2003-10: Approved SESC Executive Committee.

Article I - Organization and Affiliation

1.1 This organization is the Software Engineering Standards Committee, also known as the "SESC". It is constituent part of the IEEE Computer Society and operates under the by laws and policies of that society. The IEEE Computer Society ("IEEE-CS") is a constituent society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers ("IEEE").

Article II - Purpose

2.1 Codify the norms of professional software engineering practices into standards.

2.2 Promote use of software engineering standards among clients, practitioners, and educators.

3. Harmonize national and international software engineering standards development.
4. Promote the discipline and professionalization of software engineering.
5. Promote coordination with other IEEE initiatives.

Article III - References and Terminology

3.1 Reference

3.1.1 IEEE CS Standards Activity Board Policies and Procedures

3.2 Definitions

3.2.1 Development partner - an organization sharing a common interest in promoting or developing standards that are within the SESC scope.

3.2.2 Planning group - A SESC authorized group chartered to develop a plan for the improvement, enhancement and extension of standards for a specified subject within the SESC scope.

3.2.3 SESC Balloting Pool - members of SESC who have expressed willingness to participate in balloting of SESC draft standards.

3.2.4 Subcommittee - planning group, study group, or IEEE constituted working group.

Article IV - Membership

4.1 An individual who files an application for membership with a SESC officer, Technical Council for Software Engineering (TCSE) Vice-Chair for Membership, or the IEEE-CS headquarters is eligible for membership in the SESC.

4.2 Membership in the IEEE, IEEE Standards Association or IEEE-CS is not required for membership in SESC, but is encouraged.

4.3 Members, whose application for membership is accepted and if notified of membership, are obligated to maintain a current mailing address with the TCSE Vice-Chair for Membership. Members who cannot be located are dropped from membership.

4.4 If SESC at any time establishes membership dues, the payment of such dues for the current period (or within an established administrative grace period) would be required to retain membership.

4.5 A SESC member may participate in the SESC Balloting Pool by so informing the SESC Chair.

Article V - Officers and Executive Committee

5.1 The officers of the SESC are a chair, Executive Vice-Chair, Secretary, and a number of Vice-Chairs as identified below.

5.2 The Executive Committee ("ExCom") directs the operations of the SESC and determines the budget and nature of the SESC activities. The ExCom consists of the officers, the immediate past SESC Chair, Management Board, chair of User Group, up to five working group chairs, up to two study group chairs, up to three planning group chairs, up to five SESC development partner representatives, and up to five at-large members. The quorum for transaction of ExCom business is one-third (1/3) of its membership.

5.3 Officer Responsibilities

5.3.1 The duties and responsibilities of the SESC Chair are specified by the by laws and procedures of the IEEE-CS. The SESC Chair is elected for a two (2) year term. The term of office begins October 1. The SESC Chair must be an IEEE-CS member. The SESC chair may appoint SESC ExCom members; may appoint SESC ExCom members which represent a SESC development partner; may appoint SESC Liaison representatives to other standards developing organizations, may negotiate agreements with other organizations, shall recommend to the SESC ExCom an annual SESC budget and, after approval by the IEEE CS, shall supervise its allocation; shall manage the SESC Balloting Pool; and appoint subcommittee chairs.

5.3.2 The Executive Vice-Chair assumes the duties of the chair in the absence of the Chair. The individual designated as the Executive Vice-Chair may simultaneously serve in another officer capacity.

5.3.3 The SESC Secretary keeps and publishes the minutes of the ExCom meetings, and handles such other correspondence and duties as are assigned by the SESC Chair.

5.3.4 The Vice-Chair for Conferences is responsible for the Software Engineering Standards Symposium (SESS). S/he is also responsible for coordinating the participation by the SESC or any subgroup in other conferences.

5.3.5 The Vice-Chair for Planning is responsible for preparing and updating a software engineering standards long range plan indicating directions for new standards. S/he prepares and maintains a program plan to coordinate the content of and relationships among existing draft, in work, and proposed software engineering standards.

5.3.6 The Vice-Chair for International Operations is responsible for ensuring the continuity of the SESC standards efforts with those initiated in other countries. S/he is also the leader of the delegation to the United States Technical Advisory Group to ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1/Subcommittee 7, Software Engineering.

5.3.7 The Vice-Chair for Operations, a member of the SESC Management Board, is responsible for chairing the SESC Management Board and for ensuring the currency of the SESC procedures.

5.3.8 A SESC liaison representative is responsible for promoting SESC interests within the scope of his/her appointment. The representative is responsible for submitting a report of his/her activities 15 days prior to a SESC ExCom meeting.

5.3.9 A SESC development partner representative is responsible for submitting an agreement defining the relationships between SESC and the development partner. The representative is responsible for submitting an annual report SESC ExCom.

5.4 Vice-Chairs are appointed by the SESC Chair for a term of one-year, starting October 1. Vice-Chairs may be re-appointed.

5.5 ExCom meetings are called by the SESC Chair or a majority of the ExCom members. The ExCom may transact business by telephone conference call.

Article VI - Management Board

6.1 The Management Board is responsible for overseeing the activities of the working groups that are formed to develop, revise, or affirm IEEE software engineering standards.

6.2 The Management Board consists of seven (7) members and the SESC Chair (ex officio).

6.3 The members of the Management Board shall be elected in alternating years by the SESC balloting pool.

6.4 A Management Board member is elected for a two (2) year term. The term begins in July 1.

6.5 Vacancies in the Management Board arising in any way are filled by appointment by the SESC Chair.

6.6 A Management Board member must attend the SESC Executive Committee meetings (2 per year), participate in 2/3 of the SESC teleconferences, oversee the maintenance of a set of existing standards, serve as a mentor for a set of active projects, conduct periodic reviews of assigned projects, and other duties as assigned by the SESC Chair.

Article VII - Subcommittees

7.1 The SESC Chair, in consultation with ExCom, may from time to time charter subcommittees with specific portfolios.

7.2 A member of a SESC subcommittee is automatically a member of SESC.

7.3 A Subcommittee Chair is appointed by the SESC Chair based upon nomination by the appropriate steering committee group or governing body of the subcommittee.

7.4 A charter statement or operating by laws of a subcommittee are subject to the approval of the SESC Chair.

7.5 Subcommittees must operate within the by laws and policies of SESC and the IEEE-CS.

Article VIII - Nomination Process

8.1 The Nominations Committee handles nominations for the SESC Chair and SESC Management Board. On or before January 1 each year, the current SESC Chair appoints four or more SESC members as the Nominations Committee and designates one member as chair. No more than two of the members may be currently serving as a Vice-Chair or Subcommittee Chair. No one who is serving on the Nominations Committee may be selected as a nominee.

8.2 The Nominations Committee, assisted by the SESC Secretary, solicits nominations from SESC members for the office of SESC Chair and the SESC Management Board. The Nominations Committee by majority votes submits a list of at least two (2) candidates for each position to the SESC Secretary on or before February 15 for the Management Board positions and on or before May 15 for the SESC chair.

8.3 Additional nominations for each position may be made by petition, endorsed by at least 25 SESC members eligible to vote and received by the SESC Secretary on or before March 15 for the Management Board positions and June 15 for the SESC chair. A petition begins by the candidate notifying the SESC Secretary of intent to run.

8.4 Upon closure of nominations, the Secretary submits ballot information to the CS Volunteer Services Coordinator who prepares a ballot, containing the candidate names order drawn by lot, to be mailed to the membership. No distinction will be made on the ballot between candidates nominated by committee or petition. Each candidate will have an opportunity to submit a short statement, due at the close of petitions in 8.4 above, to be mailed with the ballots. Ballots are to be returned to the CS Volunteer Services Coordinator. Ballots may be accepted by electronic mail. Ballots will contain sufficient identification of the SESC member to enable validation of the member's right to vote. However, the Nominations Committee will protect the confidentiality of all member votes. The candidate receiving the plurality of the valid votes cast will be elected. No intermediate counts will be revealed. Final numeric vote totals will be released only to the candidates.

8.5 To vote for the SESC Chair, a SESC member must be a member of the IEEE-CS.

8.6 To vote for members of the SESC Management Board, a SESC member must be a member of the SESC Balloting Pool.

8.7 Any issue or dispute with any part of the election process is decided by an Elections Committee, consisting of three (3) members who are not candidates or members of the ExCom or Nominations Committee selected by the IEEE-CS Vice President for Standards Activities.

Article IX- Amendment of Charter

9.1 This Charter Statement may be amended by vote of the ExCom upon written notice of the proposed amendment mailed at least one month in advance.

9.2 Any amendment is subject to the approval of the IEEE-CS through its Vice President for Standards Activities.

Article X - Other

10.1 SESC will act in all matters within the parameters of IEEE-CS by laws and policies, and with due regard for the organizational status of the IEEE-CS.

10.2 This Charter Statement is effective August 20, 1995 [revised 5 November 1998].

Sep-2003. Charter revised to reflect Resolution 2 of the August 2000 meeting of the SESC Executive Committee stated, "the statement of purpose should be amended to include activities other than standards that promote the discipline and professionalization of software engineering … coordination with other IEEE initiatives should be addressed."

None.