Ram, inventor of Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC), brings a new order of insight into measuring and managing software engineering. His consulting practice specializes in optimizing Software Engineering using analytics and ODC. These methods bring speed and consistency into the art of managing product quality and delivery using data from the current process.
He was with IBM for 14 years where he founded and headed the IBM Center for Software Engineering. He then served as Executive Vice President of Software and Technology for Opus360, New York. In 2004 Ram received the IEEE technical achievement award for the invention of Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC). He had received the IBM Outstanding Innovation Award for ODC in 1993. The methodology brings value through fast measurement, sophisticated analysis and targeted feedback. Recently (2013) he was awarded the IEEE Computer Society Meritorious Service Award, "for chairing the ISSRE Steering Committee, and leadership in keeping ISSRE a vibrant and exciting conference".
In 1995 Ram led the IBM Academy study on Software Testing culminating in forming IBM’s company wide Software Test initiative. This effort, begun then, has grown into a corporate level function with significant influence and a record of huge value to IBM and far reaching impact touching tens of thousands of engineers worldwide. Ram is an IEEE Fellow, and author of ~50 peer reviewed technical articles. He chairs the IEEE Steering Committee for the International Symposium on Software Reliability Engineering. He has served on a few steering committees, editorial boards, the alumni board of the University of Illinois Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Recently, Ram chaired the ISSRE 2009 conference, and co-guest edited the September/October 2010 issue of the Security and Privacy magazine.
He received a BSc degree from the University of Mysore, BE and ME from the Indian Institute of Science, and PhD from the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign in Electrical and Computer and Engineering