Software Acquisition Pathway: Ready, Set, Go!

Is your program really ready to adopt the SWP? Next in the Software Acquisition Go Bag series, we’ll walk you through our new Tactical Guide called SWP: Ready, Set, Go! This guide provides proven techniques to assess the project’s readiness to adopt the SWP; identify any shortfalls; and obtain the resources, information, and support needed for success.

What Will Attendees Learn?

• How to know if your acquisition program is really ready to adopt the SWP
• What “Instill an Agile Culture” actually means for your program
• How programs enter or transition to the SWP
• A dispelled myth about adopting SWP

Who Should Attend?

• Program Management Office: program managers, engineers, testers, etc.
• Users: sponsors and operators
• Product Teams: developers and testers

About the Speakers

Technical director Eileen Wrubel heads the Transforming Software Acquisition Policy and Practice Directorate at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). In 22 years at the institute, Wrubel has advised many Department of War (DoW) and federal acquisition programs and organizations at all levels. Before joining the SEI, Wrubel provided software project and program management for firms that specialized in freight carrier network optimization, telecommunications platforms, and content delivery networks. She worked in a U.S. Air Force acquisition program office and served six years in the Air National Guard as a Communications and Information Officer.

Senior member of the technical staff and electrical engineer Julie B. Cohen is an over-20-year veteran of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), where she supports several programs to include the E-7 project and three line-funded research projects. She has been involved in SEI support for radar systems, the Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite ground systems software effort, and the Software Acquisition Pathway work with the Office of the Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment (OSW(A&S)), and she was a major contributor to Veteran's Health Administration support. Before joining the SEI, Cohen was active-duty Air Force for 20 years in engineering and program management.

Principal engineer Brigid O’Hearn brings 30 years of software experience to bear on the challenges of Department of War (DoW) software acquisition. As the DoW Software Modernization Policy Lead for the Software Engineering Institute, O’Hearn influences the DoW’s Software Modernization Strategy and Implementation, software workforce initiatives, and software and cyber policy. Her research leadership is informed by 20 years as a DoW civilian supporting the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. She was the first chief software officer in the F-35 Joint Program Office and is a proud graduate of the National Defense University’s Eisenhower school and the DoW’s Defense Senior Leader Development program.