FYI
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Lynch
Sent: Jueves 27 de Marzo de 2003 16:31
Subject: Metrics and Benchmarking Call for Papers


Below is the call for papers from Guest Editor, David Garmus, for the July
issue of the "Cutter IT Journal" on IT Metrics and Benchmarking. Articles
are due on April 21, 2003. We are pleased to offer Journal authors a year's
complimentary subscription and 10 copies of the issue in which they are
published. In addition, we occasionally pull excerpts, along with the
author's bio, to include in our weekly Cutter Edge e-mail bulletin, which
reaches another 8,000 readers. We'd also be pleased to quote you, or
passages from your article, in Cutter press releases. If you plan to be
speaking at industry conferences, we can arrange to make additional copies
of the issue in which you're published available for attendees of those
speaking engagements - furthering your own promotional efforts.

Bruce Lynch
Group Publisher, Cutter Consortium
781.641.5126
blynch@...

________________________________________________________

IT Metrics and Benchmarking: So many ideas and so little success!

IT has become a direct contributor to bottom-line business value. The need
to build systems faster, better, and cheaper is increasingly significant to
the organization. Towards that end, IT is constantly seeking ways to improve
as it manages the increasing scrutiny from senior executives with regard to
how it is spending and IT's return on investment. Organizations require
accurate, detailed data to manage their software business. They need cost
information that permits informed decisions with regard to technology
strategies, effective implementation of architectures, and cost-efficient
resource management. They need to understand their capacity to deliver with
regard to their utilization of methods and tools, effective deployment of
training programs, and potential outsourcing opportunities. Simply stated,
they require business measures based on facts.

IT Metrics

Common IT goals are to deliver software projects on time, within budget and
with high quality. That seems easy to measure, but different levels within
the organizational structure have different goals and objectives and
consequently different measurement needs. What are those goals, and how do
they get measured? Why and how are these metrics needs different both within
an organization and by dissimilar organizations? Are these IT measurement
needs being resolved today?

An effective software measurement program should have both quantitative and
qualitative aspects in order to be complete. Who should be responsible for
determining what metrics should be collected? What metrics would you
recommend and why? What are their benefits versus the ease (cost) of the
collection effort and analysis process?

Some suggestions for article themes around IT Metrics:

*Much has been written about the benefits of software measurement and the
failure of software measurement programs. If software measurement is
beneficial and relatively easy, why don't more companies incorporate
measurement into their development and maintenance practices? Is software
measurement really needed? Who needs it? What are the key metrics? How does
an organization start?

*Are significant benefits of measurement being realized in any IT
organizations today? How and why are they different? What are the goals, and
who is the sponsor? What happens when the IT budget is cut?

*Without a sizing metric, there can be no practical point of comparison. Do
function points fit effectively into a measurement program? Are function
points a better metric than Source Lines of Code (SLOC)? Are there other
sizing metrics? What are the Pros and Cons of each?

IT Benchmarking

The approaches to gathering and/or purchasing IT benchmark data vary
significantly. At a minimum the benchmark data for development, enhancements
and maintenance must be properly aligned with organizational definitions
that govern the collection of data in those same categories. Concerns about
the consistency, accuracy, and integrity of industry data are prevalent. How
can users learn more about the source of the data and how it was collected
and analyzed; can they become smarter shoppers of that data?

The level of interest and the need for industry data within IT has increased
dramatically over the past several years. Two main forces are whetting this
increased appetite for information on IT performance: competitive
positioning and outsourcing. This increased demand has resulted from the
necessity of IT organizations to benchmark their progress and compare their
rate of improvement to an industry standard. The focus on improved
productivity and cost reduction has driven many companies to outsource their
IT activities when faced with the realization that their performance levels
were below par. Can benchmark data be used to properly set service levels
and define improvement goals. Should in-house deliverables be periodically
evaluated against industry trends?

Some suggestions for article themes around IT Benchmarking:

*How can I ensure that the benchmarking data is representative? Has it been
collected in a consistent fashion? Does the data meet standard definitions?
Is it important to know if the benchmark data is reflective of time and
effort that you have assigned to development, enhancements and maintenance?
Where and how do I obtain this data? What can be done to ensure that the
industry data is valid?

*Best-In-Class and Industry Average benchmark values are often provided.
What do those terms mean? How do I use them? Can I use them to guide and
direct process improvement activities? Can they be used to manage and guide
the organization? Can I really measure improvement? What should be
benchmarked?

*Is benchmarking a real waste of time and money? Doesn't the lack of
standard definitions make it difficult to compare apples to apples? Isn't
any organization that is benchmarking their progress, to compare their
delivery rate to an industry standard, going to manipulate the numbers? Who
should participate? Are you really measuring results consistently?

We are inviting articles on the above subjects. We will also consider
articles on other subjects that are related to IT Metrics and Benchmarking.
The deadline for submission of articles is April 21, 2003. Since we have
room for only a limited number of articles, however, it's important that you
contact me as soon as possible with a description of the paper you have in
mind.

Most Cutter IT Journal articles are approx 2,500 - 3,500 words long, plus
whatever graphics are appropriate. If you have any other questions, please
don't hesitate to contact blynch@.... Editorial guidelines are
available at http://www.cutter.com/itjournal/edguide.html.


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