Course Outline: SLIM Estimate & SLIM Control

GETTING SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT UNDER CONTROL
For Windows a 2 Day Management Workshop

Workshop Summary

You Will Learn About:

Rapid, Practical Ways to Measure the Software Development Process
State of the Art Software Management
How to Develop Viable Project Estimates and Alternatives
How to Optimize Against Targets and Quantify Risk
How to Quantify Progress and Forecast Outcomes in Projects From Early On

Attendance is Recommended For :

Program and Divisional Managers Who Must Minimize Risk Across a Portfolio of Developments
Marketing and Account Managers Who Have to Justify Software Proposals to Both Customers and Developers
Project Managers Seeking the Best Analytical and Reporting Techniques
Acquisition Managers Who Assess Suppliers and Proposals From External Developers
Quality, Process and Methods Managers Who Wish to Quantify the Commercial and Technical Benefits From Process Improvement

COURSE AGENDA

Introduction:

Overview of Methods and Tools
The Link Between Process and Product
Measurement, Estimation and Control

Macro Measures for Management Control:

Quantifying the Process - Productivity Index...Efficiency in Development
Staffing Strategies - Manpower Buildup Index...Time Pressure in Development
Industry Trend Lines - Is Your Plan an Estimate, a Bid, or a Goal?
Size Estimation and Uncertainty

Automating Software Estimation:

The Estimation Model: Phases, Milestones, and Defects
Tools Architecture - User Interface for Intuitive Use and Effective Communication
Required Inputs - Building Your First Estimate
What is the Expected Efficiency of Your Project Team
Management Constraints - What are the Real World Deadlines and Limits
Optimization and Probability of Success

Fine Tuning Your Estimates:

Creating Alternative Scenarios
Trading Off Staff vs Schedule vs Budget
Risk Planning
"Sanity" Checks of Plans vs History
Assessing Alternative Solutions - How Does Each Satisfy My Business Objectives?

Historic Data Analysis:

Using Historic Data Samples
Tuning Factors for Custom Lifecycles
Baselines for Estimation

Estimation Outputs:

Building Presentation Templates - How to Choose the Best Outputs
Making Your Case to Different Audiences
The Role of Politics
Economic Analysis and ROI Calculations
Estimating in Non-Traditional Paradigms
Maintenance vs Development
Advanced Features and Functions

Product Tracking and Adaptive Forecasting:

Software Control Office Concept
Balanced Scorecard of Schedule, Resources, Deliverables and Quality
Project Options and Baseline Plans
Control Bounds and Variance Analysis; Analysis Views
Forecasting Based on Actual Performance; Best Fit Analysis
Options for a Project Which is Slipping

Implementation Issues:

Management Issues
Technical Issues

You Will Get:

Practical understanding through Case Studies and Exercises
Hands On use of the SLIM and SLIM-Control software
A copy of Lawrence Putnam’s book Measures for Excellence: Reliable Software On-Time, Within Budget describing QSM methods