APMP Cost Task Force: Improving Cost as Part of Proposals to Government
I have recently accepted the chair position with Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) cost task force. I will be starting up the regular telecons in a few weeks. I must admit when I was first drafted onto this task force a couple years ago I had never heard of APMP. But having worked with them and attended their last two conferences I must say I am very impressed with the organization.
For those already on the task force I will be contacting you in the next few days. For those that would like to help improve the ability for costs to reflect actuals please send me an email and get on this task force.
The charter of this task force follows:
- 1. Statement of the Issue.
There are often large differences between an offeror’s proposed cost and the Government’s realistic or Most Probable Cost. This task force will involve Government and Industry Cost experts to discuss/brainstorm possible reasons. It may require discussing or mapping each other’s processes to determine where these disconnects may be.
- 2. Goal of the Task Force Effort.
- To identify disconnects between offerors’ approaches in developing cost proposals and the Government’s approach to evaluating cost proposals (including performing realism analysis and developing Most Probable Cost).
- To minimize differences between the proposed cost and the Government’s Most Probable Cost that is due analysis approach differences (e.g., Government point estimate or a 50% probability approach vs. an offeror’s 10% best case approach.)
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
The Future of Software Analysis Measurement Webinar Featuring Bill Curtis, David Herron and Dan Galorath
We have some exciting events coming up this month with the first: The Future of Software Analysis and Measurement on October 12, 2011. I am really excited to share the virtual podium with Bill Curtis, Senior VP and Chief Scientist of CAST Corporation and with David Herron, David Consulting Groups VP of Knowledge Solution Services as moderator.
Bill and I both spoke at a software engineering conference last year and I got very excited about his work in software analysis with CAST. Besides Bill being an engaging speaker his content was very illuminating, covering issues of existing software, its complexity and reliability. He ev!–more–
en showed the number of latent defects in software of various languages. I have greatly summarized some of the a href=http://www.galorath.com/wp/software-defects-in-fielded-software-cast-analysis.phpsoftware defect conclusions /aelsewhere on this BLOG and CAST has been instrumental in recognizing and quantifying the a href=http://www.galorath.com/wp/500-billion-it-debt-for-deferred-maintenance.phptechnical debt/a
And with David Herron, one of the most knowledgeable people in the measurement community, this should be a do not miss event.
Details of the event follow as does a link to signup. Hope you can make it.
blockquotestrongThe Future of Software Analysis and Measurement/strong
October 12, 2011 8:00am Pacific, 11:00am Eastern, 4:00pm London
a href=http://www.castsoftware.com/news-events/event/future-of-sam?gad=glrClick this Webinar Link to sign up/a
Join us on October 12th to hear from an exciting lineup of experts on the Future of Software Analysis and Measurement: Dan Galorath, President CEO of Galorath Inc and Bill Curtis, SVP Chief Scientist, CAST will have an engaging discussion moderated by David Herron, VP, Knowledge Solution Services, David Consulting Group.
These industry veterans will share experiences with 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.
The panel will provide insightful and actionable steps that will make an immediate impact on your strategy including how to:
• 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/blockquote
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
Measurement and Providing Value to the Business ISMA Keynote 2011
Here is a copy of my keynote talk at the 2011 ISMA measurement conference, Measurement and Management and Business Value. The real point is the IT and measurement personnel have the information, knowledge and skill set to provide value to the business, far beyond the costs generate. But the information needs to be communicated in terms leaders can understand rather than the techie language we all think and speak in… AND if IT starts showing how it contributes to the business and becomes a profit center instead of a cost center IT will get more money to apply to more valuable things.
UPDATE: Someone also asked for a reference communicating the language of management. I believe this publication on business case analysis to be helpful in that regard.
PS In my talk I referred to software and measurement people as geeks. To many the term geek is a source of pride. One person in the talk was offended by being called a geek. My sincere apologies. However modern vernacular often defines a geek as a lover of technology, a software developer or someone with an intense love of mathematics. I consider myself a geek. And my friend Paul Glen makes his living by “leading geeks.”
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
Controlling Software Projects: Development Is Only Job One: Chicago SPIN Nov 12 2009
Dan will be speaking at the Chicago SPIN on November 12, 2009 on the topic of controlling software projects. Estimation, planning, control, metrics, and maintenance for a total ownership cost view will be discussed.
The presentation is here: Chicago SPIN November 2009 Galorath Presentation Controlling Software Projects Development Is Only Job 1
PS Dan looks forward to his short visit to Chicago, his home town. And is going to carefully avoid pizza, hot dogs, and Italian beef while he is there.
The flyer follows:
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
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, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
SEER Users Seminar In EL Segundo, October 8, 2009
I just had the opportunity to review the agenda for this one day, no-cost seminar. I was very impressed.  Be sure to sign-up today if you can make it.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
Practical Software Measurement Conference June 22- Orlando
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Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
Dan Speaking at Detroit CAI Seminar
I will be speaking on estimating process yielding project success at the Computer Aid Seminar in Detroit On April 30, 2009.
My message will be that spending time on estimation and planning yields more successful projects and fewer project surprises. And I will go through the 10 step process. Additionally I will introduce Galorath’s estimation maturity model.
I am excited to speak along with Ed Yourdon, Larry Dribin, and CAI’s Bob Longhorn.
It should be a great event. I have participated in these with Larry and Bob in the past, and I am a lifetime fan of Ed.
I believe we will be doing the same genre in Toronto later in the year.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
Estimating United Conference Papers Available On the Web
Follow this link to see some of the estimating united papers. it was a great conference, full of useful information. Talks encompassing cost estimating (cost estimation), value engineering, product design, software, and more.
And thanks again to all the speakers and attendees as well as the hospitality of the Manchester United Football (soccer) club. And the Galorath staff whose diligent efforts made this a great success. Presentations will be available for all to download for the next few months, then will be available as part of the Galorath corporate library.
Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
How Intuit Controls Software Innovation With TSP and Agile
They have been using TSP for the last 5 years on Quickbooks. As an example, Quickbooks has a 15 year old codebase and was originally designed for smaller businesses. But it became the number one accounting software for midmarket businesses as well, generating requirements that were never dreamed of in its original small business design. The team said, “It is the wrong product for mid market businesses.” But they were wrong. They then used this customer driven invention to add in items they would have included initially, had they identified the midmarket as a target initially… For example they reengineered to handle multi-currency.
TSP helped them actually run AHEAD of schedule with less than .6 defects per ksloc. Normal Quickbooks development  is about 2 defects per ksloc.
Agile
Intuit also uses Agile approaches when “Customer requirements are changing or not known.” In these situations they apply Agile. For example TurboTax may have a question that hasn’t been answered.
2 Person team invented the concept called “live community.” They put into the product itself the ability for customers to both ask and answer the questions.   Team did agile with 3 week releases. They road tested it in front of customers. Now on the right hand side of all 20,000 screens are the questions to be asked and answered.Â
Sometimes users made comments as well as answers…Â Â Â People can also follow threads and add more comments.
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Thank you for reading “Dan on Estimating”, if you would like more information about Galorath’s estimation models, please visit our contact page, call us at +1 310 414-3222 or click a button below to ask sales questions, sign up for our free library or schedule a demo.
Project Prediction Infographic
