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ROI Case Studies

QSM software intelligence turns tough challenges into measurable business value

Global Transportation Company Standardizes Estimation and Cuts Re‑baseline Costs by 90%

Outcomes at a Glance

  • 90% reduction in the cost of re‑baselining out‑of‑scope projects
  • Improved early‑stage estimate precision, leading to better budgeting and delivery predictability
  • 70+ team members trained in consistent estimation practices
  • 50+ historical projects captured and normalized into SLIM‑DataManager
  • Enterprise‑wide adoption of a quantitative, metrics‑based oversight process

Context

The Enterprise Application Services (EAS) division of a $40B global transportation and shipping corporation supports operations across 220 countries and maintains more than 2,500 mission‑critical applications. Despite this scale, their estimation process was fragmented and inconsistent—built on spreadsheets, excessive contingency padding, and “gut‑feel” judgments.
Given the interconnected nature of their applications, even small updates could impact mission‑essential systems. The organization needed a unified, reliable, and scalable estimation process.

Barriers

  • No standardized estimation method across numerous teams
  • Heavy reliance on spreadsheets and subjective judgments
  • Excessive contingency leading to inflated budgets
  • Lack of historical performance data to support fact‑based decisions
  • Mission‑critical interdependencies requiring accurate, early estimates

What QSM Delivered

QSM modernized the EAS estimation process through training, tools, and a formal Estimation Center of Excellence.
Key actions included:

  • Delivering custom training, mentoring, and process consulting
  • Assisting with the creation of an Estimation Center of Excellence Charter
  • Training 70+ end users in SLIM‑based estimation
  • Collecting, validating, and normalizing 50+ historical projects into SLIM‑DataManager
  • Building domain‑specific estimation templates for major application categories
  • Streamlining the estimation business process to align with critical management decision points

As a result, EAS now operates using consistent, quantitative estimation methods. The cost of re‑baselining out‑of‑scope projects has dropped by 90%, internal and external resource planning is far more accurate, and the organization has seen dramatic improvements in budget predictability and reduced schedule disruptions