QSM provides unparalleled support throughout the product acquisition, installation, and implementation process.
For nearly five decades, QSM has helped organizations bring data-driven discipline to software project estimation, tracking, and benchmarking. Our methodology and tools turn project complexity into measurable, defensible outcomes.
Committing to software delivery timelines or budgets without knowing whether those goals are technically feasible.
Software schedules and budgets are often set to meet business, marketing, or funding pressures — not delivery reality. Organizations commit to 10‑month timelines or $3M budgets without knowing whether those goals are technically feasible, achievable with available staffing, or aligned to historical performance.
This disconnect creates risk on both sides:
Without a way to ground estimates in real data, software projects start with unrealistic expectations, leading to late surprises and failed commitments.
Several systemic issues make early software estimates unreliable:
These challenges make it easy to set goals in the Impossible Zone — combinations of schedule, cost, scope, and productivity that can’t be achieved together.
QSM helps organizations validate project targets early using proven statistical models and industry benchmarks.
Our SLIM estimation tools compare your desired outcomes — schedule, effort, staffing, cost, scope, and productivity — against:
The result is an objective view of whether a proposed plan is:
Teams can quickly generate alternative estimates to answer key questions such as:
QSM’s experts customize these models to fit your environment — including agile, regulated, finance, engineering, cloud migration, and more — ensuring you receive accurate, defendable software estimates that you can confidently rely on.
Validate software estimates against QSM Industry trends to expose and negotiate unrealistic expectations.
Keep projects from veering off course with this software project oversight and adaptive forecasting application.
Our objective analyses—supported by historic data—will put you in a position to negotiate win-win software project outcomes.
Independent analysis of remaining cost, schedule, and staffing requirements based on actual productivity and features completed.
Major software engineering firm was able to show that a 50% staff reduction would not only result in huge cost savings, but also increase productivity to meet the aggressive time constraint. The second release delivered twice the functionality in 2/3rds the time.
Case Study · Major Software Engineering Firm
US Federal agency leverages QSM Consulting and SLIM® estimation software to evaluate vendor bid for mission critical project. Analysis showed that the vendor proposal was unattainable; alternative plan reduced software project costs by $600K.
Case Study · US Federal Government Agency
QSM client uncovers an unrealistic vendor proposal and ineffective execution plan, avoiding major cost and schedule overruns of 9 months, 270 person-months, and $3.3 million dollars.
Case Study · Software Acquisition Department
Large US Federal agency hires QSM to produce the quantitative evidence they need to terminate a bad contract, saving $30M. Institutionalized use of quantitative methods for acquisition and management of software projects saves over $25M.
Case Study · US Federal Government Agency with nearly 50,000 employees
A software quality manager for a major medical equipment supplier leverages SLIM® software project tracking and forecasting capabilities to reduce requirements growth, increase product quality, and negotiate realistic schedules and budgets.
Case Study · Major Medical Equipment Supplier
How to build and maintain effective software process analytics
This webinar demonstrates how to identify unrealistic expectations and generate estimates that set you up for success
Analytics and up-front empirically based estimations used together can improve communication between client and vendor, providing clarity in selecting the best proposal for your project.
QSM has over four decades of solving software estimation and performance problems. We offer a variety of solutions – products, services, or a combination of both - specifically tailored to your needs.
Tell us more about your current challenges and let us show you how we can help.