The SEER for Software (SEER-SEM) product line consists of the SEER for Software Core and extended capabilities which can be licensed individually or bundled within a choice of delivery editions.

Sizing by Comparison is a tool 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.

Sizing Process:

1. Identify items to be estimated
2. Select reference items which are the best match to the current project; reference items can be entered manually, selected by analogy, or obtained from a repository of past projects.
3. Establish the relative size between reference items and the current project.
4. Analyze and share reports and charts

Metrics Analysis & Benchmarking enables users to benchmark project estimates and trends in graphical format. Users can filter/narrow project histories to include only the most relevant project pool. From the chosen pool, users can perform regressions; develop, display, save, and share trends; and overlay a current project estimate to see how it compares to historical norms. Metrics Analysis and Trending can be configured to work with numerous datasets and on SQL Server databases.

Independent Crosscheck & Verification is available to organizations that require independent oversight. This option invokes a separate estimation methodology to re-calculate the estimate as a “sanity check” against initial results. Using databases of past software development projects, various statistical techniques and algorithms are employed to develop an “external” software estimate.

Project Monitoring and Control enables users to monitor the health and status of work in progress. Enables users to quickly identify issues and their root causes, and to determine the best corrective actions. Project progress can be described in four dimensions:

• Activity completion (planned vs. actual)
• Expenditures (budgeted vs. actual)
• Size growth (planned vs. actual)
• Defect discovery/removal (predicted vs. actual)

This data is combined to yield an aggregate earned value that is a comprehensive reflection of project progress. Once a project is completed, project data can be used for post-mortem calibration, allowing users to apply actual project experience to future estimates.

Integration to MS Project automatically constructs a complete project plan from any SEER for Software project estimate. Create customized lifecycle templates incorporating company-specific processes and best practices, and tailor allocation of the amount and types of effort estimated into user-defined labor categories. The Integration to MS Project does more than import SEER for Software projects – it offers a deployed estimating solution fully embedded in Microsoft Project, suitable for deploying to project managers who need to generate estimates and plans on their own.

Integrations to IBM Rational Software Development Platform (RSX) & Rational Portfolio Manager (RPM) provide a complete single-source solution addressing software design, feasibility analysis, design optimization, and portfolio management.

The SEER-IBM Rational Integrated Process:

1. IBM Rational RSx captures business process design and system requirements and translates use cases into executable code.
2. SEER analyzes cost, effort, risk, reliability and time-to-market, evaluates trade-offs that directly impact project feasibility and design, and tracks work-in-progress to ensure the project is completed as planned.
3. Once a project strategy has been decided, IBM Rational RPM can be used to assign, manage, and control development resources, and as a centralized repository for portfolio analysis and reporting.

These SEER-IBM Rational integrations have been validated for inclusion in the IBM Rational software program.

Enterprise Shared Database Enables users to save estimates in an open database structure that can be accessed and shared throughout the organization. The open database allows users to save, maintain, and share project estimates throughout the enterprise. SEER-DB also includes features for archiving, version control, and access control of project data as well as the ability to pre and post process the database information for integration with external applications.