Quantitative Software Management, Inc. (QSM), a leader in software process improvement and systems development estimation, today announced SLIM Suite 8.2, which, for the first time, provides the ability to perform enhanced top-down estimation for capacity planning.
Unlike other resource demand management tools that rely on bottom-up estimates, QSM is the first in the industry to provide detailed resource breakdowns, utilizing a more accurate top-down approach. Top-down estimation accounts for even the unpredictable aspects of IT project implementation that a bottom-up approach does not, such as unrealistic project goals, miscommunication among team members and rework, which may account for up to 60% of the total effort on a project. This will allow project managers to more confidently choose the project team and assign the detailed tasks to the team at hand, improving accuracy for planning and executing successful IT projects while fully utilizing existing resources for individual projects as well as longer term resource capacity planning.
New APIs for this resource information allow organizations to integrate SLIM with the enterprise resource management tools that they are currently using.
In addition to top-down resource demand, other new features introduced with today’s release include:
· Configurable menu items for custom extensions/integrations. All applications in the SLIM Suite now have the capability to call executable programs directly from the SLIM tool, such as resource management tools. Users can add custom utilities to modify estimates, or integrate SLIM data with other tools.
· Greater support for organizations using Agile development methods. New, coordinated Agile templates for SLIM-Estimate and SLIM-Control will now provide customizable settings (milestones, tuning factors, skill configurations, sizing techniques) used in typical Agile environments. QSM also provides a utility to update these settings based on the chosen iteration length.
· Enhanced visual reporting capabilities. Updated reporting capabilities will allow users to see estimation results in multiple formats, including many new chart and graphing options.
“The 8.2 version of SLIM will revolutionize software estimation by making it possible for companies to identify if they have the resources to meet monthly demand” said Larry Putnam, Jr., CO-CEO for Quantitative Software Management. “Not only does SLIM 8.2 offer industry-first capabilities, but some of its new APIs are laying innovative ground work for even more exciting things to come.”
QSM’s SLIM Suite of Tools comprises the industry’s top-performing solutions for estimating, tracking and benchmarking software and design projects by leveraging QSM’s unique and proprietary database of over 10,000 projects. Seven of the top 10 systems integrators in the world rely on SLIM intelligence.
