Optimize the Application Maintenance Estimation (AME) Process
Augment your traditional expert estimation with parametric estimation to reduce surprises.
- Application Development Managers have to defend maintenance budgets to executives.
- Often the estimates are based on a single method – expert estimation – instead of also including parametric estimation in the process.
- The result is a variance in estimated and actual budgets caused by varying degrees of scope interpretation by experts who are called upon to estimate.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Having a single expert estimation technique is not enough. You need to include an analytical parametric technique to quickly surface assumptions and have that discussion early rather than having to defend a budget shortfall.
Impact and Result
- Produce a charter that will help you sell an optimized application maintenance estimation process internally for the benefit of the business.
Workshop: Optimize the Application Maintenance Estimation (AME) Process
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
Module 1: Understand the Project Rationale
The Purpose
- To understand why software maintenance estimation is important.
- To determine whether you are ready to embark on an optimization initiative.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Understand the current estimation landscape.
- Conduct a high-level initial gap analysis.
Activities
Outputs
Assess your organization’s readiness
- Readiness assessment
Module 2: Structure the AME Optimization Team
The Purpose
- To determine the right stakeholders for process optimization.
- To establish project governance.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Identify clear roles and responsibilities around the project.
- Determine any resource gaps for project implementation.
Activities
Outputs
Identify key project participants
- RACI chart
Module 3: Analyze the Current AME Process Gaps
The Purpose
To strengthen your current estimation process.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Understand various expert and parametric optimization techniques.
- Determine the appropriate future state.
- Analyze gaps between current and future state.
Activities
Outputs
Draw your current AME flow
- Current state flow diagram (SOP)
Identify business requirements
- Business requirements document
Document future state process
- Future state flow diagram (SOP)
Gap analysis and capability prioritization
- Capability mapping
Module 4: Optimize the AME Process
The Purpose
Validate the optimized estimation model using historic data.
Key Benefits Achieved
Achieve greater confidence by examining variance and examining assumptions in expert estimation.
Activities
Outputs
Validate your estimation model
- Variance between historic estimation and optimized model
Module 5: Implement the AME Process
The Purpose
Conduct an estimation of current projects using optimized model.
Key Benefits Achieved
Both parametric and expert estimation are used for estimation from now on.
Activities
Outputs
Conduct present estimation simulation
- Estimation of current projects
Prepare for rollout
Module 6: Measure Ongoing Value
The Purpose
Ensure ongoing business value through better maintenance estimation.
Key Benefits Achieved
Align metrics with business needs.
Activities
Outputs
Track metrics to determine value over time
- Measurement to keep continual improvement in sight
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 4 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
- Call 1: Evaluate the team structure
You come with your draft project team structure, and we will help you review the structure and discuss governance so that you will have a refined project team structure in place.
- Call 2: Analyze the current AME process gaps
You come with your complete gap analysis, and we will help you identify additional alignment or process gaps for consideration so that you will have a complete gap assessment prior to optimization.
- Call 3: Optimize the AME process and get charter sign-off
You come with your optimized AME process, cost, traceability matrix, and project charter, and we will help you validate the business alignment and provide feedback on your charter so that you will have improved alignment with business needs and an improved charter.
- Call 4: Implement the optimized AME process
You come with your rollout plan and communications brief, and we will help you critically analyze for additional gaps you may wish to consider so that you will be better prepared for the rollout and any possible changes.
Contributors
- Magne Jørgensen
- Capers Jones
- Oktay Turetken
- Valerio Franceschin
- Derya Toka
- Saravanan Mylsamy
Streamline Application Maintenance
Streamline Application Management
