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ROI Case Studies

QSM software intelligence turns tough challenges into measurable business value

SLIM‑Estimate® Cuts Estimation Time by 2.5 Weeks and Saves $57K Annually

Outcomes at a Glance

  • 2.5 weeks saved on the very first estimate
  • 72 person‑hours saved (~$7,200) per estimate
  • Across 8 estimates per year: 
    • 4.6 months of schedule time saved
    • $57,600 annual cost savings
  • Significant improvement in estimation efficiency and turnaround time

Context

A new customer used SLIM‑Estimate for the first time to size and plan a multi‑year, multi‑million‑dollar financial system. Historically, their estimation workflow required a team of three people over three weeks, drawing heavily on both technical and quality staff, plus additional contributors who provided input along the way. They needed a faster, more efficient, and more consistent method.
QSM provided onboarding support included with the tool license to help the customer adopt SLIM‑Estimate quickly and confidently.

Barriers

  • Slow, labor‑intensive process requiring multiple people
  • No standardized sizing methodology
  • Heavy dependency on manual spreadsheets and cross‑team coordination
  • Difficulty producing multiple alternatives or validating feasibility quickly
  • High cost of internal staff time devoted to estimation

What QSM Delivered

With QSM’s support, one trained estimator completed the entire estimate in three days, requiring only two person‑days of intermittent SME interaction. The analysis included three sizing approaches—Use Cases, High‑Level Function Points, and Analogy—and generated multiple feasible staffing and schedule alternatives.
Key efficiencies achieved:

  • Reduced team involvement from 3 people → 1 person
  • Reduced effort from 3 weeks → 3 days
  • Delivered a complete feasibility analysis with staffing boundaries (40–50 people)

The time savings alone resulted in:

  • 72 person‑hours saved per estimate
  • $7,200 saved per estimate
  • Across eight estimates/year: 
    • $57,600 saved annually
    • 4.6 months of cumulative schedule reduction

These savings do not include additional downstream benefits such as avoiding unrealistic commitments or optimizing business strategies — meaning the real value is significantly higher.