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SEER Webinars

SEER Information Technolgy

Managing IT Budget Portfolios using SEER-IT

SEER for IT (SEER-IT) successfully augments the SEER for Software (SEER-SEM) estimation model to include core IT system services. But SEER-IT can reach even further to capture an entire budget portfolio in order to effectively manage both parametric cost items as well as level of effort inputs in order to create a fully documented estimation repository providing an early and accurate assessment of costs, schedules, and risks for IT projects and their ongoing support.

This webinar will describe how SEER-IT can be used to support IT project estimation and portfolio management as well as lessons learned from working with the model.

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Consolidating Data Centers: Estimating The Total Cost

IT organizations are under pressure to control costs. One popular approach is to consolidate multiple data centers into a single center.

Consolidation projects are beneficial because they:

  • Provide the opportunity to boost performance through improved technology
  • Reduce costs with energy efficient equipment and streamlined operations

While this seems like a win-win, such a project needs to be carefully planned and executed to ensure a smooth transition.

You need to consider more than just the cost of the new equipment for the data center consolidation, but also:

  • The planning, migration and testing of the new systems
  • Training and documentation of new procedures
  • Accurately estimate the costs of shutting down the legacy data center to capture total costs associated with the project

This webinar will demonstrate how you can use SEER-IT to estimate data center consolidation projects. It will also include the estimation of what it will take to operate the new data center, so that well informed decisions can be made.

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Discover Hardware Oriented Applications for SEER-IT

SEER-IT is a versatile application that enables you to estimate IT infrastructure deployment as well as operations. It is easy to see how SEER-IT can be used to estimate deployment and support of enterprise IT systems. However, SEER-IT can be very effective in estimating the deployment and operations of systems that use custom hardware interconnected by IT based technologies.

This presentation will show:

  • How SEER-IT can be used to estimate the deployment and operations of the IT based technologies prevalent in network centric systems (NCS).
  • How to estimate the required systems engineering needed to bring estimating
  • Where and when to use SEER-SEM, SEER-H and SEER-IT for different components of a NCS
  • Examples of a SEER-IT estimate for NCS and hardware oriented systems are included
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What Would You Like to Estimate Today?  SEER Estimate by Comparison

With SEER Estimate by Comparison, good estimates based on intuition are only a few comparisons away.  By stepping through a series of intuitive comparisons to better-known items, SEER Estimate by Comparison provides a credible basis for accurately determining either quantitative or qualitative values for both SEER and non-SEER parameters.

In a portfolio analysis exercise, we will demonstrate how multiple software projects’ sizes and value can be simultaneously estimated.

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IT Project Estimation with SEER

SEER for IT provides knowledge based parametric estimates for IT projects and their ongoing support efforts. SEER for IT was designed for IT professionals, enabling organizations to develop an early and accurate assessment of project costs, schedules, and risks as well as ongoing support.

SEER for IT helps you to estimate, analyze and evaluate your IT projects through the use of a combination of parametric algorithms, industry knowledge bases, and your own data. SEER models are easy to use by both technical and non-technical people.

  • Practical input drivers – intuitive / easy to understand
  • Comprehensive results – detailed and high level
  • Enterprise ready – scalable to any organization
  • Adaptable – utilizes common project patterns
  • Learning – incorporates cost history
  • Risk driven – estimates capture uncertainty
  • Open - easy to integrate/interface with other systems
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Six Truths You MUST Learn about IT Estimating

Revealed:

1. Valuable information on improving IT estimation performance.
2. Developing an early and accurate assessment of project costs, schedules, and risks as well as ongoing support.
3. Building a knowledge repository of your IT estimation best practices, helping you meet the challenges of improved performance.
4. Easily defining the work required, as well as patterns for typical organizational approaches.
5. Creating custom Knowledge Bases and perform analyses with metrics derived from company project histories and task labor standards.
6. Quickly summarizing and communicating project outcomes, alternatives, and work-in-progress.

Estimation for information technology projects often yield inconsistent performance. At the end of the presentation you will understand the challenge of IT estimation and how the SEER for IT application gives you an advantage in improving your IT project performance.

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The Business Value of IT

This presentation seeks to highlight the role that good estimation has to play in the delivery of value from IT to the business.  Too often, IT projects and operations fail because business expectations are unrealistically high in terms of what can be achieved in a given time at a given quality and budget. And too often, IT providers have unreasonably low expectations regarding the same. What is lacking on both sides is knowledge of what can be realistically achieved by combining a clearly prioritized set of business needs with well-established IT industry best practices. This presentation identifies six key areas for business value from IT and explains how SEER for Software and SEER for IT play a role in all of these areas.

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IT Infrastructure, Services, Operations and Project Estimation

In today's global economy, Information Technology is a critical component of many companies’ core business operations, impacting operational efficiency, customer relationship and the bottom line. These organizations need an agile and responsive IT organization with capability to support dynamic business goals. That means IT teams today must take on a much more diversified class of projects and initiatives. IT teams must also be part of the business case evaluation team to determine feasibility and advisability of not only IT project development, but also to understand the cost impact of these initiatives through the complete project life cycle. In order to quantitatively and qualitatively have the data to make these important judgments and compare projects competing for finite resources, management needs a framework for developing IT project estimates and plans. For CIOs and business partners to make sound technical business decisions, this framework must provide objective, standardized and consistent information so projects can be compared equitably.

This presentation will introduce such a framework and will culminate with showing how an estimation and planning model can focus on IT development, infrastructure acquisition, deployment, support, and ongoing business operations.

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IT (Non-Software) Estimation: Moving From Art to Science

With calls by senior management to "run IT more like a business," CIOs are under pressure to impose more formal processes on IT activities. Therefore it is crucial for your IT estimation best practice to develop an early and accurate assessment of project costs, schedules, and risks as well as ongoing support. SEER for IT can help you build a knowledge repository of your IT estimation best practices, helping you meet the challenges of improved performance.

Discussed are the characteristics and attributes of the SEER for IT application and how they address crucial needs of the IT shop.

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SEER for Software

Software Analysis Measurement Experts

Industry veterans share experiences of their client’s software development processes and discuss how Software Analysis and Measurement tools coupled with Parametric Estimation models can impact organizational performance through increased ROI, customer satisfaction and business value.

Key concepts covered:

  • Drive organization value by fueling Estimate and Measurement practices within an enterprise
  • Build the funding rationale through proven economic impact models
  • Establish the ROI from Estimate and Measurement practices and process
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Stopping Software Cost Overruns Before They Begin; Estimating to Smart, Optimized Project Assessment

Systems and software projects traditionally experience some degree of project failure. In this context, failure is defined as a project that demonstrated a failure to match (within a reasonable tolerance) the expected outcome. Typically system and software projects have a high probability that the project will:

  • Require significantly more time than planned
  • Cost significantly more than budgeted and/or
  • Deliver significantly less functionality than originally expected

Dr. Denton Tarbet, PhD & Senior Consultant with Galorath Incorporated, will address this problem and present a process to improve the success of systems and software project success. He will cover:

  • Establishing a confidence based project plan based on a realistic estimate of the project effort, schedule, and risks
  • Defining an example project to demonstrate planning and execution using the project estimate applications during project execution
  • Providing project status information that reflects quantity of work, as in standard Earned Value Management (EVM), i.e. effort vs progress, but additionally provides schedule vs progress, defect insertion vs removal, and scope growth
  • Demonstrating a 4 Dimensional Earned Value Analysis (4-D EVA) of the example project
  • Defining a control feedback process to effectively react to issues detected in the 4-D EVA in order to maximize probability of project success

This webinar is intended for:

  • Estimation and project management professionals
  • Cost analysts
  • Business process analysts
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Build a Project Plan Quickly & Easily with SEER for Software’s Microsoft Project Integration

With SEER for Software and its integration to Microsoft Project, you can build a successful project plan using your own processes and your own WBS with only a few clicks.

Best practices suggest that estimates should become the basis of project plans. Yet building a plan from a software estimate manually can be a daunting task.

To build a viable plan, the following are required:

  • Schedules
  • Staffing
  • Relationships

SEER Integration to MS Project automatically constructs a complete project plan from any SEER for Software project estimate. This integration may be used "out-of-the-box" and is even more powerful when your processes are included with customized activity plans and labor categories.

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Discover Practical Applications for Historical Data Within SEER for Software

Discover the role of the Historical Database within the SEER for Software product.

Learn:

  • The ability to plot an estimate
  • How to quickly generate a size estimate using specific data points
  • The ability refine your estimate to actual performance values found in the historical database

This webinar is part of the SEER University webinar series. The SEER-U series is intended for current and prospective users to learn about specific SEER product capabilities and features and discover how to leverage them to gain the greatest benefit. These webinars provide you with the knowledge to become a more accomplished, skilled, and confident SEER user. With a better understanding of SEER applications, you can maximize the power of the model.

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Take Advantage of MS Project Actuals with SEER Project Monitoring and Control

Discover how to link SEER Project Monitoring and Control with Microsoft Project and do an analysis based on actuals.

Integrating MS Project to SEER for Software Project Monitoring and Control (PMC) couples project tracking with performance measurement. Most PMC users are aware of the manual steps to enter project data into PMC. During this webinar users will be shown a quick way to automate the collection of project actuals and percent complete data directly into SEER for Software PMC. This approach will also work for any project portfolio management tool that can export data to an intermediate Excel worksheet.

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Leveraging SEER for Software in Agile, SOA, and Open Source Projects

Agile, SOA and Open Source projects are becoming more pervasive and companies require the ability to more accurately characterize these types of projects to facilitate their ability to estimate the cost, schedule, effort, risk and reliability. As a long time user of SEER for Software, Booz Allen Hamilton has had the opportunity to model these types of projects in SEER and will share its approach and lessons learned in modeling these project types in the SEER for Software environment.

Benefits to viewers include:

  • Description of the basic structure and major elements present in these projects from an estimation point of view.
  • Identification of issues and hazards in estimating these types of projects.
  • Note of some key parameters present in these estimates and how to treat them.
  • Understand the value of calibration and adaptation to the estimation process.
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Cloud Planning and Governance – Business Analysis – Using Best Integrated Practices and Tools

Cloud computing offers tremendous opportunities and return-on-investment, however, you need to approach this carefully, with a focus on goals and objectives.

For organizations to maximize value and mitigate risks, you need a process to prioritize, strategize, analyze and plan for the cloud. This includes managing and demonstrating results quantitatively, rather than subjectively.

Business Analysis, industry frameworks, methods, techniques and tools provide significant complementary information that can be leveraged many ways to simplify data collection and analysis. Many of the tools are easily integrated and can be calibrated and configured to satisfy specific areas of interest and focus.

Key questions are:

  • Is cloud computing right for our organization or application(s)?
  • Which applications will have the highest payback from the IT and business perspective?
  • Are there specific functional and business opportunities?
  • Where are the risks and can they be mitigated?
  • How do we plan and estimate for the cloud migration?
  • How do we estimate and plan, if developing services?
  • What types and methods for the cloud are our best alternatives?
  • Is this only applicable for “Greenfield” development for us?
  • What are key considerations for accountability, governance and SLAs?
  • Where are the boundaries of responsibility?
  • Can we demonstrate and quantify our ROI and value?

This presentation provides a useful roadmap when considering cloud computing solutions for planning, prioritizing, managing, and demonstrating return-on-investment and value from IT and business perspectives.

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GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Developing and Managing Cost Estimates

The GAO assists Congress in its oversight of the federal government and its stewardship of public funds. Developing reliable cost estimates is critical to the effective use of public funds to avoid cost overruns, schedule slips and performance shortfalls. The GAO Cost Estimating and Assessment Guide was developed in consultation with a community of experts from the federal government and industry to establish a consistent methodology based on best practices, to be used across the federal government for the development and management of its program cost estimates. This presentation by GAO Sr. Cost Analyst Karen Richey will provide:

  • An overview of the Guide
  • Intended Benefits of the Guide
  • Recent GAO Reports based on criteria in the Guide
  • Case Studies Showing How GAO Used the Guide as Audit Criteria
  • Invitation to participate in future expert meetings at GAO
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A Software Sizing Metric for the Metrics Challenged: Function Based Sizing

SEER’s Function Based Sizing (FBS) is a much easier way to scope software. If you have a basic idea of what an application is going to look like, perhaps based on a set of requirements, or story points, you can use FBS to scope your project. It also translates into industry-standard function points. FBS is the best kept secret in the software metrics world; it’s been around for over 15 years. You wouldn’t leave a ruler out of your toolbox, right? It’s time you, too, discovered FBS.

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Avoiding the Pitfalls of Historical Data Use in Software Estimation

There are several traps users often stumble into when working with "historical" data:

  • The Error of Casual Analysis (False Association) - accumulating facts with minimal generalizations
  • Narrative fallacy - when the set of connected and disconnected facts are picked to fit a story
  • Fallacy of silent evidence - seeing only what has been recorded and remaining ignorant of the missing evidence
  • Ludic Fallacy - assuming the data to be statistically analyzed is complete, unaffected by small variations, and not intentionally corrupted

Only project data that was properly collected, validated, normalized, and then sufficiently articulated is suitable for use - for all other "historical" data, the utility is limited.

Hear an anecdotal representation of the potential traps that may be encountered when using historical data and how to avoid them.

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SEER Advanced Topics Series: COSMIC Function Points - An ISO Sizing Standard – Part 2
  • The application of the method in a real-time environment
  • Correlation between IFPUG Function Points and COSMIC Function Points
  • The way COSMIC can be used in SEER for Software
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SEER Advanced Topics Series: COSMIC Function Points An ISO Sizing Standard

Galorath is pleased to offer this two part webinar that introduces COSMIC functional sizing, contrasts COSMIC and IFPUG, and illustrates the use of COSMIC with SEER.

Size is a main driver of the effort and cost of for software development projects either for SEER or other effort / productivity purposes. Function Point Analysis (defined by an ISO standard) was one of the first working approaches to determine a consistent and repeatable software size. This approach, is widely used and is supported by International Function Point User Group (IFPUG).

COSMIC (Common Software Metrics International Consortium) is another ISO standard for functional software sizing. COSMIC was developed by a team of international software metrics specialists looking to develop a new functional sizing method that would offer an alternative to IFPUG FPA, sizing more easily and as accurately.

COSMIC is being widely adopted in Europe and is applicable to project worldwide when an alternative to IFPUG function points is desired.

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Code Search + Project Estimating = Better Planning

Better support your future software development projects using the combined solutions of Krugle Enterprise & SEER for Software.

Krugle Enterprise automatically maintains a centralized, searchable library of all source code and development information in your organization. Krugle Enterprise helps development organizations reuse code, share coding knowledge and more effectively plan and coordinate software development projects.

Galorath’s SEER for Software is used by leading enterprises to estimate the effort, duration and risk in software development projects. While usable out of the box, users can leverage SEER for Software with existing knowledge and metrics to further improve its estimates.

Using Krugle and SEER for Software as a combined solution, development organizations can reference past work to gauge future needs. This presentation shows you how.

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Making Sense of a Mess of Data

Organizations often use their own projects as a basis of estimation and for analogies along with industry trends and knowledge bases. However historical data can be messy! This webinar will discuss our experience delving into project records and culling information from them that is useful for estimating using SEER for Software (SEER-SEM.).

This webinar addresses:

  • Where you can get usable information
  • What are the sniff tests
  • How you fill in the blanks
  • What types of records are meaningful
  • Normalizing data for use
  • How SEER for Software can interact with your data
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Reduce the Risk of Software Project Failures: Project Surveillance using SEER SEM

Too many software projects spiral out of control along the way, causing overruns or project failures. Traditional earned value metrics can help, analyzing effort versus progress. However, for software projects earned value alone is insufficient to discover problems while there is time to do something about them. Undiscovered defects and requirements growth both impact software projects, yet are often ignored. Using these metrics in combination with traditional earned value effort and progress metrics, and combining them with parametric analysis can yield a more robust project status and flag issues early when they are more likely recoverable.

This webinar presents this four-dimensional, parametric approach to project status using SEER for Software’s Project Monitoring and Control Features

Project Monitoring & Control (PMC) provides:

  • A method to accurately use earned value metrics to forecast project completion based on actual project performance to date
  • How forecasted and actual defect insertion & removal rates interact with earned value
  • Methods of forecasting and dealing with requirements growth during project execution
  • A way to identify risk areas and potential management changes that will improve performance
  • A method to select between alternative management actions to yield the best results
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Mainframe Migration Estimating: Successes from the Trenches

Increasingly, mainframes are being replaced with more modern technologies. Migrating software from the mainframe to a new environment is fraught with issues. A viable estimate of the effort and schedule are essential to an achievable plan and a successful project.

This presentation describes the use of a parametric estimation tool to produce a series of estimates for a project to migrate software to a new environment. The objective of the estimate is to provide information on the effort and schedule duration required to migrate this critical application. That information has to be developed in such a way that it can be used in a variety of planning and evaluation scenarios.

The webinar explains:

  • Estimating best practices for the problem
  • Planning scenarios
  • Evaluation scenarios
  • Tips and techniques supporting all of these
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Is Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) The Silver Bullet? Project Estimation for SOA Projects

This Webinar will provide a discussion of effort and schedule estimation for SOA projects utilizing SEER for Software. The characteristics of SOA will be discussed to establish an understanding of issues which can impact the estimates. With the understanding of the characteristics of SOA we will consider project specific parameter settings for the SEER estimate. A project plan methodology will be introduced using the confidence based estimate to establish a confidence based plan.

Learn about:

  • Concepts and differences for SOA and SAAS projects
  • Concerns for planning both projects to develop SOA services and applications that will utilize SOA services
  • Establishing an effort (budget) and schedule estimate
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Managing Software Project Risk for More Successful Projects

A sound estimate and sound defect containment strategy are critical to project management success.

Join us and learn why:

  • Manual methods are totally inadequate for any significant project.
  • The "3 Minute Mile" kills projects and careers.
  • Realistic assessment of status requires quality metrics.
  • Quality must be planned.
  • "Productivity" means increasing value-added.

Take advantage of this opportunity to hear from leaders in the field: Dan Galorath and Gary Gack.

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Acquisition Reform (WSARA) And How It Impacts Your Estimations: Looking forward And Lessons Learned

Weapons systems acquisition reform has been a recurring topic within the Department of Defense for many years.

Mr. Bob Hunt, Galorath’s V.P. of Professional Services, was a Senior Pentagon official during the previous Acquisition Reform initiatives. He has since been active in the contractor community. Mr. Hunt will offer a unique perspective on how these acquisition reforms will impact both the Government and the contractor estimating communities.

This WebEx discusses the unique implication of the latest reform on the cost and schedule estimating process, including:

  • Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
  • Directors of DT&E and Systems Engineering Performance Assessments & Root Cause Analysis
  • Assessment of Technology Maturity
  • Trade-Offs in Cost, Schedule and Performance
  • Critical Cost Growth in MDAPs
  • Earned Value Management
  • Required Reports
  • Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
  • How some of the SEER applications can be advantageously applied for Pre-milestone A estimates
  • And much more!

Much (or some) of this has been tried before, e.g. Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986; also discussed in “The Cost Analysis Improvement Group: A History” by Srull, Margolis, and McNicol. WSARA is being driven by the continued and “sometimes surprising growth” in the cost and schedule of Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs).

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Demystifying Agile Project Cost and Schedule Estimates

As more and more organizations embrace the many benefits of Agile software development, one problem still endures: How does one estimate an Agile project?

During this presentation the audience will be shown three kinds of Agile estimates:

  • The Planning Estimate
  • The Forecast Estimate
  • The Working Estimate

Each estimate is prepared at various stages of the development cycle and allows for a wide range of assumptions about the project, the staff, and the customer. When prepared using a parametric modeling application, such as SEER for Software, a close approximation to actual projects cost, effort, and schedule can be predicted.

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Exploit What You’ve Learned: SEER for Software Project Actuals Data Analysis

Galorath Incorporated works hard to insure that SEER for Software out of the box is calibrated to a wide variety of software development circumstances. SEER for Software can also be calibrated in a number of ways, increasing estimating confidence.

Calibration avenues include knowledge bases, custom knowledge bases, and a large array of parameters, in addition to specialized calibration factors, an advanced feature of SEER for Software.

This presentation provides a complete tutorial on how to calibrate: what to look for, how to process actual outcomes for comparability with SEER for Software, forensics, statistical methods, and ways in which SEER for Software can be calibrated. Take what you need:

  • What to look for when evaluating software project data
  • Normalization techniques to insure records are comparable
  • How SEER for Software can be calibrated
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Unraveling the Complexities of Software Data Normalization + Using ISBSG Data with SEER-SEM

Revealed:

  • Lessons learned in software data normalization
  • What factors to be aware of
  • Application of the data within SEER
  • The process for obtaining the normalized ISBSG data set for use in SEER for Software (SEER-SEM)

Data is an important part of SEER for Software, providing the basis for its calibration and also for trend lines available to the user. Galorath obtains its data through many relationships, such as with the International Software Benchmark Standards Group (ISBSG), which collects and distributes data primarily within commercial environments.

Data normalization – the process of making records consistent and usable – is an important yet often misunderstood part of the process. In this webinar we will show how we normalize the ISBSG database, how the data is directly accessible within SEER for Software, and how users can obtain the ISBSG data.

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What Would You Like to Estimate Today?  SEER Estimate by Comparison

With SEER Estimate by Comparison, good estimates based on intuition are only a few comparisons away.  By stepping through a series of intuitive comparisons to better-known items, SEER Estimate by Comparison provides a credible basis for accurately determining either quantitative or qualitative values for both SEER and non-SEER parameters.

In a portfolio analysis exercise, we will demonstrate how multiple software projects’ sizes and value can be simultaneously estimated.

  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Software Estimation Approaches That Deliver: Industry Leaders Speak Out

Software estimation, planning and control can be keystones to successful projects. Companies that estimate strategically are able to zero in on their projects so they deliver to business targets. Despite this, many treat estimation as a black art or worse - a guess.

Dan Galorath and Geoff Hewson will explain the key concepts that drive successful software estimation in support of planning and managing successful software development and maintenance projects:

  • Decisions and deliverables needed to design estimation procedures tuned to your organization.
  • Guidance in setting up the infrastructure you need to realize the most benefit from your new estimation capabilities.
  • Establishing a “negotiating culture” to allow you to deal effectively with the results of your estimates and focus projects on business success.

SEER for Software and SPC concepts will support the discussion.

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15 Years of Estimates within 2 Percent - Northrop Grumman’s Methods Revealed

Do your estimates need to:

  • Decrease program risk?
  • Reduce cost and schedule over runs during project execution?
  • Increase accuracy?

An industry expert from Northrop Grumman reveals Grumman's methods for accurately and successfully bidding software projects--with median cost under runs of 2 percent over 15 years.

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Estimating the 10 Hidden Costs of Packaged Software Implementation

The 21st century has seen a growing use of prepackaged applications within IT organizations. However, the deployment of these packages (such as Sales Force Automation (SFA), Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), e-business, and Business Intelligence) is often wrought with unexpected costs and sizing considerations. In this seminar we will discuss the top ten factors to consider when estimating the deployment of prepackaged applications.

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Sizing by Comparison

Sizing by Comparison is an application for estimating software size, the single most significant driver of development cost, effort, and schedule. Sizing by Comparison helps the user define software scope through a series of project analogies and/or comparisons to a user’s repository of past projects. In this way users can develop a reliable estimate on a project’s scope even when information is scarce. Sizing can be determined using analogies, pair-wise comparison, or through an array of metrics such as Function Points, Source Lines of Code (SLOC), Function Based Sizing, and Use Cases.

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Estimating Software Enhancement Projects

This presentation tackles the challenge of estimating effort, cost, and schedule for software enhancement projects. It presents a methodology that leverages SEER for Software's Acquisition Method knowledge base and function point analysis. This methodology provides a structured, documentable, repeatable approach that can be used in an enhancement scenario and can be improved over time with adjustments and calibration.

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Estimating Agile Projects Using SEER for Software

Recently CNN published a list of 50 things it thinks are transforming the world of business. Agile Software Development was ranked #18. However, current agile methods do not preclude the need for a quantified approach to software project estimation and planning.

During this presentation, we will discuss how to use SEER for Software (SEER-SEM) to estimate projects being developed using one of the various Agile methodologies. The Agile Manifesto will be reviewed and a recommendation made for what parametric parameters can be mapped to the doctrine. The webinar will conclude with the presentation of the "Agile-Full" and "Agile-Novice" development method knowledge bases now available in SEER for Software.

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Thousands of Actual Data Points Now Available To SEER for Software Users Via ISBSG Partnership

Users have long asked for access to Galorath’s raw data points in addition their own data and Galorath’s trend lines to supplement their own data.  Though a partnership with the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG), thousands of data points are now available for use in SEER Metrics and Benchmarking, Comparative Sizing and other SEER applications.  The first part of this webinar explains the mission of the ISBSG and its data collection activity, as well as ISBSG's main product: its data repository of over 4,000 software development and enhancement projects.  In order to correctly use this data with SEER and other applications, users need to understand ISBSG data definitions and its data collection and validation processes.  ISBSG's partnership wth Galorath has made it possible for Galorath to integrate ISBSG's data into SEER for Software.  The second part of the webinar shows how the data is made available in SEER for Software and how it can be used.

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SEER and MS Project: Software Development Planning Made Easy

This webinar shows you how you can transform Microsoft Project into a powerful application for estimating and planning projects. With relatively few inputs, the SEER integration to MS Project enables users to estimate project costs, effort, duration, and risk with SEER for Software, and construct a complete project plan in MS Project.

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SEER Integration to IBM RSX: Generating Project Estimates Directly from Use Cases

The SEER Integration to IBM RSX enables users to extract relevant information from use cases specified in IBM Rational Systems Developer, IBM Rational Software Modeler, IBM Rational Software Architect and legacy Rational Rose, and automatically generate a complexity-adjusted software size estimate. This estimate can be divided into a work breakdown structure that is exportable directly into the SEER for Software effort and duration estimating model, or a number of other formats. The SEER Integration to IBM Rational RSX has been validated for inclusion in IBM’s Ready for IBM Rational software program.

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Software Sizing, Cost, Schedule, and Risk: A 10-Step Process

An effective software estimate provides the information needed to design a workable software development plan. How well the project is estimated is ultimately the key to the project’s (and product’s) success. An effective software estimate also provides important information for making project decisions, predicting performance, and defining objectives and plans. This webinar discusses how to make software projects more successful by properly estimating and planning project costs, schedules, risks, and resources. The 10-step process presented in this webinar provides a complete method for developing estimates and plans, based upon the book Software Sizing, Estimation, and Risk Management; When Performance is Measured Performance Improves by Daniel D. Galorath and Michael W. Evans (Auerbach Publications, February 2006).

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Function Based Sizing: A Function-Point Alternative with Complete Compatibility

Galorath's Function-Based Sizing method has gained widespread acceptance among SEER users and for good reason: It enables individuals to determine functional software sizing even if they're not certified function point counters. In many cases, users find Function-Based Sizing easier and more complete than alternative sizing methodologies. Users can also size in more intuitive detail, such as by 'data tables' instead of 'ILF's or 'input screens' instead of 'EI's. This tutorial fully describes Function Based Sizing in a user-friendly and example-filled format. Participants will learn to quickly and intuitively identify the distinct types of function points and their size, and also to size hidden functionality that standard function points may not cover.

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Parametric Modeling and CAIV: Optimizing Requirements and Total Cost of Ownership

CAIV or Cost as an Independent Variable is a methodology for reducing total cost of ownership by setting aggressive yet realistic cost objectives when defining operational requirements or acquiring systems. This webinar introduces the underlying methodology of CAIV and how SEER parametric estimation models can be used to support CAIV implementation. Linking SEER to the organization's databases and engineering systems, users can leverage the power of parametrics to implement CAIV, Design to Cost, Target Costing initiatives, and basic design trade studies, as well as to develop and evaluate real-time cost impact assessments of competing design alternatives.

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Software Total Cost of Ownership

Software development is a costly, often schedule-driven activity, prone to compromises to meet schedule. Many of these compromises have far-reaching impacts on the cost of software maintenance, total ownership costs and software sustainability. Maintenance staff is often insufficient and asked to do too much to sustain the desired level of maintenance. While software doesn't wear out, with inadequate maintenance it can become functionally less useful and less reliable over time.This webinar discusses maintenance productivity issues and metrics, methods of making the most appropriate tradeoffs during development, and determining that total ownership costs are managed rather than just arbitrary. SEER's maintenance model will also be discussed and demonstrated.

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SEER® and Its Relation to the CMMI®

Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes. Project Planning and Project Monitoring and Control are two of these processes. Prior to project execution, the relationship between these two process areas tends to be strong. Unfortunately, once a project is underway the relationship between planning, monitoring, and control tends to breakdown in the rush to achieve project deadlines. The result is a high-risk, open-loop project: You know where you planned to be and where you are, but you don't know where you will likely end up. In this webinar we review the fundamentals of project modeling, estimating, and performance measurement, and introduce a methodology for seamlessly integrating Project Planning, Project Monitoring and Control, and Project Measurement and Analysis.

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SEER for Hardware

Estimate Early: Estimate Faster with SEER Estimate by Comparison

This presentation will provide an insight into the SEER Estimate by Comparison application, its use in concert with the SEER solutions, and some applications which center around common project management issues.

The Estimate by Comparison application has traditionally been used to empower users to develop an understanding of software size; the single most significant driver of development cost, effort, and schedule for software projects. However, SEER Estimate by Comparison has evolved and can be utilized with all of the SEER solutions to provide an insight into effective definition of scope through a series of project analogies and/or comparisons to a user’s repository of past projects, thus helping users to develop a reliable estimate on a project’s scope even when information is scarce.

SEER Estimate by Comparison further adds capability to the project team when used in a more contemporary manner. It can be manipulated in such a manner that a wide realm of subjective, qualitative alternatives can be evaluated in context of the project as a whole in a robust, repeatable and ultimately measureable manner.

We will explore its use in two major Project Management areas, namely, Risk Management and Requirements Management.

The possibilities and the opportunities to better quantify qualitative conjecture are virtually limitless.

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Estimate More with Less: Cost IQ

Imagine being able to produce comprehensive estimates derived from just a few requirements . . . Now you can.

The CostIQ system has been designed to rapidly produce full projects in any SEER model, with little more needed from the user than a few requirements.

Learn:

  • An in-depth introduction to the system
  • Its use and configuration
  • Its interface with the SEER applications
  • How CostIQ can be customized to your own estimating challenges
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Paying too much? “Should Cost” Assessments with SEER

Discover how to make finite decisions with a “should cost” model based on the manufacturing options you have available.

“Should cost” modeling should be the cornerstone for any company that outsources manufacturing, or wants to evaluate outsourcing options vs. in-house manufacturing capabilities.

A capable “should cost” model ought to:

  • Provide credible and defendable estimates of manufacturing and assembly costs
  • Allow for the evaluation of alternatives that directly impact the cost to manufacture
  • Facilitate proactive, real time cost impact assessments of design alternatives for today’s global sourcing environment
  • Facilitate vendor negotiations for outsourced fabrication
  • Allow you to determine what is the right price you should be paying for any given outsourced commodity? And what is the total cost of that commodity in real terms?

Debbie Wilson of Gartner may have said it best. “When price negotiations are conducted with accurate cost models in hand, I firmly believe that they yield superior results. That’s because fact-based discussions support joint problem-solving and relationship building with key suppliers far better than just using a heavier hammer or an alternative supplier’s hard luck…”

Learn how the SEER for Manufacturing cost model can be utilized to provide these functions, performing in-depth cost analysis at the manufacturing process level so the user can make the necessary finite decisions.

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Acquisition Reform (WSARA) And How It Impacts Your Estimations: Looking forward And Lessons Learned

Weapons systems acquisition reform has been a recurring topic within the Department of Defense for many years.

Mr. Bob Hunt, Galorath’s V.P. of Professional Services, was a Senior Pentagon official during the previous Acquisition Reform initiatives. He has since been active in the contractor community. Mr. Hunt will offer a unique perspective on how these acquisition reforms will impact both the Government and the contractor estimating communities.

This WebEx discusses the unique implication of the latest reform on the cost and schedule estimating process, including:

  • Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
  • Directors of DT&E and Systems Engineering Performance Assessments & Root Cause Analysis
  • Assessment of Technology Maturity
  • Trade-Offs in Cost, Schedule and Performance
  • Critical Cost Growth in MDAPs
  • Earned Value Management
  • Required Reports
  • Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
  • How some of the SEER applications can be advantageously applied for Pre-milestone A estimates
  • And much more!

Much (or some) of this has been tried before, e.g. Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986; also discussed in “The Cost Analysis Improvement Group: A History” by Srull, Margolis, and McNicol. WSARA is being driven by the continued and “sometimes surprising growth” in the cost and schedule of Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs).

  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Don’t Let Estimating Complex Custom ICs Intimidate You

Estimating Circuit Card development has become more challenging due to the increased presence of complex custom ICs like ASICs, FPGAs and RFICs. These critical components provide a dramatic increase in capability but are also a challenge to estimate due to the ever increasing performance of each new generation of chips.

Learn how the SEER-IC plug-in:

  • Expands the capabilities of SEER-H to allow a deeper look into these custom components in order to more accurately estimate these significant costs.
  • Performs tradeoffs between different technologies and assess possible cost impacts of various technical options.
  • Can be used to estimate costs for ASICs, FPGAs and RFICs. We will show some common examples and tradeoffs done with the model.
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
What Would You Like to Estimate Today?  SEER Estimate by Comparison

With SEER Estimate by Comparison, good estimates based on intuition are only a few comparisons away.  By stepping through a series of intuitive comparisons to better-known items, SEER Estimate by Comparison provides a credible basis for accurately determining either quantitative or qualitative values for both SEER and non-SEER parameters.

In a portfolio analysis exercise, we will demonstrate how multiple software projects’ sizes and value can be simultaneously estimated.

  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Smart Sourcing in the Global Environment

This presentation discusses how process-based parametric cost models, SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H) and SEER for Manufacturing (SEER-MFG), are used to facilitate proactive real time cost impact assessments of commodity design alternatives in today’s global sourcing environment. The main purpose is to show how model use in the sourcing process can produce a significant financial benefit to any organization that employs the use of the SEER-H and SEER-MFG modeling process. It will also introduce the model's flexibility in the development of trade study “should cost” estimates, using a "real world" case study.

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Purchase Cost Estimating (“Should-cost”) with SEER for Manufacturing

Many companies use SEER for Manufacturing (SEER-MFG) in the design cycle to optimize the cost and producibility of the product under development. Once a product is issued from design, an opportunity exists to apply SEER-MFG in the supply chain. By using SEER-MFG to create a should-cost model, the commercial team can approach the supply base with informed, detailed information demonstrating the build-up of cost within the manufacturing process. This webinar covers key aspects of calibrating SEER-MFG Knowledge Bases in order to provide should-cost models and will explore the methods for capturing supplier-cost models so you can perform GAP analysis, enabling supply development and collaborative cost control. We also discuss how collaboration on the development of Knowledge Bases between suppliers and customers reduces turnaround time for new projects and aids in negotiation.

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Modeling Composites in SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and SEER for Manufacturing

SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems can provide comprehensive lifecycle cost estimates for composite processes and systems even when information is limited to weight volume and material mix. The model has built-in Knowledge Bases that cover composite materials and manufacturing processes. SEER-DFM operates at the manufacturing process level, modeling composites using three different approaches, all of which have different levels of input and output granularity. The standard SEER for Manufacturing (formerly SEER-DFM) model comes with two modeling options: Composites Model and Detailed Composites Model. A plug-in is available for SEER-DFM that provides more advanced composites and aerostructures modeling capabilities. This webinar demonstrates the various ways in which composites estimation can be accomplished utilizing these models.

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Introduction to Hardware Estimation Using SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and SEER -MFG

Mechanical, electro-mechanical, structural and electronics programs present are challenging to estimate. SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H) can help you make better decisions quickly and with more confidence by simulating your project based on extensive and extensible knowledge bases, and sophisticated parametric modeling capabilities. SEER-H provides fast, reliable estimates on everything from individual components to a variety of complete product assemblies. But the best design doesn't mean much if it can't be efficiently and reliably manufactured. SEER for Manufacturing (SEER-MFG) is an estimation and analysis application that lets you identify, evaluate and manage the complex array of cost, labor, assembly, process, part design, material, and production variables that affect manufacturing operations. This webinar will not only demonstrate capabilities of SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and SEER for Manufacturing, but how the two integrate with one another to provide the most complete and accurate estimates possible.

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SEER for Manufacturing

Productivity Aids Available for SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H)

All of us would love to have the right tools available to us when we’re performing a job so that we can be as productive as possible. SEER-H comes with several tools in its toolbox to assist a variety of estimating challenges. In this SEER University webinar, you will be introduced to the SEER-H tools folder location and its contents, including:

  • Operations & Support (O&S) Cost Templates
  • Labor Allocation Template
  • Prototype Counter
  • Input Worksheets
  • Flight Test Calculator
  • Travel Expenses Calculator
  • Calibration Entry File
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Expand SEER Data Utilization Across the Enterprise with Application Integrations

SEER produces a wealth of valuable information that can often be leveraged by other enterprise applications. Similarly, various inputs to SEER models may exist in various enterprise applications. There are a variety of ways by which a user can import and export data to/from SEER. Become an empowered SEER user by embarking on your own integration efforts or take the next step to a higher level of integration of SEER models.

Join us and discover the various methods available for integrating SEER with other Enterprise applications:

  • COM linking
  • ODBC
  • Custom calculations
  • Servermode (SEER Scripting Language)
  • Automation API

This webinar is part of the SEER University webinar series. The SEER-U series is intended for current and prospective users to learn about specific SEER product capabilities and features and discover how to leverage them to gain the greatest benefit. These webinars provide you with the knowledge to become a more accomplished, skilled, and confident SEER user. With a better understanding of SEER applications, you can maximize the power of the model.

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From Concept to Cost: Engineer Affordability into Systems with SEER® and Rational Rhapsody®

Architecture and design decisions made early in the lifecycle can have a major impact on costs later. You need to get it right from the start.

Learn how integrating cost analysis with system specifications early in the lifecycle with Galorath’s SEER and IBM® Rational® Rhapsody® can help you make better architecture and design decisions that maximize return on investment. Working through concepts in Rhapsody, a systems architect can invoke the SEER models to obtain cost and schedule estimates, even with relatively limited information. In this way, a Rhapsody-SEER integration helps systems and cost engineers collaborate earlier in the process with the greatest impact.

Join us to see:

  • A direct connection between systems and cost modeling
  • Analysis of functional requirements with Rational Rhapsody
  • Visualize and validate functionality early in development
  • Learn how basic concept diagrams translate into Cost, Schedule & Risk with SEER
  • Reliably and accurately estimate the total cost of ownership for new product development projects with SEER
  • Gain detailed insight into the risks, uncertainty and cost drivers associated with product development, acquisition and integration
  • A standardized and traceable approach to cost estimation

The SEER/Rhapsody integration is a working technology preview. The demonstration will be performed using SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H). This webinar is intended to demonstrate what is possible and to elicit feedback from the community during the working stages of this effort.

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Hardware From Estimate To Plan: Construct a Plan Using Microsoft Project & SEER-H

Best practices suggest that estimates should become the basis of project plans. Yet building a plan from a hardware estimate manually can be a daunting task… Schedules, staffing, relationships: all of these are required for a viable plan. With SEER-H and its integration to Microsoft Projects, you can get all of this with a few clicks using your own processes and your own WBS.

SEER Integration to MS Project automatically constructs a complete project plan from any SEER for Hardware project estimate. This integration may be used "out-of-the-box" and is even more powerful when your processes are included with customized activity plans and labor categories.

This integration provides:

  • A powerful solution for planning hardware development projects by exporting SEER for Hardware effort and schedule estimates directly into MS Project.
  • The ability for users to construct a complete project plan, enabling them to anticipate almost every aspect of the lifecycle process with relatively limited input.
  • Plans can be laid out faster and more efficiently than with traditional methodologies.
  • Customized templates that can be defined that reflect an organization's specific manufacturing process.
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Estimate Early: Estimate Faster with SEER Estimate by Comparison

This presentation will provide an insight into the SEER Estimate by Comparison application, its use in concert with the SEER solutions, and some applications which center around common project management issues.

The Estimate by Comparison application has traditionally been used to empower users to develop an understanding of software size; the single most significant driver of development cost, effort, and schedule for software projects. However, SEER Estimate by Comparison has evolved and can be utilized with all of the SEER solutions to provide an insight into effective definition of scope through a series of project analogies and/or comparisons to a user’s repository of past projects, thus helping users to develop a reliable estimate on a project’s scope even when information is scarce.

SEER Estimate by Comparison further adds capability to the project team when used in a more contemporary manner. It can be manipulated in such a manner that a wide realm of subjective, qualitative alternatives can be evaluated in context of the project as a whole in a robust, repeatable and ultimately measureable manner.

We will explore its use in two major Project Management areas, namely, Risk Management and Requirements Management.

The possibilities and the opportunities to better quantify qualitative conjecture are virtually limitless.

  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Estimate More with Less: Cost IQ

Imagine being able to produce comprehensive estimates derived from just a few requirements . . . Now you can.

The CostIQ system has been designed to rapidly produce full projects in any SEER model, with little more needed from the user than a few requirements.

Learn:

  • An in-depth introduction to the system
  • Its use and configuration
  • Its interface with the SEER applications
  • How CostIQ can be customized to your own estimating challenges
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Design and Cost Optimization with SEER for Hardware and PHX ModelCenter

ModelCenter® 9.0 by Phoenix Integration is a graphical environment for process integration and design automation that empowers engineers to explore a design space and find the best solutions that meet all specified design requirements. SEER® for Hardware (SEER-H) by Galorath, a decision-support tool that reliably and accurately estimates the total cost of ownership for new product development projects, can be easily integrated into PHX ModelCenter 9.0 to determine the best design while meeting all specified design and cost requirements. The problem of designing a potential wind farm at lowest possible cost to meet a specific wind profile will be presented to demonstrate how SEER® can be used to explore a wide array of cost-related variables while Data Visualizer in PHX ModelCenter® 9.0 can be used to understand the cost impact of design changes.

Live Demonstration Featuring:

  • Overview of PHX ModelCenter® 9.0
  • Overview of SEER® for Hardware by Galorath
  • Phoenix Integration’s Data Visualizer
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Discover Hardware Oriented Applications for SEER-IT

SEER-IT is a versatile application that enables you to estimate IT infrastructure deployment as well as operations. It is easy to see how SEER-IT can be used to estimate deployment and support of enterprise IT systems. However, SEER-IT can be very effective in estimating the deployment and operations of systems that use custom hardware interconnected by IT based technologies.

This presentation will show:

  • How SEER-IT can be used to estimate the deployment and operations of the IT based technologies prevalent in network centric systems (NCS).
  • How to estimate the required systems engineering needed to bring estimating
  • Where and when to use SEER-SEM, SEER-H and SEER-IT for different components of a NCS
  • Examples of a SEER-IT estimate for NCS and hardware oriented systems are included
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Acquisition Reform (WSARA) And How It Impacts Your Estimations: Looking forward And Lessons Learned

Weapons systems acquisition reform has been a recurring topic within the Department of Defense for many years.

Mr. Bob Hunt, Galorath’s V.P. of Professional Services, was a Senior Pentagon official during the previous Acquisition Reform initiatives. He has since been active in the contractor community. Mr. Hunt will offer a unique perspective on how these acquisition reforms will impact both the Government and the contractor estimating communities.

This WebEx discusses the unique implication of the latest reform on the cost and schedule estimating process, including:

  • Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
  • Directors of DT&E and Systems Engineering Performance Assessments & Root Cause Analysis
  • Assessment of Technology Maturity
  • Trade-Offs in Cost, Schedule and Performance
  • Critical Cost Growth in MDAPs
  • Earned Value Management
  • Required Reports
  • Cost Assessment & Program Evaluation
  • How some of the SEER applications can be advantageously applied for Pre-milestone A estimates
  • And much more!

Much (or some) of this has been tried before, e.g. Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986; also discussed in “The Cost Analysis Improvement Group: A History” by Srull, Margolis, and McNicol. WSARA is being driven by the continued and “sometimes surprising growth” in the cost and schedule of Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs).

  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Don’t Let Estimating Complex Custom ICs Intimidate You

Estimating Circuit Card development has become more challenging due to the increased presence of complex custom ICs like ASICs, FPGAs and RFICs. These critical components provide a dramatic increase in capability but are also a challenge to estimate due to the ever increasing performance of each new generation of chips.

Learn how the SEER-IC plug-in:

  • Expands the capabilities of SEER-H to allow a deeper look into these custom components in order to more accurately estimate these significant costs.
  • Performs tradeoffs between different technologies and assess possible cost impacts of various technical options.
  • Can be used to estimate costs for ASICs, FPGAs and RFICs. We will show some common examples and tradeoffs done with the model.
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Estimating Electro-Optical Sensor Lifecycle Costs for Air, Missile and Space Vehicles

Parametric modeling of electro-optical sensors (EOS) has historically been challenging, due to lack of data and a complex technical domain. The SEER-EOS plug-in expands the capabilities of SEER-H, allowing you to perform a full lifecycle cost for electro-optical sensors operating on a variety of platforms including:

  • manned aircraft
  • unmanned aircraft
  • missiles
  • space vehicles

Estimate key EOS components including:

  • optical devices
  • detectors
  • mechanisms
  • coolers
  • lasers

Evaluate over 45 different EO sensor technologies in terms of key technical and performance parameters.

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SEER IC Pro Intro

This webinar provides a top level view of SEER IC PRO, its general architecture and integration into SEER H. It also delineates the various types of technology process flows (ASIC/FPGA) that are included in the model in order to demonstrate the estimation scope. There is also mention of some common uses of the model to estimate FPGA prototypes and conduct hardware versus software tradeoffs.

  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
What Would You Like to Estimate Today?  SEER Estimate by Comparison

With SEER Estimate by Comparison, good estimates based on intuition are only a few comparisons away.  By stepping through a series of intuitive comparisons to better-known items, SEER Estimate by Comparison provides a credible basis for accurately determining either quantitative or qualitative values for both SEER and non-SEER parameters.

In a portfolio analysis exercise, we will demonstrate how multiple software projects’ sizes and value can be simultaneously estimated.

  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Need Defensible Estimates Of Projects Far Out Into The Future?

For those of you faced with estimating into the far distant future and whose estimates must withstand a greater level of scrutiny, Galorath will present an alternative method whereby the final estimate can be better substantiated.

Pull out your telescope and discover:

  • The complications of estimating costs far out in the future and how to deal with them
  • How Galorath services can help you estimate the costs of “far out” technologies for any platform via their far out process and your data
  • An available application of Galorath’s “far out” estimating capabilities to estimate the costs of spacecraft 15-20 years into the future
  • You must be logged on to our Corporate Library in order for active webinar links to display. Please login using the form in the left margin or Click Here to register for library access.
Project Estimation is a Risky Business: Risk Analysis with SEER and Crystal Ball

The need to understand the lack of certainty surrounding an estimate is an integral part of effective cost and schedule management. It is imperative that those who make the ultimate organizational decisions have visibility of the most pessimistic forecast of outcome in order that they can effectively direct appropriate mitigation responses and deliver solutions to the required standards and costs within a timely manner.

This presentation will discuss the following aspects:

  • How the SEER suite of models provide such visibility.
  • The rationale for a SEER and Crystal Ball integration.
  • How the Crystal Ball/SEER integration enhances a Risk Analysis capabilities by providing the user better definition and control of the Risk Analysis process.
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Estimation of Military Space Communications ASICS with SEER:  The Final Frontier

Today’s military communication systems are playing an ever expanding critical role in our domestic security as well as the security of our assets abroad. Satellites that are the core of these communication systems are being required to do more complex functions and perform them faster than ever before. To accomplish complex on-orbit tasks, modern space electronics are using advanced micro-electronics in their unit designs. The rapidly changing field of advanced micro-electronics, largely developed by commercial industry, presents a problem for the cost estimator. Common cost estimating techniques using historical data or cost estimating relationships based on historical data are not well suited to address the complexity of today’s electronic devices. This presentation will focus on ASIC devices used in the military space environment and will discuss the cost drivers of these devices, including how the SEER for Hardware-Integrated Circuits Option parametric cost estimating model is being used to develop a cost estimate for ASICs, and what future estimating challenges may be on military space communication satellites.

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Better Schedule & Staff Planning for Hardware Projects with SEER

This presentation will review the concepts, theory and methods used to implement the comprehensive set of features in SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H). Examples of how these features can be used will be provided along with how they can benefit a cost analyst or project manager. SEER for Hardware is a leading hardware cost estimating and planning system. Until recently, SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems had basic visibility into the scheduling of estimates, limited to annual expenditure. An upcoming version of this model will include a set of new features to help program managers better schedule tasks and manage their expenditures. The advanced schedule features cover areas such as allocation into program phases (e.g. preliminary design, detailed design, system validation) with the ability to independently schedule them. Scheduling of the development effort can be constrained by such things as a slow start, overstaffing, and understaffing, shortened or extended schedules. Depending on the scenario, cost penalties can be incurred for various types of constraints.

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Smart Sourcing in the Global Environment

This presentation discusses how process-based parametric cost models, SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H) and SEER for Manufacturing (SEER-MFG), are used to facilitate proactive real time cost impact assessments of commodity design alternatives in today’s global sourcing environment. The main purpose is to show how model use in the sourcing process can produce a significant financial benefit to any organization that employs the use of the SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and SEER for Manufacturing modeling process. It will also introduce the model's flexibility in the development of trade study “should cost” estimates, using a ‘real world’ case study.

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Modeling Composites in SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and SEER for Manufacturing

SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems can provide comprehensive lifecycle cost estimates for composite processes and systems even when information is limited to weight volume and material mix. The model has built-in Knowledge Bases that cover composite materials and manufacturing processes. SEER-DFM operates at the manufacturing process level, modeling composites using three different approaches, all of which have different levels of input and output granularity. The standard SEER for Manufacturing (formerly SEER-DFM) model comes with two modeling options: Composites Model and Detailed Composites Model. A plug-in is available for SEER-DFM that provides more advanced composites and aerostructures modeling capabilities. This webinar demonstrates the various ways in which composites estimation can be accomplished utilizing these models.

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SEER Electro-optical Sensors (formerly SEER-Spyglass)

SEER-Electro-Optical Sensors (formerly SEER-Spyglass) is a plug-in module for SEER for Hardware, Electronics and Systems (SEER-H) that provides specific features and simulation models to estimate the full lifecycle cost of space-based electro-optical sensor (EOS) devices. SEER-Electro-Optical Sensors enables the user to evaluate more than 30 EO sensor technologies relative to key technical and performance parameters. Six categories of EO devices or processes have been added to SEER-H containing over 30 distinct technology areas within them. Categories include: Optical telescope assemblies, focal plane arrays, coolers, mechanisms, calibrators, and integration & test. For each distinct technology area, there are 3-5 Key Technical & Performance Parameters (KTPPs). This webinar demonstrates how SEER-EOS enables you to integrate your EO sensor estimates into your overall estimating environment.

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SEER Integration to MS Project: Automated Layout of Hardware Development and Production Plans

This webinar covers the SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H) Integration to Microsoft Project. With this integration it is now possible to export SEER-H hardware cost and schedule estimates directly into MS Project. The SEER-MS Project integration provides a powerful solution for planning hardware development projects. With relatively limited input, users can construct a complete project plan which enables them to anticipate almost every aspect of the development lifecycle. Hardware and production plans can be laid out faster and more efficiently than with traditional methodologies. The SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems Client also allows customized templates to be defined that reflect an organization's specific manufacturing process.

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SEER Total System Vision: An Integrated Process for Estimating Hardware, Electronics, Software, Systems, and Manufacturing Lifecycle Costs

SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems is a cost estimation and decision support model designed for complex projects that include ground, air, space and sea vehicles, electronic devices, industrial equipment, consumer electronics and appliances. Mechanical, electro-mechanical, structural and electronics programs are challenging to estimate. SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems can help you make better decisions quickly and with more confidence by simulating your project based on extensive knowledge bases, and sophisticated parametric modeling capabilities. The model provides fast, reliable estimates on everything from individual components to a variety of complete product assemblies, including subsystem, system, and system-of-system costs, including systems engineering, program management, and integration. This webinar demonstrates SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems system-level costing, along with its capabilities to estimate development, production, operations and support, and disposal costs.

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Introduction to Hardware Estimation Using SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and SEER -MFG

Mechanical, electro-mechanical, structural and electronics programs present are challenging to estimate. SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H) can help you make better decisions quickly and with more confidence by simulating your project based on extensive and extensible knowledge bases, and sophisticated parametric modeling capabilities. SEER-H provides fast, reliable estimates on everything from individual components to a variety of complete product assemblies. But the best design doesn't mean much if it can't be efficiently and reliably manufactured. SEER for Manufacturing (SEER-MFG) is an estimation and analysis application that lets you identify, evaluate and manage the complex array of cost, labor, assembly, process, part design, material, and production variables that affect manufacturing operations. This webinar will not only demonstrate capabilities of SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and SEER for Manufacturing, but how the two integrate with one another to provide the most complete and accurate estimates possible.

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Capturing System of Systems Costs

This webinar discusses how a parametric lifecycle cost model, SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems with Total System Vision and SEER for Software estimation models are used to facilitate the cost impact assessment of Systems Engineering labor and materials for a major System of Systems project containing both hardware and software components. We will discuss the underlying methodology and demonstrates the flexibility of the cost model for developing system-level costs at the system-of-systems level. Learn about the model, its premise, and how engineers applied it to obtain system-level engineering labor and material estimates on a constellation of 18 earth-orbiting optical satellites. This example includes the launch vehicles and services, mission control and worldwide tracking antenna sites as well as operational and support costs.

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The New SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems and ICs Pro

SEER for Hardware, Electronics & Systems (SEER-H) is a leading hardware lifecycle cost estimation application. This webinar introduces and demonstrates the latest improvements to SEER-H. Whether you are an experienced user or new to hardware estimation, this presentation will provide insight into the latest in estimation technology. New and improved cost modeling features include: New knowledge bases, Electro-optical Sensor model updates, Integrated Circuits Pro, and improved weight calculations and technology characterization. New and improved usability features include: Flexible work element structure and a new knowledge base repository

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