Capers Jones’
Software Risk Master (SRM)

Estimate all software development
project metrics BEFORE the project begins

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Software Estimation Is Too Subjective

A predictive tool for the early sizing and risk profile analysis of software development projects.

Historically, over 90% of all software projects are underestimated and overbudget.

SRM proactively identifies and quantifies the risk factors associated with this underestimation. Early sizing leads to early risk analysis.

Early risk analysis leads to proactive management. Proactive management leads to control and success.

Finally, effective management of software development projects is possible.

SRM allows you to manage and validate estimates, costs, and risks BEFORE requirements are started.

The first check and balance system that accurately predicts software development results.

How Does SRM Work?

Software Risk Master (SRM) is based on a total of over 27,000 software projects. It is designed to perform very early sizing and estimating before requirements are fully developed. The technology that allows early sizing and estimating is based on "pattern matching" or comparing the key features of the new project to be estimated against similar features from historical projects in the SRM knowledge base.

The inputs that are used for pattern matching are all topics that are known very early in a project’s development cycle and are usually understood by project owners well before total requirements are defined. Among these key topics are:
  • Local team work hours per month;
  • Local patterns of unpaid overtime per month;
  • Local cost structures (salaries, overhead, etc.)
  • Team experience levels ranging from expert to novice;
  • Programming language(s) intended to be used (Java, Ruby, C++, etc.) ;
  • Methodology intended to be used for the project (agile, DevOps, waterfall, etc.);
  • Quality control methods intended to be used (static analysis, inspections, test stages, etc.);
  • Maintenance methods intended to be used;
  • Class (internal or external) and type of software (web, embedded, military, etc.).

Once the new project’s pattern is defined using pull-down menus and multiple choice questions, SRM extracts similar projects from its knowledge base and shows clients the anticipated results that include:
  • Application size in function points and lines of code;
  • Development staffing;
  • Development schedules;
  • Development effort in months and work hours;
  • Costs;
  • Defect potentials or bugs likely to be found;
  • Defect removal efficiency (DRE);
  • Delivered defects by severity;
  • Three years of maintenance and enhancements;
  • Productivity in terms of work hours per function point, lines of code.

SRM estimates normally require less than 10 minutes for users to provide all of the inputs and generate a complete estimate.
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Robust Estimation Tool for Predicting Data Metrics

SRM is an easy and efficient tool for predicting all of the important data metrics that software project managers need to know BEFORE starting software development projects.

SRM predicts early and accurate information on a software development project’s size, schedule, quality, risk profile and cost. Sizing is predicted in Function Points, LOC, and 20 other metrics. Activity based Scheduling includes requirements, design, coding, testing, project management, and normalized productivity. Quality includes potential defects, test prevention and removal analysis, and test case types and scripts. Risk predictions include cost overruns, schedule delays, cyber attacks, and 20 other common risks.

SRM’s Knowledgebase uses pattern matching to predict software development metrics, and includes data from over 27,500 software projects from over 70 industries of all sizes and types, including web applications, systems software, embedded applications, and government and military software.

Why Use Software Risk Master (SRM)

Project Managers need early and accurate information on Software project, risks, size, productivity, and quality. So do Project Management Offices (PMO).

Software Risk Master (SRM) is an easy-to-use tool that can provide very early and very rapid sizing in both function points and lines of code. It is also a full life-cycle estimation tool that predicts project schedules, development costs, quality, and three years of maintenance and enhancements.

Rapid Application Sizing
SRM uses pattern matching and multiple-choice questions to size any application in less than five minutes. Even better, SRM can size applications earlier than any other method. SRM uses IFPUG function points and logical code statements as its default size metrics. But SRM can also size in a total of 23 metrics including story points, use-case point, and many others.

Risk Predictions
Software is a difficult and risky undertaking with far too many cost overruns and schedule delays. SRM includes a powerful risk prediction feature that identifies the odds for some 20 common software risks. SRM can also provide guidance in eliminating or reducing risks of poor quality, canceled projects, and other common software problems.

Development Estimating
SRM includes activity-based costs for major development tasks such as requirement, design, coding, testing, documentation, and project management. The estimate include staffing, schedules, effort, costs, and normalized productivity in terms of function points and lines of code per month. For internal applications SRM can also predict user costs.

Quality Estimating
Finding and fixing bugs is the #1 cost driver for the software industry. SRM includes powerful and accurate quality estimation that shows both the number of bugs that might be found and the costs for defect prevention, pre-test defect removal such as static analysis, and six types of software testing. SRM also predicts numbers of test cases and test scripts.

Maintenance, Support, and Enhancement Estimation
Software costs don't stop when the software is delivered. SRM can predict three years of maintenance (bug repairs), enhancements, and customer support. SRM also predicts the probable numbers of "incidents" that might occur including customer bug reports and customer help requests.

SRM Summary
SRM is an easy to use and rapid tool for predicting all of the important topics that software project managers and software project offices need to know BEFORE starting important software applications. SRM is based on results from some 27,000 software projects of all size and types from over 60 industries: web applications, systems software, embedded applications, and even defense software.

  • We support up to 60 development methodologies
  • Our quality predictions are more complete than any other estimation tool
  • We size earlier than any other method in the world
  • We support 84 programming languages and add new ones every year