Estimation Center of Excellence

QSM helps turn software estimation into a central business process.

Serious estimation—for serious organizations.

Designed for: Organizations with ongoing software development activities.

Ongoing software development activities need scalable estimation support.

At QSM, we specialize in helping organizations design, develop, deploy and sustain the robust, comprehensive estimation capabilities they’ll need to support a growing, thriving software development enterprise.

We’ll help you find the right people, impart the skills they’ll need to be successful, develop processes for more effective decision making, and build-out the operational analytics framework of an enterprise-grade Estimation Center of Excellence (ECoE).

Estimation Center of Excellence Process

1

Requirement Definition

We identify the pain points of the organization and the ECOE stakeholders. Then we do a maturity assessment, build a ECOE charter, and develop a change management strategy.

2

Design and Implement

We design and develop a detailed set of business practices, identify and train the ECOE staff, and configure the tools to support a robust business decision making process.

3

Launch and Pilot Operation

We pilot the ECOE and work out any operational issues before moving to full production.

4

Transition to Full Scale Operation

We move to full operational status and support all aspects of estimation and business decision making

Following this process, we offer three main types of ECoEs:

The Internal Development ECoE, which is intended for IT organizations who use internal resources for the majority of their software development projects, and which focuses primarily on improved estimation, stakeholder negotiation, risk assessment, resource management, demand management, capacity planning, and business decision support.
The Procurement and Vendor Management ECoE, which is intended for IT organizations who outsource most of their software development projects, and which focuses primarily on ensuring successful procurements and executing outsourced projects.
The Oversight ECoE, which operates at the headquarters level to provide executive level visibility into an IT organization, and which focuses primarily on independent risk assessments and analyses of high-visibility, mission-critical projects.

Benefits

If you have projects that are late to market, over budget, poor quality leaving you with little to no credibility with the business stakeholders then the ECoE is a great solution to your headaches.

More accurate estimates

You will improve estimation accuracy and reduce risk.

Fact-based negotiations

You will improve your ability to communicate and negotiate with business stakeholders resulting in plans where everyone can be a winner.

Predictable project outcomes

You will have more predictable outcomes and fewer disasters.

Increased productivity

You will be able to measure the productivity and quality impacts of your IT investments.

Informed decision making

You will be making business decisions based on objective facts.

Improved reliability and quality

Get impartial, quantitative assessments of every IT project in your portfolio, based on verifiable industry standards and benchmarks.

Quantified benefits of improvements

We'll build you a productivity baseline for your current situation and help you identify why your 1-star and 5-star projects perform the way they do.

Higher utilization of staff

You will save money and get more out of your existing resources.

Rapid alternatives analysis

Quickly and easily run what-if alternatives and choose the right path.

Return on Investment

The Enterprise Application Services (EAS) division of a global transportation/shipping corporation has a fragmented, inconsistent estimation model based on spreadsheets. They leverage QSM consulting and tools to dramatically improve their estimation process.
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This company is one of the world's largest business and technology services provider with over 100,000 employees and an annual revenue of over $20B. A QSM customer for the last 12 years, this company has designated SLIM® as one of its preferred estimation validation tools.
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Learn More About QSM Consulting

We offer a variety of industrial-strength solutions to meet all needs and budget requirements, including complete solutions, “lite” versions, and incremental build-outs.

We typically recommend a staged implementation, as it enables a client to realize significant value while getting to know our process. We also suggest working with us on a single project, to start. You’ll get a good feel for QSM consulting, its benefits, and its suitability for your organization.

Please contact our solution design consultants at 800 424-6755 to discuss your individual needs and constraints. We’ll draft a statement of work, and then work with your procurement team to get a master service agreement in place. Once a purchase order has been issued, we’ll start to execute the project.