Interview: Fourth edition of the Uruguayan Software Engineering Conference (JIS.uy)

Montevideo, November 9, 2021.

As part of the fourth edition of the Software Engineering Conference 2021, organized by the IS.uy Program and taking place on November 10, Sofis Solutions interviewed Dr. Diego Vallespir, Coordinator of the Software Engineering Program of Uruguay (IS.uy). He shared his experience on how the initiative began, the goals of the program, the main pillars on which IS.uy is based, and some of the key topics to be addressed in the 2021 edition.

On November 10, the IS.uy Program will hold the 2021 edition of the Software Engineering Conference of Uruguay. This event will take place virtually and aims to promote and strengthen the link between academia and industry through education and knowledge sharing within the software engineering community.

The IS.uy Program is an initiative that explores and delves into the complexity of software development challenges. Its purpose is to generate synergy and foster stronger ties between industry, academia, and the State through joint collaboration.

IS.uy was created by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of the Republic of Uruguay (Udelar) and ORT University Uruguay. Sofis Solutions is supporting the 2021 Software Engineering Conference of Uruguay, and within the framework of this event, the company spoke with Dr. Diego Vallespir, Coordinator of the Software Engineering Program of Uruguay (IS.uy).

How did the IS.uy Program originate, and what is its main objective?

The IS.uy Program emerged from the first Software Engineering Conferences held in 2018, where there was an exchange of presentations between academia, industry, and the State on Software Engineering.

From that year and into 2019, we began having conversations in a mixed group of Software Engineering professionals from ORT University and Udelar about the importance of bridging the gap between industry, the State, and academia. The idea was to promote Software Engineering across these three sectors, improve software development in Uruguay, and enhance Software Engineering in the groups working in this field. Regarding research, I mean conducting higher-quality research—especially field research rather than just lab-based—working together with industry to achieve better software development through investigation and outcome assessment (...)

Once we held the first Software Engineering Conferences, we conducted a survey to understand the participants’ views on technical debt and how it was being managed by software companies in Uruguay. The results were very positive. As a result, we published three academic papers and a kind of summary report containing insights we believed would be useful for the industry. We sent the results to the survey respondents via email.

(...) From this experience, we realized that such research could be carried out, and that we could maintain the dialogue among academia, industry, and the State. That’s when the name emerged: Software Engineering Program of Uruguay (IS.uy). The main goal is to develop better software products and conduct better research collaboratively among industry, academia, and the State.

In mid-2021, we began working more closely with companies and created the IS.uy Partner model, which allows us to build long-term alliances. This enables us to work more strategically and with greater depth and impact in research and development.

Who is the IS.uy Program aimed at, and what does it hope to achieve?

The IS.uy Program is an academic initiative that seeks collaboration with industry and the State. Currently, we are working with the software development industry to help solve specific problems through our research work.

What are the main pillars of the IS.uy Program?

We focus on three main pillars. The first is knowledge sharing and exchange, which adds value. We do this through the Software Engineering Conferences, where we present topics that can benefit companies or serve academic research. We also created the Software Engineering Meetups (MIS.uy), which offer a more in-depth approach with smaller groups focused on specific topics.

The second pillar is conducting research through collaboration among industry, academia, and the State—or what is known in English as Industry-Academia Collaboration (IAC). We find this joint collaboration very valuable, and in our case, we include the State because it plays a significant role in software development in Uruguay. This leads us to establish a collaborative line of work with the aim of improving research practices aimed at software development. Our research methods include interviews, surveys, and focus groups to investigate and improve software development processes.

The third pillar, which we recently began working on, is human resource development. We offer courses, workshops, and training sessions on specific topics delivered by IS.uy and taught by professors from Udelar and ORT University.

Who participates in the program and who can join?

The IS.uy Program was created in the academic sphere and is made up of a team of researchers working in Software Engineering. The current team includes: MSc. Silvana Moreno (Udelar), MSc. Cecilia Apa (Udelar), MSc. Sebastián Pizard (Udelar), MSc. Alejandro Adorjan (ORT University); with Dr. Martín Solari (ORT University) as the alternate coordinator and myself, Dr. Diego Vallespir, as the program coordinator. Other collaborators are joining over time, contributing to the development of initial research tools in this area.

For the Conferences, we aim to include more people. That's why we issued a call for those interested in joining and sharing knowledge among attendees. We've achieved this through collaborative work between industry and academia.

Who are the Conferences intended for, and what is expected from the activity?

The Software Engineering Conferences are intended for anyone involved in software development, from developers, software architects, and team leaders to development managers.

Personally, I believe that when management hears new ideas—even if they are technical—it’s very valuable because they are the ones who can drive real change in their companies. For instance, in this 2021 edition, we will have a talk focused on the productivity and happiness of software development teams.

As for our expectations for this 2021 edition of JIS.uy, we hope that everyone interested in learning and gaining new insights will attend virtually.

I’m very satisfied with the talk selection process. I think it was enriching for everyone, including the speakers. We all learned from each other, contributed, and improved to deliver high-quality presentations.

What topics will be addressed in this edition?

In the 2021 Software Engineering Conferences, we’ll address topics such as: A case study on product development for space monitoring using AI, Low Code: why, what for, and our experience, How to create happy teams without burning out – Burnout, happiness and productivity, PM with a “P” for Product, Releasing software is not enough anymore – Why talk about Product Discovery?, and Low Code test automation.

It’s an interesting mix of topics, covering current issues that concern and engage the industry. It’s great to be able to reflect on them from an academic perspective. So, we invite you to join us this Wednesday, November 10. 

At the end of the interview, Dr. Vallespir expressed his deep gratitude to the IS.uy Program Committee for all their support, commitment, and the time they devoted to the planning and execution of the event. Many of the members are from the industry and contribute voluntarily to this important initiative despite their busy schedules.

JIS.uy will take place next Wednesday, November 10, virtually. Interested individuals must register in advance at https://is.uy/jis-uy-2021/.