Scope Management - IT Project Governance

"Minimising the risk software development investments" 

Total Metrics are on the Government EServices panel for preferred suppliers who provide consultancy services as software project Scope Managers. We provide objective sizing, cost estimation and ongoing independent monitoring of your software development project. Using the Victorian Governments recommended SouthernSCOPE methodology, combined with our metrics and software development experience, to provide expert and independent:

• Assessment of project estimates of effort, cost and duration, based on project size and industry productivity figures  

Client Benefit : Top down approach to estimation is a reality check to ensure that the project can feasibly be delivered within projected timeframe and budget

• Predictions of effort by phase breakdown, ie, estimates of effort and costs to complete the functional specifications based on functional size and industry phase profile

Client Benefit: Enables the client to evaluate supplier proposals to develop the functional specification and to budget accordingly

• Assessment and verification of supplier's fixed price proposal based on the ‘dollar per function point’ industry comparison.

Client Benefit: independent evaluation of the supplier's price for implementing within the proposed environment

•  Identification of each User Requirement, catalogued, classified for complexity and assigned a weighting and size in function points.

Client Benefit: Fully traceable auditable list of functions for later verification to ensure delivery of software that meets the clients needs. Audit and review of completeness, understandability and consistency of requirements. Puts a commitment on the business users to get requirements ‘right’ before proceeding

• Assessment and verification of supplier's proposed delivery date using industry data based predictions of expected duration based on project size.

Client Benefit: Independent evaluation of the feasibility of the suppliers anticipated implementation date

• Experienced input into the Pricing Model and Change Management Model to be developed for the project

Client Benefit: Assist client and supplier to come to agreement on how changes will be measured and the pricing structure based on the size of impacted functionality. Ie, dollars to be paid per function point impacted at progressive stages of the project

• Quantification of the size of the proposed software product and an evaluation of risk of failure based on project size.

Client Benefit: Project risk increases exponentially with project size. Provides an independent industry prediction of potential risk

• Quantitative mapping of supplier's solution to functional specification.

Client Benefit: Quantifies the ‘fit’ of a proposed solution to the original requirements. Quantifies proportion of extra functionality, functionality omitted, functionality delivered by a package, functionality that needs to be customised or built. This enables a full objective evaluation of the supplier’s solution

• Traceable - quantified list of agreed functional requirements for ongoing scope management.

Client Benefit: Provides traceability if a dispute arises on what is ‘in’ and what is ‘out’

• Quantification of Client Change Requests based on size of impact, for input into pricing negotiation

Client Benefit: Puts client in control of being able to assess price of change requests prior to submission to the supplier and know they are being fairly charged for their required changes

• Re-evaluation of supplier estimates when project scope (functional size) changes.

Client Benefit: Independent prediction of new project schedules and costs resulting from scope creep or requirements change

• Quantitative monitoring of project status using an ‘earned’ value type of reporting. Ie, report the amount of functionality delivered, versus functionality planned to be delivered, within each reporting period. Bases project status reporting on the amount of product delivered to each stage of completeness. These contrasts with traditional approaches of monitoring status based on resources and schedule consumed.

Client Benefit: It provides the client with detailed objective knowledge about which functions of their software have been developed to what stage. Provides visibility of project status to the client and early warning of project slippage

• Quantification and mapping of functionality implemented versus functionality contracted to be delivered for input into final payment negotiations.

Client Benefit: At project implementation the client is in a position to verify against the traceable list of requirements , which functions have been satisfactorily delivered. Quantifying the functionality enables objective discussions on payments due

• Assistance with project metrics to collect, analyse and report, that are consistent with standards set by the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG).

 Client Benefit: At project implementation Total Metrics can assist in data submission to the ISBSG repository and provide an independent assessment of the projects productivity and quality

 Functional size measurement performed by internationally certified consultants using ISO/IEC 20296 IFPUG Functional Size Measurement Method.

 All measures are auditable, transparent to client and supplier and independently determined without bias. The traceability, auditability and independence are invaluable input into any potential dispute resolution

 The outcome of these services is to ensure that the scope and status of the project is visible to the client and that at all times they are in control of the project outcomes.

 

The Total Metrics consulting effort charged for each of the above activities is determined by:

- the size of the project,

- the number of changes and their impact to the to project scope during the development,

- which Project Governance Activities we are asked to perform.

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