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Published by the Southern California Quality Assurance Association, San Fernando, a QAI federated Chapter. SCQAA-SF chapter sponsors the sharing of information to promote and encourage the improvement in information technology quality practices and principles through networking, training and professional development.. SCQAA enables members to share quality practices, principles, concepts, ideas, and methods through meetings, seminars, workshops, reinforces IT quality concepts and practices through networking and membership, and sponsors IT quality concepts and practices throughout Southern California. Join us and help lead the way to better quality software. Visit our web site: WWW.SCQAA.US. NOTE: "Quality In Blue" e-mails are never sent unsolicited. SCQAA-SF only sends e-mails to registered members. If you would like to unsubscribe follow the subscription information instructions at the end of this newsletter. Fee: $10 nonmembers; Free for members. Membership: $65/year standard (one year of meetings); $100/year (one year of meetings + training discount) Questions? Contact scqaasf_newsletter@sbcglobal.net

Outsourcing Benefits, Risks and Mitigation

Jeff Kohan, Information Technology Partner with Tatum Partners

Wednesday, March 2, 2005 at Countrywide, 2900 Madera, Simi Valley, CA 93065

Networking Dinner @ 5:45; Bootcamp @ 6:15; Business @ 6:45; Program @ 7:00 PM

Topics covered include: 1) Why companies are outsourcing, 2) Why 60% of outsourcing projects fail to meet expectations, and 3) What are the steps that you should do to mitigate the risk. Despite outsourcing being a very hot political issue, and reports of companies such as Dell ending outsourcing contracts, the industry is growing at greater than 35%. Whether you are talking about Business Process Outsourcing, Application Maintenance, Infrastructure Onshoring or Off, companies continue to investigate and make the decision to outsource. Seventy-two percent (72%) of the CIO's surveyed by CIO magazine have either outsourced or have plans to outsource. The first segment of the presentation will discuss why every company needs to consider outsourcing and the potential benefits of outsourcing. We will also discuss why 60% of these projects do not meet expectations. Issues ranging from management, vendor, culture and contract will be described. The final segment describes what a client can (and should) do to reduce the risk and increase the success of an outsourcing project.

Jeff Kohan is an Information Technology Partner with Tatum Partners in Los Angeles, California. He has over 25 years of Executive experience including Chief Information Officer, Operations V.P. and Sales V.P. at a Fortune 500 company. He is an expert in a broad range of information technology including Outsourcing, Application Development, Information Management and Operations Management. Jeff has been a leader in the Outsourcing Industry for the past ten years. As a Tatum CIO Partner he provides outsourcing consulting and partners with senior executives on Outsourcing engagements.

He served as the CIO and Operations Vice President at AT&T Solutions. He was responsible for the planning, building and management of all business applications supporting AT&T’s outsourcing business. He also planned, built and managed all Operations and Customer Care Centers for AT&T Solutions in Raleigh N.C., Singapore, Amsterdam and England.

Jeff led the Outsourcing and Strategic Sales team for AT&T’s Western Region. In 1995, Jeff was Director of IT Services at AT&T. He managed 1600 people in eight locations. He was responsible for managing help desk, data centers and applications management. As part of his assignment he outsourced more than 250 application developers. This provided him with hands on experience on the benefits and pitfalls of outsourcing

Mr. Kohan has an MS in Computer Science and a BS in Mathematics from The Pennsylvania State University. He also has Advanced Management certificates from Indiana University and Rutgers University

“Quality Culture,” Pre-Meeting Bootcamp! This informative half hour training session, presented by Karina Gamble, with Bill Hackenberg of Countrywide, is an added bonus based on real life experience. Come a half hour early at 6:15 to learn and enjoy!

SCQAA-SF Meetings – Door Prizes

Just by attending our great meetings, you are eligible to win the raffle for some really GREAT door prizes. During our past meetings we gave away a variety of great door gifts, including a Visioneer 7100 USB flatbed 48 bit color scanner with powerful document software, a Canon LiDE 30 USB flatbed 48 bit color scanner with powerful document software and various other software packages and books. We are also able to provide entrance tickets to professional conventions and other events from time to time. Be sure to attend so you can have an opportunity to win one of these useful and interesting door prizes!

Whether you come for our enlightening speaker, come for the announcements, come for the food, or come for a chance at the door prize, come to our next meeting and learn even more about software quality assurance!

Quality in Education

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON

Sharpen Your Skills, Prepare for a Promotion, or Start a New Career! Achieve your goals with cutting-edge professional development classes from CSUF Extension. Some classes are starting now. Check out what we have to offer for information technology professionals, including programs in:

· Computer Forensics

· Security

· Network Security

· Network Systems

· Net Technologies

· Forensic Accounting

We also have more than 50 other programs designed for a wide variety of careers. Don't miss out! The future starts now. http://www.csufextension.org/

Spring 2005 PMP^â Certification Exam

Preparation Review Workshop

Project Management Institute (PMIâ) Los Angeles Chapter offers Sessions on Saturdays, April 2 – May 7 in Gardena, CA. Information: http://www.pmi-la.org/

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Wednesday, April 6, 2005 Monthly Meeting in Countrywide, Simi Valley, CA Speaker: John Suzuki Topic: Quality and Project Management Wednesday, May 4, 2005 Monthly Meeting in Countrywide, Simi Valley, CA Speaker: Rob Kos Topic: Use Case Workshops for Requirements Definition, What are They and How to Hold Them

IT Job Fair Upcoming

The Capital Group Companies, an investment management firm, will be hosting an Information Technology job fair for its southern California offices on March 10, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 135 S. State College Blvd., Brea. Admission is free. No appointments necessary. Apply on-line prior to event at www.capgroup.com and bring copies of your resume with you. Judy Quenzer | The Capital Group Companies | Location: BRO | Extension: 51909 Outside: 714-672-1909 | E-mail: judq@capgroup.com

Quality Meetings Upcoming

February 22, 2005 6:30 – 9 PM. New Tool Night featuring Altadero Systems. Sponsored by Society for Technical Communication, San Fernando Valley. At Radisson Hotel in Chatsworth. http://www.stcsfv.org/meetings.htm

February 24, 2005 Wireless Applications: Making Them Work for You - a panel of experts discuss today's trends. Brought to you by The Association of Information Technology Professionals at the Holiday Inn, Culver City http://www.aitp-la.org/schedule1.html

February 24, 2005 6 – 9 PM GQM - Rx: A Prescription to Prevent, by Emanuel R. Baker, Ph.D., Consultant, Process Strategies, Inc. Sponsored by PMI Los Padres Chapter. Location: Palm Garden Hotel, Thousand Oaks. http://pmi-lospadres.org/index.phtml

February 25, 2005 Software Engineering, Professionalism, and Liability by John Cosgrove, P.E., CDP, Cosgrove Computer Systems Inc. Sponsored by LA SPIN at University of Southern California - Information Sciences Institute http://sunset.usc.edu/cse/pub/event/future/index.html

March 22, 2005 6:30 – 9 PM Communicating Up: "Taming the Lions" by De Murr. Sponsored by Society for Technical Communication, San Fernando Valley. At Radisson Hotel in Chatsworth. http://www.stcsfv.org/meetings.htm

March 24, 2005 6 – 9 PM Predicting Project Disasters, by Paul Glen. Sponsored by PMI Los Padres Chapter. Location: Palm Garden Hotel, Thousand Oaks. http://pmi-lospadres.org/index.phtml

March 31, 2005 Interpreting CMMI for COTS-Based Systems, by Lisa Brownsword and Ceci Albert, SEI. Sponsored by LA SPIN at Manhattan Beach Marriott. http://sunset.usc.edu/cse/pub/event/future/index.html

April 10-13, 2005. ISACA – LA 2005 Spring Conference: IT Governance, Control, Security and Assessment. Early Registration Deadline- March 14th http://isacala.org/

April 24, 2005 6 – 9 PM Leadership’s Ten Fatal Flaws, by Ronald Hagler, Ed.D, Professor of Business, California Lutheran University. Sponsored by PMI Los Padres Chapter. Location: Palm Garden Hotel, Thousand Oaks. http://pmi-lospadres.org/index.phtml

April 29, 2005 6:30 – 9 PM Best Practices for Successful Project Management by Jack Molisani of ProSpring. Sponsored by Society for Technical Communication, San Fernando Valley. At Radisson Hotel in Chatsworth. http://www.stcsfv.org/meetings.htm

May 2-6, 2005 International Conference on Practical Software Quality and Testing – West Coast. In Las Vegas, NV. Register by 02/28/05 to save 30%; Register by March 31 to save 20%; Register by April 30 to save 10%. Dozens of tracks & training. http://www.psqtconference.com/2005west/

May 17, 2005 6:30 – 9 PM. TBD, by Judy Barbuto, President of Instructional Design Associates, Inc. Sponsored by Society for Technical Communication, San Fernando Valley. At Radisson Hotel in Chatsworth. http://www.stcsfv.org/meetings.htm

May 26, 2005 6 – 9 PM Establishing Project Management and Quality Management Culture in a Corporate Environment, by Bill Hackenberg, 1^st VP, Enterprise Technologies, Countrywide Financial Corporation. Sponsored by PMI Los Padres Chapter. Location: Palm Garden Hotel, Thousand Oaks. http://pmi-lospadres.org/index.phtml

June 23, 2005 6 – 9 PM Internet Law Briefing for Project Managers, by San Fernando Valley Bar Association. Sponsored by PMI Los Padres Chapter. Location: Palm Garden Hotel, Thousand Oaks. http://pmi-lospadres.org/index.phtml

Job Opportunities

Senior Quality Assurance Engineer at Countrywide in Simi Valley. Contact: (805) 520-5206 or Kidra_Shadroo@Countrywide.Com.

Plantronics Staffing has several positions available in Santa Cruz. Visit www.plantronics.com/careers or Call Merrin Morse at 831.458.4404. The list includes:

Software Quality Assurance Engineer

Quality Assurance US-CA-Santa Cruz

Software Quality Assurance Engineer to support the Quality activities related to software dev

Sr. Technician (s)-Temporary

Quality Assurance US-CA-Santa Cruz

Implement verification test plans for new products

Product Assurance Engineer

Quality Assurance US-CA-Santa Cruz

Provide core team leadership for all Quality activities throughout the product definition

Compliance Engineer

Quality Assurance US-CA-Santa Cruz

Works with test labs and approval agencies to attain approvals

Technical Assistance Specialist - Gaming

Quality Assurance US-CA-Santa Cruz

Will provide technical assistance to Plantronics customers in a call center environment

Compliance and Component Engineering Manager, Quality Assurance US-CA-Santa Cruz

Manage attaining and maintaining regulatory and safety agency approvals

QA Testers and Analysts, RCM Technologies, Inc. (www.rcmt.com) 3-5 + years experience with both manual and automated testing, the ability to create test plans and test cases as well as write test scripts from scratch. Ideal candidates will have specific experience with WinRunner, but experience with other tools may also be acceptable. 800-972-6269

RecuitingManager has two open fulltime positions in Orange County. Software QA Manager and QA Engineer. Contact: "Sherilyn Allen" <sherilyn@recruitingmanager.com> or visit their website: http://www.recruitingmanager.com/careers.htm

Director of QA, based in Europe. Prerequisites include extensive experience managing/leading progressively larger QA teams. Strong Standards and Methodologies are also very important. Our client is a rapidly growing company in the telecommunications industry. Attractive compensation, paid accommodations, automobile, and other benefits. Contact: Gary Stein, BA, MBA,Business Development Manager, FERN STEVENS & ASSOCIATES, 4950 Yonge Street, Suite 1102, North York, Ontario, M2N 6K1. PH:416) 928-1212 EXT 228 FAX: (416) 928-0555 garys@fernstevens.com www.fernstevens.com

Our Corporate Meeting Sponsors

Serena, Corp. at 20920B Warner Center Lane, Woodland Hills, is our very first chapter Corporate Meeting Sponsor. We very much appreciate their sponsorship, which provides the SCQAA San Fernando Board with a fine workspace for our Board meetings.

Countrywide, Corp. in Simi Valley is our second chapter Corporate Meeting Sponsor, as they are providing Membership meeting space, starting with the first monthly meeting on September 17, 2003.

QAI Certification Programs

To request more information, send email to certify@qaiusa.com.

Earn CPEs

Are you a CQA or CSTE? Earn some of your Continuing Professional Education (CPE) points by attending SCQAA-SF meetings. Earn even more by helping with our committees!

Southern California Quality Assurance Association San Fernando Chapter (SCQAA-SF)

QAI Certification Programs

To request more information, send email to certify@qaiusa.com.

Meet Your SCQAA

San Fernando Chapter Board

The current Board slate is composed of:

Position	Board Member	Backup Member
President	Judy Cheves	Shahidul Manan
Vice President	Shahidul Manan
Treasurer	Deanna Witrack	Judy Cheves
Secretary	John Heeg	TBD
Chapter Advisor	Jim Stoumpos
Employment Opportunity Chair	TBD
Events/Promotion	TBD
Food Service Chair	Peter Reidy
Librarian\Historian	Lenni Lara
Mail List Chair	Gerry Caruso	Karina Gamble
Meeting Chair	Kidra Shadroo
Membership Chair	Ron Winters
Newsletter Chair	Elizabeth Runyon	Deanna Witrack
PMI Liaison	Bill Hackenberg
Program/Education Chair	Karina Gamble
Sponsor/PR Chair	Bob Tabaka	Bill Hackenberg
Web Team	Shahidul Mannan Kidra Shadroo Leonard Daly
Webmaster	TBD

Would you like to be a speaker and have a topic of interest to the quality community? Contact the Program Chair (karina@qainsight.com) or Chapter Chairperson (Judy.cheves@Countrywide.com) and let us know what you would like to contribute.

Would you like to contribute information to this Newsletter? Contact the Newsletter editor at this address: scqaasf_newsletter@sbcglobal.net.

The SCQAA San Fernando Board holds monthly Board Meetings at Serena Inc. in Woodland Hills. If you would like to attend the Board meeting and would like to help this chapter, please contact Judy Cheeves at E-Mail (Judy.cheves@Countrywide.com ) to obtain the meeting schedule and location.

Subscription Information

"Quality In Blue" e-mails are never sent unsolicited. SCQAA-SF only sends e-mails to registered members. To unsubscribe, send just the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line to: scqaasf_newsletter@sbcglobal.net. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you want your own free subscription, e-mail to scqaasf_newsletter@sbcglobal.net

Would you like to advertise in our "Quality in Blue" newsletter? mailto:newsletter@scqaa.us

We'd love to hear from you. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please help us respond to your requests and input by writing to one of the Board members. See our contact list at http://scqaa.us/contact.php

Privacy policy: We will not distribute your name or e-mail address to anyone, other than for SCQAA or QAI chapter purposes.

Directions to Our Meeting Location in Simi Valley:

You might want to check out driving directions from your starting point on yahoo.com, but here is how you will finish the trip:

Countrywide Financial 2900 Madera Road, Simi Valley, CA 93065 1C Central Lobby Presentation & Video Make your way to CA-118 and go to Simi Valley Exit CA-118 on Madera Road North Go 0.3 miles then turn right on North Madera Road Go 0.3 miles past Countrywide Way to first driveway on the right: 2900 North Madera Road. Follow the driveway up and around the building on your right and park on the other side (which is actually the front). Conference room 1C is right off the main lobby.