Software Practice Advancement (BCS SPA)

I recently started a new contract in London. Having been based outside of London for the last couple of years, I'm being reminded of the benefits of working in the metropolis. One benefit is that I get to use public transport, thereby increasing my reading time; the second is that I am able to regularly attend the BCS SPA meeting on the first Wednesday of each month.

The British Computer Society (BCS) has many specialist sub-groups. One of these is the Software Practice Advancement (SPA) group. BCS SPA's aim is to

Share knowledge and experience about best and emerging practices for software development. In particular the group is concerned with good and efficient design, the positioning of new technologies, and the promotion of reflective, inclusive and balanced processes.

The group holds an event on the first Wednesday of every month, each with a guest speaker. These events are free to attend, and you don't need to be a member of the BCS nor SPA. I shall be attending June's event on the subject of estimation. As ever, the event will be preceded by complimentary sandwiches, and followed by beer in a nearby hostelry (usually the Coal Hole). If you are coming too, let me know.

Recent events include:

• January - Thomas Power, CEO of Ecademy: From CSC to ORS - Recent Business Ideas on Social Marketing
• February - Ed Seymour of Fujitsu UK: Agility and Quality in Software Development - The APT Approach
• March - Barry Varley of ACUTEST: Successful delivery when you have no time to test
• April - Benjamin Mitchell: Beyond Agile? Ideas & Experiences from Industry
• May - How to design a flexible platform architecture: Lessons learned from the development of the Jazz platform

As you can see, they're a mixed bag, and some are more relevant to the SAS world than others. Nonetheless, I recommend you add yourself to the mailing list if Central London is accessible to you (you don't have to join BCS, just follow the instructions in the last paragraph of "how to join").