Dan’s 2 Papers At CMMI Conference In Denver Nov 18 & 19

November 13, 2008 · Filed Under General  - 0 Comment(s)

Dan will be giving two papers at the CMMI conference in Denver and will be available for consultation during the Tuesday and Wednesday Nov 18 and 19.

1. Improving Project Planning and Control: A 10-Step Process Within CMMI or other Process Orientations Click Here

 2. CMMI’s Role in Reducing Total Cost of Ownership: Measuring and Managing New and Legacy Software Click Here

1. Improving Project Planning and Control: A 10-Step Process Within CMMI or other Process Orientations

Overview: In a recent study of technology projects, 61% of the projects analyzed were deemed to have failed. More than three quarters overran their schedules by 30% or more; over half substantially exceeded their budgets. The consequences of failed, delayed or over-budget projects can be significant. Companies can miss a window of opportunity, and provide an opening to competitors. Less dire consequences will almost certainly include reduced credibility, increased scrutiny, stringent budget control, high turnover, and sleepless nights. Yet true breakthroughs in project estimation have been few and far between, despite the severe penalties imposed as a result of faulty or incomplete planning.

 

As organizations improve processes, estimation and planning processes along with tracking and control can be the difference between project success and failure. 

 An effective project estimate balances functionality with feasibility. How well does the design address requirements and specifications, and can we allocate or acquire the expertise and staffing required to get the product to market on time and at a reasonable cost? The discussion which follows focuses on how to develop more accurate estimates earlier in the design process, improve and accelerate go/no-go and trade-off decisions, and develop realistic and achievable expectations for project costs, schedules, risks, and resources.

 

The presentation will begin with an examination of why so many projects fail, including:

  • Insufficient up-front planning
  • Projecting effort and timetables based on limited, siloed project data
  • Failure to update the plan and estimates as underlying assumptions change
  • Over or under-compensating for risk and unknowns (padding) with informal and highly individualized “rules of thumb”

Many elements must be weighed and considered in determining the structure of a project: customer requirements and specifications; architecture; quality standards; staffing levels, expertise, and availability. Estimation processes that are integrated with development processes help ensure that project plans are credible and achievable, meet or exceed customer expectations, and support other management activities by providing accurate and timely planning information.

 

What follows is a 10-Step Estimation Process which will enable organizations to: 1) improve the accuracy of project estimates early on, when many variables are unknown or undefined, and 2) ensure that plans and estimates are adjusted and the experience captured as a project moves from design through delivery.

 2. CMMI’s Role in Reducing Total Cost of Ownership: Measuring and Managing New and Legacy Software

 Overview: Most organizations tend to apply the greatest measurement rigor in the early stages of software development and deployment. Software innovation is interesting and exciting, and awareness of cost, schedule, and resource risks is high. And in fact, management should focus on measurement during software development and deployment. But measuring and addressing software performance is equally critical – if not as glamorous – once software has become established and entrenched in an organization. While legacy software doesn’t wear out like a car tire, it can degrade over time with the accumulation of numerous patches, system and configuration changes, provisioning and re-provisioning, integrations, and ongoing software development. Over time, this accumulation of changes can lead to software instability and a significant increase in the cost of maintaining legacy systems – up to four times the cost of initial software development according to some estimates. While CMMI does not specifically call out software maintenance CMMI planning, measurement and control processes can make a significant difference in total ownership cost.  The fact is that pro-active measurement and management (software “well care”) is critical throughout the software lifecycle and can significantly decrease total cost of ownership. In this session we will discuss the art and science of information-based performance measurement throughout the software lifecycle, including design for maintainability, development of measurement criteria, collection of metrics, and industry standards, guidelines, and best practice options.

 

PS Galorath Incorporated will also be at the integrated program management conference in the Washington area next week. 


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.

Related posts:

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  2. Estimating United Conference Papers Available On the Web
  3. CMMI Challenges Being Addressed: Process Is As Process Does
  4. Peaceful Coexistence of Agile Development and CMMI
  5. The Estimate Maturity Model Can Improve Project Success

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