Elisabeth Pendergrass's blog

Elisabeth Pendergrass's blog

Twin-SPIN Presentation: Does Agile Scale? - A Short Case Study

On Thursday, April 9, QSM's Pam Simonovich will present Does Agile Scale? - A Short Case Study, hosted at the University of Minnesota.

This presentation uses completed project data as an example to show that when organizations make a conscious decision to adopt Agile methods in conjunction with other traditional development methodologies, these approaches can be effectively scaled and implemented for larger projects and enterprises – to a point.

Blog Post Categories 
QSM News Agile

Webinar Replay - QSM's Software Sizing Infographic: A Visual Aid for Understanding Software Size

Software Sizing Infographic Webinar

If you were unable to attend our recent webinar, QSM's Software Sizing Infographic: A Visual Aid for Understanding Software Size, a replay is now available.

Software size, the amount of functionality in a given software release, is arguably the most critical of the five core metrics of software estimation. There is little point in tracking effort, duration, productivity and quality if you are unable to quantify what you are building. Yet, despite its critical importance, software sizing is often a difficult concept for many to understand and use properly in the estimation process. In this webinar, Joe Madden gives an overview of QSM's Software Size Matters Infographic, which addresses the challenges of measuring software size and identifies the most popular sizing methods and when to use them. With over 17 years of software sizing experience, Joe provides case studies and best practices for real world application.

Watch the replay!

Blog Post Categories 
Sizing Webinars

Webinar - QSM's Software Sizing Infographic: A Visual Aid for Understanding Software Size

On Thursday, March 26th at 1:00 PM EDT, Joe Madden will present QSM's Software Sizing Infographic: A Visual Aid for Understanding Software Size.

Software size, the amount of functionality in a given software release, is arguably the most critical of the five core metrics of software estimation. There is little point in tracking effort, duration, productivity and quality if you are unable to quantify what you are building. Yet, despite its critical importance, software sizing is often a difficult concept for many to understand and use properly in the estimation process. In this webinar, Joe Madden will give an overview of QSM's Software Size Matters Infographic, which addresses the challenges of measuring software size and identifies the most popular sizing methods and when to use them. With over 17 years of software sizing experience, Joe will provide case studies and best practices for real world application.

Joe Madden currently leads the QSM consulting division which has grown dramatically in the past six years and offers a wide range of professional services. These include the software estimation center of excellence, function point analysis, program and portfolio management, independent verification and validation, vendor management, benchmarking and process improvement, and expert witness services. A longtime client of the QSM SLIM Tools Suite and co-author of the book, "IT Measurement: Practical Advice from the Experts," Joe has more than 23 years of experience in IT management and consulting.

Blog Post Categories 
Webinars Software Sizing

New Article - Forecasting from Defect Signals

Forecasting from Defect Signals

On large software development and acquisition programs, testing phases typically extend over many months. It is important to forecast the quality of the software at that future time when the schedule calls for testing to be complete. In this article, originally published in CrossTalk, Paul Below shows how Walter Shewhart’s Control Charts can be applied to this purpose, in order to detect a signal that indicates a significant change in the state of the software. This signal detection is then used to improve mapping of project progress to forecast curves and thereby improve estimates of project schedule.

Blog Post Categories 
Defects Articles Quality

Webinar Replay - Avoiding Disaster in IT Outsourcing: A Quantitative Solution for Vendor Management

If you were unable to attend our recent webinar, "Avoiding Disaster in IT Outsourcing: A Quantitative Solution for Vendor Management," a replay is now available.

In the Forbes article “Now Every Company is a Software Company,” David Kirkpatrick argues “regardless of industry your company is now a software company, and pretending that it’s not spells serious peril.”

As organizations in nearly every industry sector transform into software companies, many executives, project managers, and procurement departments are being thrust into the role of managing IT vendors on software projects, yet they do not have the expertise to do so effectively. Typical pain points include:

Blog Post Categories 
Webinars Consulting

New QSM Software Estimation Workshop Series

QSM is pleased to announce the launch of a new workshop series focused on addressing the challenges organizations encounter when implementing software estimation processes. The series offers eight customizable workshops that are tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual company and its business goals.

Workshops include product training for users of QSM's SLIM Suite, as well as estimation fundamentals that are tool agnostic:

Blog Post Categories 
Estimation Training

Webinar - Avoiding Disaster in IT Outsourcing: A Quantitative Solution for Vendor Management

On Thursday, Jan 29th at 1:00 PM EST, QSM's Joseph Madden will present "Avoiding Disaster in IT Outsourcing: A Quantitative Solution for Vendor Management."

In the Forbes article “Now Every Company is a Software Company,” David Kirkpatrick argues “regardless of industry your company is now a software company, and pretending that it’s not spells serious peril.”

As organizations in nearly every industry sector transform into software companies, many executives, project managers, and procurement departments are being thrust into the role of managing IT vendors on software projects, yet they do not have the expertise to do so effectively. Typical pain points include:

Blog Post Categories 
Webinars Consulting

A Practical Guide to the Estimation Center of Excellence Webinar Replay and Q&A Highlights

A Practical Guide to the Estimation Center of Excellence

QSM's recent webinar, Organizational Success; A Practical Guide to the Estimation Center of Excellence, presented by J.D. Ottenbreit, featured a lively Q&A session from our audience. Here are the highlights:

Q: You mentioned that data is critical to an Estimation Center of Excellence, what if we don’t have any good data yet?

Blog Post Categories 
Webinars Estimation

Webinar - Organizational Success: A Practical Guide to the Estimation Center of Excellence

On Thursday, Dec. 4 at 1:00 PM EST, QSM's J.D. Ottenbreit will present "Organizational Success: A Practical Guide to the Estimation Center of Excellence."

High performing companies already know that superior software estimation is not only possible, but essential to gaining and keeping a competitive edge while simultaneously helping to protect IT investments and drive positive project outcomes. One way to enable proven best practices with the estimation discipline is to formalize an Estimation Center of Excellence (ECoE). While most organizations have unique features and challenges, establishing such a center has certain foundational elements. A well-thought out launch and execution can dramatically increase transparency, collaboration and value across an enterprise or division.

In this session, J.D. Ottenbreit, QSM's Commercial Director of Professional Services, will provide an executive level webinar to cover some of the practical steps, pitfalls and critical success factors involved with bringing to life a truly successful, sustainable ECoE. The webinar is based on real-life lessons learned and case studies from QSM - a recognized industry leader and pioneer in the field of software estimation and control.

Watch the replay!

Blog Post Categories 
Webinars Estimation

Webinar - IT Demand Management and Capacity Planning: Why Estimation Is Vital to Balancing the Scale

On Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 11:00 AM EST, QSM's Larry Putnam, Jr. will present IT Demand Management and Capacity Planning: Why Estimation Is Vital to Balancing the Scale, a PDU-approved webinar for ITMPI.

Estimation is critical to IT demand management as today's senior IT executives deal with a familiar challenge - how to balance the size of the development team with the company's software wish list. Modern estimation techniques offer critical insight into this challenge. In this webinar, you will learn the ins and outs of estimation and how to effectively utilize estimation to ensure project success.

Larry Putnam, Jr. has 25 years of experience using the Putnam-SLIM Methodology. He has participated in hundreds of estimation and oversight service engagements, and is responsible for product management of the SLIM-Suite of measurement tools and customer care programs. Larry has delivered numerous speeches at conferences on software estimation and measurement, and has trained - over a five-year period - more than 1,000 software professionals on industry best practice measurement, estimation and control techniques and in the use of the SLIM-Suite.

Register now!