Alpha Acquisition Process And Impact On Cost Analysis
The Alpha Acquisition process may provide a cost savings to both government and contractors. The following is from the Defense Acquisition University  website:
The alpha contracting process involves many activities performed jointly by the Government and contractor teams.
 This process innovation offers a number of advantages and performance enhancements, such as:
- Improving communications
- Decreasing the number of formal RFP iterations
- Â Lessening revisions and rework required to correct misunderstandings
- Reducing errors and mistakes
- Shortening the cycle time (procurement administrative lead time or PALT) required for contracting
- More
 The benefits of Alpha Acquisition are not limited to reducing procurement acquisition lead times.
Contractor Reduced Proposal Preparation Costs
The contractor benefits by significantly reducing proposal preparation costs. Alpha Acquisition is a framework for expediting the acquisition process. The purpose is to eliminate any unnecessary processes and reviews, and to streamline and conduct in parallel the required ones. Nevertheless, the same issues addressed in standard procurements are addressed in Alpha Acquisition, the same questions asked, and the same support provided. However, it is all done much more quickly and started earlier in the process.
DCAA Cost Savings
One benefit includes the early involvement of DCAA personnel in the immediate utilization of rate recommendations, rather than at some later date when significant updates would have occurred. This results in a cost and time savings for DCAA by precluding subsequent reviews.
DCMC Savings
DCMC receives a cost and time savings by performing one review rather than several as a result of proposal updates.
Additional Government Program Office Costs
See the comment attached to this BLOG entry  from one working in a program office.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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Dan Galorath Presentation at SEER / Tracer Seminar In Tysons Corner October 2009
It was exciting to participate in a seminar with Computer Aid and their ITMPI recently. Here we discussed concepts of software management and how Galorath’s SEER with project estimation, planning and control supports CAI’s Tracer product witch does root level process and task management.
Jim Ryan first spoke and discussed how the manufacturing revolution worked and how much of the success in manufacturing process and process measurement can be applied to software development. And excellent presentation that made a lot of points really apparent.
Next Dan Galorath went through software management techniques (click link to view presentation) that most likely yield successful projects, including estimation (cost estimating, schedule estimating, defect insertion/ removal estimation an more), planning, control, measurement, commitment and other items.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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Have We Lost Our Ability to Estimate Software Size?
Following is an update to Galorath’s David DeWitt’s article on software sizing:
Have We Lost Our Ability to Estimate Software Size?
by David DeWitt
“I’ve Been Slimed!” – Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghost Buster
I can clearly remember that day I arrived at work – towards the end of the year 2003 – it was easily before 6am. I was leading a small team tasked with prototyping a test environment for a NASA proposal. I stood there amazed as I watched my two programmers demonstrate a completely reengineered satellite simulation environment. Wait – let me be clear – within only a few days – they rewrote close to 30,000 lines of FORTRAN and another 4,000 lines of assembly code.  How did they do it? They called it “goop.” “The hand cleaner?” I asked – rather befuddled.  No, they were referring a new development language by LabVIEW (National Instruments) called “GOOP” – short for Graphical Object Oriented Programming.
That was the day I decided to stop being a programmer. I was, at my ‘age,” no longer really interested in keeping up with the latest programming paradigms (and vernacular – such as “paradigm”). I decided to abandon the past and embrace my role as a program manager. But now, looking back I wish I had asked a few more questions.
Measuring Failure
In 1995 the Boston, Mass. – based IT project management research and consulting firm The Standish Group released their first CHAOS Summary report. The report quickly became an industry score card for measuring the success or failure of IT projects; due mostly in part to the astounding percentage of failed projects disclosed in the report. The report served as a wake-up call that appears to have been heard – the 10th anniversary CHAOS report announced that the percentage of failed projects had been reduced by more than half. But alas, within a mere five years, the number of failed projects is back on the rise; the 2009 Standish Group CHAOS report indicates that nearly 1 in 4 projects are doomed. But why?
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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The Sooner You Fall Behind, The More Time You Have To Catch Up
I received an email from the Josephson Institute of Ethics today that included this quote from a well known comedian: “The Sooner You Fall Behind, The More Time You Have To Catch Up.”
As I pondered the absurdity of the statement my mind focused on the many projects I have seen where this might have been taken seriously. I recall, many years ago, preparing an estimate for a new project, an in-house typesetting system. While this was not the most complicated software in the world, it took a lot at that time to do a decent job of typesetting with hyphenation, justification, kerning, leading, etc. all having to be implemented by hand generated code (how big is Knuth’s TEX application?). The customer had received a proposal from a trusted supplier (who did business reporting software) to build an entire system in just months. When confronted with the implausibility, the vendor’s only response was, “I just know I can do this.”  Thank goodness the customer didn’t go for it. If they had, what would have happened… After the original target day came and went there would have been a flurry… a descoping… more promises that “we are almost done, I just know it”… and after a year or two the project would probably have been canceled.
I recall another time, very early in my career… before parametric estimating, when we had a 4 terminal cluster system to develop. We had a functional spec and a (probably poor) estimate. We saw an ad in a computer magazine that said this particular programming language would cut costs to 10%. The supplier came out and guaranteed it: even bidding fixed price and just a few weeks for the entire job. I must admit I wondered how the vendor would do it… an assembly line type of setup where a team would pass information and where a chief programmer would allocate tasks or what. When the big day came one guy showed up. He worked about 24/7. The deadline came and went. Still no worries… it was the world’s answer to software and it was fixed price. Six months came and went. Now the vendor came in and said they couldn’t do it.  Four employees plus the vendor and 5 months later it was complete.
I have heard it said that if a cost performance index was below .95 or so, the project cannot catch up. While no one wants their projects to be in trouble, isn’t it valuable to understand what you can’t catch up?
Viable plans help make successful projects.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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New Survey Casts Shadow On Cloud Computing Adoption
15% of corporate customers planning to use cloud in the next year.
A network world article shared results of a survey:
About 15% of corporate customers are considering cloud computing over the next year
The survey of 300 corporations worldwide found that 38% are undecided or unsure about whether they will adopt cloud services, and another 47% said they are not considering implementing cloud in the next year. Security is the biggest roadblock.
85% of corporate customers will not implement a private or public cloud in 2009 due to security concerns.
The findings may be surprising given the industry’s current obsession with cloud computing, but the numbers aren’t too far off the findings of other surveys. Forrester recently found that 25% of enterprises with at least 1,000 employees are using or plan to use hosted virtual server offerings such as Amazon EC2, and that fewer than 20% of smaller companies plan to do so.
Earlier this year, Gartner said that cloud application infrastructure technologies are not yet mature and that adoption right now is limited mostly to “pioneers and trailblazers.”
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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10 Biggest IT Development Money Wasters
From Justin James and Techrepublic: IT Development Moneywasters
#1: Communication problems
#2: Process issues
#3: Refusal to go live and iterate (aka: insistence upon perfection)
#4: Penny wise, pound foolish
#5: Outsourcing missteps
#6: “The Longest Yard” (documentation and user training)
#7: Developers used as support staff
#8: Poor foundation for development
#9: Fail to know the business
#10: Neglect to calculate project ROI
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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Thanks to SCEA For Dan’s Lifetime Achievement Award
I received a lifetime achievement award from SCEA (Society of Cost Estimating and Analysis) this past week for the work in SEER advancing the state of the art and practice with parametric (mathematical) modeling of cost, schedule, risk & reliability for software development & maintenance (SEER for Software), hardware development, production, operations & support (SEER for Hardware), reducing the costs of parts, processes, and assembly (SEER for Manufacturing), and IT projects and operations infrastructure and services (SEER for IT).
I must say this award was unexpected.
I would like to thank all the members of SCEA for this award which, although awarded to me, IÂ accepted on behalf of the entire Galorath team.
The award was presented by Bill Haseltine, SCEA president, at the international conference in Saint Louis. Bill discussed contributions as well as a few “Dan stories” throughout the years. One story included a bet about 20 years ago between Bill and Dan where Dan paid off with a signed dollar saying “you were right Bill.” Another was a story about Dan being so lost in a parking lot he thought his rental car had been stolen.   Thankfully Bill didn’t tell how I computed the calories served at lunch (1965 calories…. a whole day’s food for most people) and used this as an example of data collection and the need for normalization. I felt responsible for so few people eating the dessert at my table.
Seriously, it is extremely rewarding to see so many use SEER for more successful projects and to make better decisions and to work with so many wonderful people at Galorath, our customers and partners.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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How To Successfully Execute Large IT Projects
Interesting article from cioinsight.com defines the items needed to make big IT projects successful. Of course viable effort, cost, schedule is key to the approach.Â
They identify lessons learned from over 75 large projects and identified five “Execution Planning” steps:
1. Start with the steering committee: At least two or three sponsoring executives.
2. Establish the core project team: Four to six people who make 80 percent of project decisions and setup the master schedule / effort / cost plan
3. Establish sub-teams: Sub-team leaders responsible for developing and executing detailed schedule, budget, scope plans in line with the master plan
4. Define roles and responsibilities:Â Build a one-page document that clearly defines objectives for all project members to remove ambiguity
5. Build a one-page master project timeline: With  key “anchor dates” against which all sub-team leads are responsible for developing and executing detailed plans. DO THIS RATHER THAN THE TRADITIONAL BOTTOMS UP Approach. “experience suggests that successful large projects start with key top-down anchor dates set forth from the core project team”
From this I surmise cost estimating is a huge component of successful IT projects. Add rigour to the process.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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Eight Causes of Project Failures: UK Government IT Projects
From the POST report on UK Government IT projects, there are some insightful lessons on why projects fail. Now if we could only get the world to bring those into play early. We could avoid many project failures. Note number 6…. not taking the total ownership cost into account. That is why we stress total ownership costs (which many organizations don’t want to worry about until it is too late).
1. Lack of a clear link between the project and the organisation’s key strategic priorities, including agreed measures of success.
2 Lack of clear senior management and ministerial ownership and leadership.
3. Lack of effective engagement with Stakeholders.
4. Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management.
5. Lack of understanding of and contact with the supply industry at senior levels within the organisation.
6. Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money (especially securing the delivery of business benefits).
7. Too little attention to breaking development and implementation into manageable steps.
8. Inadequate resources and skill to deliver the total delivery portfolio.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.
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Information Technology (IT) IS Not Just A Commodity
I have just started reading a book on the next leap in productivity. The forward itself is so powerful I thought it was worth a BLOG.
Is say that when CEO’S, CFO’s, etc. are asked about IT they generally don’tcare. They say I care about business results, not IT nor running water, simple facts of life. This is a huge mistake because in most companies today because YOU CANT ACHIEVE BUSINESS RESULTS WITHOUT IT…Banks are big software companies with money… Even a ship is a big floating IT system of systems. so..
Top management should care about IT” because superior IT is a competitive advantage in a networked global economy.”
That is why SEER for IT and SEER for Software are so important… Bringing more success to IT projects and bringing competitive advantage.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page or call us at +1 310 414-3222.