Planning and Supplier Selection

As with every project planning is key to the successful outcome. The requirements that the supplier must fulfil need to be identified, clarified and prioritised to provide a checklist against which Supplier Capability Evaluation (SCE) can be carried out to select the right supplier.

Performance Measures and Targets for Contracts

This is a complex and critical area of the process that drives the project where you can benefit from the use of our expert services to save time and reduce risk. The starting point is always to clearly define exactly what you want the selected supplier to do, how their success is to be measured and agree it with them before the contract is drafted. This should include not only the technical requirements, but also timescales, milestones, budget, contingencies and penalties for any failure to deliver on time. The contract must also outline the duties and responsibilities of both parties.

Performance Measurement – Before Outsourcing

Before an organisation outsources it should measure its performance in terms of productivity, quality, speed of delivery, etc. in order to:

• make comparision with potential suppliers and industry benchmarks
• specify service levels for suppliers to bid against
• agrree appropriate targets with chosen suppliers.

As a result of an SMS Performance Measurement some clients have found that there would be no benefit in outsourcing. Others have found that they were looking at Rolls Royce solutions when they needed a Mini.

Software Size Measures

Measurement of the size of the product to be delivered and problems to be solved drive the predictive models and must be comparable with benchmark data. Historically Source Lines of Code (SLoC) were measured, this has become impracticable as modern applications are vast and employ varied technologies. As a result Functional Size Measures (FSM), often referred to as Function Point Analysis (FPA) evolved to measure size. The three most commonly used methods, which we use, are COSMIC FFP, MkII FPA and IFPUG FPA.

Rapid Application Portfolio Sizing (RAPS)

RAPS is an application of Function Point Analysis (FPA) used to determine a portfolio size in a meaningful and economical way. It can increase an experienced FP analyst's full FPA average counting rate of 500 FP per day to over 5000 FP/day. Most portfolios are larger than 100,000 FP, which could take a man-year without the aid of RAPS.

Estimating

By estimating the functional size, and likely performance of potential suppliers, independent estimates can be developed of:

• cost
• quality
• staffing profiles
• optimum delivery schedule
• impact of delivering in shorter timescales (schedule compression).

There are techniques available for all stages in the planning cycle from earliest requirements through to detailed planning.

Supplier Capabilty Evaluation

The SEI^sm Supplier Capability Evaluation (SCE^sm) is a proven method for gaining insight into the capability of software suppliers. It is a valuable, almost essential, decision-making tool for the management of outsourcing, because it provides an objective view of the relative merits and abilities of competing suppliers.

An SCE^sm provides a means of predicting the most likely outcome of a supplier's next project. In other words, it gives a client a quantitative assessment of the risk involved with the placement of a software contract. Once the contract is awarded, the SCE^sm findings form a sound basis for ongoing risk management by both parties.

Non SEI Appraisals

SMS' proprietary Software Process Evaluations (SMS/SPE) can be used internally or externally to investigate the maturity of certain important process areas.

This method draws on our experience in using both the SEI^sm SCE^sm and various ARC-compliant assessment models. It is based on the continuous model of the CMMI^® which allows the flexibility to concentrate on specific process areas that are considered to be 'high risk' or offer potential high returns on investment. SMS' own evaluation service gives the familiar qualitative evaluation of the CMM^® and CMMI^® Assessments, but also places special importance on the quantitative evaluation of software development and maintenance processes. Appraisals are carefully tailored to fit the circumstances during an initial Scope Study, and are geared towards initiating, expanding or redirecting process improvement activities.