2019 QSM Almanac The 2019 Software Almanac focuses on agile development and the continued relevance and application of estimation and metrics. This resource presents 18 articles from several perspectives, including both private and public. These articles show that there is indeed a compelling need to apply the basic principles of software estimation to projects, regardless of the methodology used, and that traditional metrics — even sizing metrics — can and should be applied to agile projects. Over the course of this book, the authors examine agile sizing approaches, effort and productivity, estimation best practices, as well as project and portfolio management best practices. All the articles offer research and insights into the foundational skills associated with parametric estimation and adapting those existing skills to account for changing conditions. Much of the content in the 2019 QSM Software Almanac is derived from the QSM Metrics Database, drawing data from over 13,000 completed software projects from North and South America, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia, representing over 1.2 billion lines of code, 600+ development languages, and 120 million person hours of effort. 2017 QSM Almanac The 2017 Software Almanac focuses on the uses and advantages of parametric estimation and importance of quality as it pertains to software projects. This year's almanac highlights the successful application of processes outlined in the 2016 edition, which examined the past 35 years of software estimation and identified principles that are still applicable today, despite the evolution of agile methodologies. The 2017 Software Almanac includes 19 articles examining primary core metrics, management, and best practices to minimize software project failures. These articles address the dangers of ignoring historical data, lessons learned from past software projects, and the value of applying those lessons correctly. Much of the content in the 2017 QSM Software Almanac is derived from the QSM Metrics Database, drawing data from over 10,000 completed software projects from North and South America, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia, representing over 740 million lines of code, 600+ development languages, and 105,833 person years of effort. 2016 QSM Almanac The 2016 Software Almanac provides industry leaders with a single resource for examining the history of software estimation and explores how estimation principles remain relevant despite significant changes in software development methodologies. This year’s Almanac is truly unique in its look back at more than three decades of software project estimation, which ultimately concludes that many historical processes and principles are still very much applicable today. In an era when we are more dependent on software than ever before, this resource can serve as a guide to why it is important to adhere to these historically successful principles and how to make the necessary adjustments to ensure the delivery of reliable software. Addressing an increased focus on risk management and cyber vulnerabilities when it comes to software, this year’s Almanac focuses on “A Changing World: Applying Old Lessons to New Cases.” It analyzes how code and basic metrics were utilized in the infancy of software estimation, emphasizing the five core metrics, project management and best practices associated with software estimation. The resource contains a foreword from Lawrence H. Putnam, Sr., Founder and President Emeritus of QSM, who was a pioneer of the industry 35 years ago. Much of the content in the 2016 QSM Software Almanac is derived from the QSM Metrics Database, drawing data from over 10,000 completed software projects from North and South America, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia, representing over 740 million lines of code, 600+ development languages, and 105,833 person years of effort. 2014 QSM Almanac After many months of research, QSM has released the 2014 version of its Software Almanac. A follow-up to the previous version released in 2006, this 200+ page book includes more than 20 articles on topics such as metrics, agile methodology, long term planning, and trends in software development. The Almanac is one of the few research compendiums that studies how software development has evolved since 1980. The source of this research is the QSM Metrics Database, which contains data from over 10,000 completed software projects from North and South America, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia, representing over 740 million lines of code, 600+ development languages, and 105,833 person years of effort. This year’s Almanac focuses on agile methodology, which has generated increased interest since the 2006 release. Specifically, it takes a close look at projects that have been based on agile methodologies and successfully completed within the past five years. The Almanac also includes information and insights of interest to executives and project managers. In particular, it features an updated long-term trends analysis of the QSM Metrics Database, as well as new tables for both function points and benchmarking. Sections of the 2014 Almanac were previously published in well-regarded industry journals and trade publications that value the quantitative data that QSM provides, including CrossTalk, Software Quality Professional, ProjectsAtWork, AgileConnection, ProjectManagement.com and Government Computer News. QSM Almanac The QSM Software Almanac takes a fresh look at the state of the software industry with a new set of projects completed between 2001 and 2004. It expands and improves our earlier analysis by taking both a snapshot of the current state of the industry and a long term look at software trends over time. We let you benchmark yourself against some of the sharpest folks in the industry. You'll get a birds-eye view of what's been going on for the past few decades: what's changed, and what's stayed the same. You'll see what best in class (and worst in class) projects look like with respect to effort, duration, and defects and empirically assess tradeoffs when projects staff up to meet a tight deadline. Finally, we'll sum up what we've learned and share insights we think will make your projects and organizations more successful. Throughout the almanac, we approach each topic from a variety of perspectives. We start by establishing industry benchmarks for the typical small, medium, and large project. We go on to examine the tradeoffs between time and effort and take an empirical look at the cost (in money, time, and defects) of staffing up to achieve schedule compression. Becoming more productive is always a big concern to any organization, so we study best and worst in class performers to see what they're doing right - and wrong. But there's another way to look at performance. What kinds of factors affect productivity on in-progress projects? What caveats should you consider when using different metrics to assess progress? Our Size, Language, and Reuse section examines these important questions and comes up with some surprising answers.