SLIM^® is the premiere tool suite for estimation, tracking and benchmarking of software projects. SLIM, which stands for Software Lifecycle Management, is offered by QSM, Inc., headquartered in McLean, VA. For a full description of the SLIM tool suite please visit their web site at www.qsm.com. Many organizations prefer to integrate these tools with their own in-house applications and data repositories. Our unique insight into the SLIM tool suite gives us the ability to provide interfaces that are both creative and cost effective.

The QSM products we interface to include:

• SLIM-Estimate^®, SLIM-Control^®, SLIM-Metrics^® and SLIM-DataManager^®

Your databases, applications and platforms can include:

• Microsoft Excel, Access, SQL Server, Oracle, XML files
• C++, C#, VB.Net, VB 6.0
• Desktop, Web, Mobile platforms

If you are a licensed SLIM user, here are some of the ways we can enhance your SLIM experience.

Automated Data Entry

Nobody likes to do manual data entry. It is frequently one of the reasons why organizations do not have as robust a metrics collection process as they had hoped for. To overcome this problem we use the QSM API (i.e. application programming interface) to automatically retrieve the required information from your existing in-house data repositories. Information like weekly effort, code counts, defects etc. can be pushed or pulled as needed seamlessly.

Web Data Collection

Sometimes it's just not practical to have users enter information about completed projects directly into the SLIM-DataManager program. Therefore the integrity of your corporate historical database suffers. To make collecting this data easier, a customized web based data entry form can be created. This approach only requires a browser and lets the user supply data for just the dozen or so metrics the organization cares about. Not only is it simpler to collect the data but validation happens right at the point of collection thereby ensuring better quality of information.

SLIM as an Estimation Engine

Some organizations already have a dashboard and project reporting system in place. What they lack is the estimation and forecasting capabilities of the SLIM tools. For these situations we can add the algortihmic power of QSM directly into your applications via the QSM API and other techniques. Integrate the features of the SLIM tools directly into your existing applications seamlessly. Call us to find out how this can be done for you.