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About QSM

Pioneers and innovators in the software estimation field since 1978.

Quantitative Software Management (QSM) is the Intelligence Behind Successful Software Projects.  More than a company name, Quantitative Software Management is the philosophy that understanding the process of software development – a process that depends on groups of humans doing highly interrelated, creative or thinking work in a systems context – enables better software cost and lifecycle management algorithms for prediction and control.

Founded in 1978 by Larry Putnam, Sr., QSM combines software project modeling and analytics to reliably predict cost, schedule, and resource outcomes to answer the management questions:

  • Can we do it?
  • How long will it take?
  • How much will it cost?
  • How many people?
  • What’s the risk?
  • What are the tradeoffs?
Portrait of Lawrence H. Putnam, Sr.

During his years at Headquarters, Department of the Army, and the Army Computer Systems Command, Putnam looked for patterns of software behavior inherent in the considerable database of project histories that the Army had accumulated. The fundamental nonlinear software behavior revealed in the historical trends culminated in what Putnam called the Software Lifecycle Model [or Software Production Equation] that relates software Size (scope), “Process Productivity,” Time, and Effort.  QSM’s SLIM® (Software Lifecycle Management) Suite of applications uses machine learning [LINK] to simulate the various ways to run a software project, enabling managers to see the trade-offs among these core metrics and make better business decisions.

For over four decades QSM has continued to gather and validate data across domains, industry sectors, project types, and development methodologies to expand the QSM Industry Database, now containing over 14,500+ completed software projects and resulting statistical trends, to calibrate the SLIM model and provide a solid basis of estimation of today’s software development environment.


QSM is here to help. Our Team provides unparalleled products, consulting, training, coaching, and support.  We work with you to tailor the SLIM approach to your technologies and business needs.