hosting culture, the traditions, history and the local food. This has a large influence on what social events EuroSPI² offers.
- Acceptance and Understanding of Cultural Differences: Cooperation across Europe and to the world requires an understanding and acceptance of cultural differences and connecting researchers and industry from different regions and cultures. One of the statements in an early phase was: "Even if an outer space alien is participating, as long as the alien will share experiences, understand ethics and be open to cooperate, the alien is welcome".
- Industry and research as a pair: There are too many conferences just for researchers or just for industry. EuroSPI² from the beginning established a concept where 50% research and 50% industry are participating and where publishers produce books that integrate both, research papers and industrial case studies.
- Continuously innovate the SPI term: Since the term SPI was the reason to found the conference series in 1994, the term SPI needs continuous innovation to reflect the current needs of industry.
- Transfer function of knowledge to industry: Thematic topics can be bundled to knowledge and skills sets which can be transferred to industry in cooperation with ECQA certificates.
- Networking on a personal and organisational level: EuroSPI² continuously builds the community (see program committee, workshop committees, board members) and works on relationships with other networks (e.g. JASPIC - Japanese SPI Consortium, e.g. leading industry is heading workshop communities, etc.).
- World wide view of cooperation: European industry has cooperation world and a supply chain to finally produce production the market involves a networked cooperation across continents. Therefore a business chain cannot be reduced to just Europe, we are open for a world wide exchange of knowledge.