From: Jyrki Kontio [jyrki.kontio@hut.fi]
Sent: 24. kesäkuuta 2004 19:08
Subject: ISERN'04 topics: let's make it happen


Dear ISERN member/participant, 

This email contains the results of the topic voting and asks for volunteers in planning and preparing the sessions. 

First, thank you for your feedback on the ISERN'04 topics. We have now tallied up the results and feedback on the proposed ISERN'04 topics and the most interesting topics for the *research method sessions*:
- Guidelines for empirical research 
- Empirical theory 
- Value of empirical research results 

As you can see, all of the above topics address empirical research from a generic point of view. As it would also be valuable to reserve time for discussions on more specific, actual empirical research issues, we plan to have a set of sessions on specific research problems. These *research issue sessions* may be in parallel and may take place in smaller groups. Here's a tentative list of such sessions: 
- inspections and reading techniques
- agile development methods
- COTS use in industry
- surveys as tools for obtaining information about SE practices from industry
- experience in SME SPI (small company SW process improvement)

Note that the contents of such sessions are dependent on our interests: you may suggest additional topics. 

I would now like to ask volunteers to act as chairs for the research *method* or research *issue* sessions. I will coach and help you with the preparations, but session chairs should basically define the topic in more detail and plan the structure, format and any presenters in the sessions.
Thus, 
=> reply to this email and let me know if you are interested in 
contributing to any of the sessions
I will select the session chairs by Monday, June 28 and let you all know how to proceed. 

Please note that the value of ISERN'04 meeting depends on our own effort and contributions. By volunteering and contributing you will have an inside seat to the topic of your interest and you will both add value to others and learn more yourself. 

So, I need your help to make this happen !

Regs...JKo
Jyrki Kontio, Mobile: +358 (40) 8232 800
E-mail: jyrki.kontio@hut.fi
http://www.soberit.hut.fi/jkontio/


P.S. Detailed information about the topic votes are included below:

The topics are listed below and their votes are included in the form n + m, where n equals high priority votes and m equals a vote with somewhat less priority. I interpreted the high priority vote as the most important determinant of importance. 

The three most popular topics were: 
3 Guidelines for empirical research (12 + 3)
2 Empirical theory (10 + 3)
6 Value of empirical research results (7 + 10)

7 Speed of change (3 + 4)
4 Links to other communities (3 + 4)
1 Ownership of data, testbeds and artifacts (3 + 1)