Nearly every activity at LLNL involves software: requesting vacation, managing a budget, submitting an IT support ticket, recording a virtual conference, restocking chemicals in a laboratory, implementing cyber security protections on a cloud service, conducting laser experiments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), running a multiphysics simulation on the El Capitan supercomputer, and much more. The sources of software are varied, too: commercial off-the-shelf, open-source, developed in-house, or a combination of these. The Lab’s software developers and engineers have accumulated a wealth of expertise by keeping LLNL operational while carrying out its national security mission.

“Software development is critical to everyday life at the Lab, and this community is always interested in sharing knowledge and maximizing efficiencies. How the work happens is just as important as the work itself,” states John Fisher, retiree and former lead of Computing’s IT Operations division. In 2022, Computing launched the Software Development Resource Center (SDRC) to connect developers across LLNL through best practices in software tools, development methodologies, DevOps, security compliance, and more. Those efforts have since been rolled into the SoftWare Improvement Networking Group, or SWING.

“SWING's grassroots efforts as well as our annual Developer Day event have helped establish enduring, evolving resources for developers so they can build better software and feel supported in doing so,” says John Grosh, who serves as Computing’s deputy associate director of mission development.

According to Fisher, the groups' efforts improve knowledge sharing about an important topic that cuts across many Lab organizations. He explains, “SWING is a mechanism for reaching development teams all over the Lab, and we want to tap into the vast experience and diversity of thought those teams bring to their work. Through activities and resources promoted through these efforts, we hope our software community can communicate and collaborate better than ever.”