In the interest of supporting the software development industry, the following resources are available free of charge.
Take the Risk Out of IT Budgeting
By Doug Putnam ( January 2017 )The time has come to begin the annual ritual: IT budgeting. Not only is this task difficult, it is made worse by the fact that most organizations do it in an overly simplistic way. This often results in up to 40% of the projects grossly missing the mark, which wreaks havoc on the enterprise resource plans and results in disappointed business stakeholders. What is if it didn't have to be this way? In this whitepaper, Doug Putnam outlines QSM's five step budgeting process: data collection, feasibility assessment, building the actual budget, adjusting "at risk" and overly conservative projects, and finally, identifying alternatives to add value to the business or to fit organizational budget constraints. This budget planning data can be fed into a Project Portfolio Management (PPM) system to facilitate specific resource allocations and portfolio management.
Read the articleIn Agile, What Should We Estimate?
By Andy Berner ( December 2016 )Instead of debating #YesEstimate vs. #NoEstimates, we can ask a more useful question: “what should we estimate and why?” To answer this, we need to distinguish between consumable value and potentially deliverable software. Both are useful concepts but for different purposes. By choosing small enough developer-sized bites, we can time-box potentially deliverable software to get frequent feedback and review. But a meal that provides consumable value that satisfies our users and customers must consider the tradeoff of benefits to both the business and the consumer. In the second article of QSM's Agile Round Table series, Andy Berner explains why setting goals for consumable value and estimating what it takes to reach those goals are both needed to guide the choices every organization needs to make about what to develop and how to allocate resources. A version of this article was originally published on AgileConnection.
Read the articleQSM Annual IT Budgeting Solution
By Doug Putnam ( November 2016 )The time has come to begin the annual ritual: IT budgeting. Not only is this task difficult, it is made worse by the fact that most organizations do it in an overly simplistic way. This often results in up to 40% of the projects grossly missing the mark, which wreaks havoc on the enterprise resource plans and results in disappointed business stakeholders. What is if it didn't have to be this way? In this whitepaper, Doug Putnam outlines QSM's five step budgeting process: data collection, feasibility assessment, building the actual budget, adjusting "at risk" and overly conservative projects, and finally, identifying alternatives to add value to the business or to fit organizational budget constraints. This budget planning data can be fed into a Project Portfolio Management (PPM) system to facilitate specific resource allocations and portfolio management.
Read the articleUsing Software Project Metrics
By Donald Beckett ( November 2016 )Software measurement by itself does not resolve budget, schedule or staffing issues for projects or portfolios, but it does provide a basis upon which informed decisions can be made. Here are examples of how to use metrics to determine present capabilities, assess whether plans are feasible, and explore trade-offs if they are not. This is the third article of a three part series by QSM's Don Beckett for Projects at Work. You can read the first article here and the second here.
Read the articleA Lead Role in Software Success
By Donald Beckett ( November 2016 )When organizations base their decisions on desires instead of data, it usually backfires. Here are four important actions that executives, PMO directors and program leaders can take to improve the predictability and success rate of their software development and enhancement projects. This is the second article of a three part series by QSM's Don Beckett for Projects at Work. You can read the first article here.
Read the articleWin New Business with an Agile Bidding Solution Based on SLIM
By Doug Putnam ( November 2016 )In today’s competitive marketplace you have to be on your game if you expect to win new IT integration contracts. You need to put together a masterpiece proposal on a shoe string budget. You are working with scarce requirements, a short time fuse, limited availability of technical solution engineers, limited business intelligence and losing isn’t an option. This article by QSM's Doug Putnam discusses how the SLIM agile bidding solution will save you time and money and allow you to make more informed bidding decisions.
Read the articleObey the (Software) Project Laws
By Donald Beckett ( November 2016 )Many business leaders are unacquainted with the wealth of knowledge about how software projects behave. No surprise, they are unable to explain why these projects fail repeatedly, much less do something about it. In the first of a series of articles for Projects at Work, QSM's Don Beckett outlines the five fundamental “laws” of software development that all executives (and teams) should understand and follow.
Read the articleThe QSM Agile Round Table
By Laura Zuber ( October 2016 )For well over a decade, agile software development methods have been adopted by a wide variety of software organizations across the globe. QSM has worked with these types of software organizations for more than 35 years to establish data-driven, defensible estimation and lifecycle management practices as the foundation of quality software projects and products. The QSM Agile Round Table was formed to provide a platform to brainstorm the role of estimation in agile environments, and chart a path toward better understanding for all stakeholders. A mixture of long-standing and newer customers shared their questions, challenges, and experiences to answer the big question, and effectively communicate the relevance and benefits of scope-based estimation. This article by QSM's Laura Zuber is the first of the QSM Agile Round Table series of publications that will present specific concepts and practices that connect SLIM and agile, creating common ground for the benefit of all. It is our hope that this series will answer some of your questions, and that you will share your thoughts.
Read the articleEstimation Center of Excellence
By Larry Putnam, Jr. ( October 2016 )Why do so many companies fail at software development projects? More often than not, they haven’t built a foundation of process, people and tools to accurately plan and estimate. An Estimation Center of Excellence is a great starting point to bring these components together and maximize their benefits. In this article for Projects at Work, Larry Putnam, Jr. describes how all of these components work together to help organizations achieve software project success.
Read the articleThe Importance of Continuous Tracking
By Larry Putnam, Jr. ( August 2016 )Developing early software project estimates is an industry best practice, but creating those estimates is only half the battle when it comes to improving productivity. By continually keeping the pulse of a project—measuring performance against estimates and adjusting when necessary—teams can gain valuable insight into their software development processes. This insight can be leveraged in future development cycles, leading to more efficient production and a better bottom line. Estimates are just the beginning. In this article for Project Times, Larry Putnam, Jr. explains how project tracking, reforecasting, and post project review are three valuable strategies teams can employ to monitor the development process and improve outcomes.
Read the article