ASQ Software Division Region 4 Report for 3Q2007
by Chris FitzGibbon

This column provides members with information on relevant association meetings, conferences and other events in Canada. Be sure to visit the Software Division website for updated information: http://www.asq.org/software/. If you have information that you would like to share with fellow ASQ Software Division members, or you would like to get involved with the Software Division, contact me at chris@orioncanada.com or (613) 563-9000.

National
There is a great opportunity to grow the ASQ Software Division membership in Canada. For only $US29, your colleagues can share the many benefits (http://www.asq.org/software/benefits.html) and strengthen the Canadian presence in the Division. Please pass on this great opportunity to any software practitioners you know.

Your ASQ Division, the Software Division, has an outstanding line-up of software quality experts scheduled for its annual conference. The 2007 International Conference on Software Quality (ICSQ).  ICSQ is being held on October 16-17 in Denver, CO. Check-out the website to register: www.asq-ICSQ.org.
QAI Canada is holding the annual conference in Toronto during the first week of October 2007. The 2007 International IT Quality Conference website provides conference and registration information: http://www.qaicanada.org/conferences/overview.html.

Western Canada
I had the opportunity to travel to British Columbia and meet with one of the organizers of the Software Quality Assurance Vancouver User Group (VanQ). Meetings resume in the fall (September 27, 2007) and are held at the Burnaby campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). The complete schedule of events is available from their website: www.vanq.org.

The Calgary-based IEEE/ASQ Discussion Group for Software Quality resumes meetings beginning September 10, 2007. Check the website (www.software-quality.ab.ca) for registration, location and upcoming topics.

Eastern Canada
The Toronto Association of Systems and Software Quality (TASSQ) has dinner meetings during the last Tuesday of each month, typically at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. You will want to mark September 25, 2007 on your calendar. The TASSQ was established in 1993 as an organization for Quality Assurance professionals. It is comprised of members with an interest in software quality, whether they work for a large corporation, a small software house, or whether they are independent consultants. Additional information on upcoming events is available on their website: www.tassq.org.

It appears the Toronto Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) is no longer active. Please let me know if you have information on this organization. Their outdated website url is: www.torontospin.com.

The Montreal Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) is currently planning the fall line-up. Expect their calendar to be updated shortly. The website is a good source for French language information on software quality: http://www.spin-montreal.org/.

The Ottawa Software Quality Association (OSQA) has been absorbed by the Ottawa SPIN. Monthly meetings are typically held at the Travelodge Hotel & Convention Centre in Ottawa. Additional information is available on the Ottawa SPIN website: www.spin.org.

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association’s (ISACA) Ottawa Valley Chapter has a schedule of upcoming events on their website: www.isaca-ottawa.ca. The Canadian version of the ISACA training week will be held in Montreal from October 15 – 19, 2007. Additional information is available by following the link under Education and Conferences on the ISACA website: www.isaca.org.