Webinar: Shifting to Agile Methods - The Keys for Long-Term Success
On Thursday, February 16, 2012 1:00 PM PM EST, QSM will co-host "Shifting to Agile Methods - The Keys for Long-Term Success" together with Accurev.
Changes to the software development process, such as moving toward Agile methods, must demonstrate sustainable results over time versus just short-term wins. There are two keys to reaching long-term success that should be considered up front – the new process must be repeatable and measurable.
In this session, AccuRev’s Chris Lucca and QSM’s Larry Putnam, Jr. will explore these two keys to success.
Part II: Small Teams Deliver Lower Cost, Higher Quality
This is the second post in a three part investigation of how team size affects project performance, cost, quality, and productivity. Part one looked at cost and schedule performance for Best in Class and Worst in Class IT projects. For this study, Best in Class projects were those that delivered more than one standard deviation faster, but used more than one standard deviation less effort than the industry average for projects of the same size. A key characteristic of these top performing projects was the use of small teams: median team size for best in class projects was 4 FTEs (full time equivalent) people versus 17 FTEs for the worst performers.
Top Performing Projects Use Small Teams
Last week, Carl Erickson of Atomic Spin referenced a study performed by Doug Putnam several years ago:
A study done by consultancy QSM in 2005 seems to indicate that smaller teams are more efficient than larger teams. Not just a little more efficient, but dramatically more efficient. QSM maintains a database of 4000+ projects. For this study they looked at 564 information systems projects done since 2002. (The author of the study claims their data for real-time embedded systems projects showed similar results.) They divided the data into “small” teams (less than 5 people) and “large” teams (greater than 20 people).
QSM Consulting Receives Four “Exceptional” Ratings from Army CPAR
We are pleased to announce that QSM has received four "Exceptional" ratings from the Army Contractor Performance Assessment Report (CPAR). A CPAR assessment is based on objective facts and supported by program and contract management data, such as cost performance reports, customer comments, quality reviews, and earned contract incentives. The Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System (CPARS) is the Department of Defense (DoD) Enterprise Solution for collection of contractor Past Performance Information (PPI) as required by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
QSM Presentation at Better Software West 2012
Paul Below will be presenting "Optimal Project Performance: Factors that Influence Project Duration" at the 2012 Better Software West Conference on Thursday, June 14 at 4:00 PM.
