Galorath

““When you use a parametric model like SEER, you reduce uncertainty by deconstructing the project into smaller, well-defined components; the cost estimate of which can be more readily critiqued by the technical and program management staff,””

““I find SEER easy to use and intuitive.””

““The SEER tools are equally strong at estimating both software and hardware costs. They do a thorough job of enabling the analyst to deconstruct the system into smaller elements,””

““When we have direct access to design data, an estimate of an entire airframe, which now takes several weeks, should be available in about two days,” says Tom. “A design trade estimation with ten different designs, each with different materials and parts, will be in an hour, rather than an hour for each iteration.””

““We need a cost characterization interface that will automatically apply the majority of the mundane cost characteristics, such as length, width, and material thickness,” Tom says. “Then analysts will be free to concentrate on the 10 percent of the parts that require some fine-tuning and judgment.””

““That job would have taken at least one day using the previous method,””

““Besides saving time, the new approach makes it possible to consider more design parameters and search a much larger historical database than is practical with the manual approach.””

““Once the new cost estimation process is fully implemented, we expect to save up to 400 hours per month on proposals, trade studies, and engineering change proposals (ECPs),””

“SEER has provided us a factual foundation on which we can engage in negotiations. It provides a level of knowledge and confidence that allows us to have better and more productive conversations with our potential suppliers.”

“We were able to understand the cost implications of design alternatives at every point in the development cycle.”

“SEER enables detailed discussions on cost reduction options with an actual cause and effect relationship. No tool we have worked with has been nearly as effective as SEER,”

““Investing in SEER-SEM has paid off with large dividends,” Ono concluded.”

““We’ve used SEER-SEM to estimate costs for several projects, and the estimates have been well-received. Though not all projects are complete, it’s clear that this structured approach is a substantial improvement over our previous methods.””

““Using SEER-SEM, we save significant time and no longer rely on a few highly experienced individuals. The process is open, collaborative, and easier to explain to customers,” Ono said.”

““The transparency allows easy adjustments and collaboration, leading to more accurate and acceptable estimates.””

““SEER-SEM transformed our cost estimation process,” said Warren Ono, Systems Engineer at Veridian. “By gathering project information and entering parameters, we quickly generate detailed cost estimates.””

“It gives us back power, the power to know how much something is really worth,” states Saha. “Cost is what it really takes to make the product while price is what the customer is willing to pay. In the past, these two have not exactly matched up.”

“I had a relatively new user tell me he had set up a trade study in SEER-MFG and was able to do 15 other trades that same day, whereas in the past, it would have taken him a day to do each one. He was thrilled,”

“SEER-MFG with the Aerostructures (CAI) Plug-in was at the heart of our cost evaluation on the F-35,” stated Saha. “Assessments of cost for assembly and composite operations came out of the plug-in, and it provided the totalness and versatility that is required in aerospace engineering that was not available before.”

“We knew that standardizing on a tool would facilitate communication, keep everyone on the same page, and avoid a lot of conflicts”

““I know that I will never have enough resources to accomplish everything requested of IT, so I see SEER giving me the intelligence to spend IT dollars as strategically as possible, and that’s a competitive advantage for TASC.“”

““The data also helped us learn about the complexity of the functions we’re developing and gain a better understanding of our risk analysis throughout the Software Development Life Cycle.””

““All that data is being captured in SEER today and we had no way to obtain that data before,””

““Not only are we faster at delivering the estimates, we no longer need to have our best and most costly resources spending time on the estimation process. We’re now able to empower our Project Managers to take over that role.””

““Our goal is to be able to measure our results, so we can clearly understand the impact of our actions and demonstrate the value we are contributing to the organization,””