Events, News

LedaMC and Quanter at the ISMA 22 Conference in Madrid

09 October, 2024 | reading 5 min.

The ISMA 22 Conference, organized by the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG), returned to Madrid on October 4th, after a 10-year absence. For LedaMC, it was an honour to actively participate in this event, which was also the first in-person edition since the pandemic. Held at the Crowne Plaza Madrid Centre Retiro, the conference gathered numerous international professionals and software metrics experts from various companies, centered around the theme “IT Value to the Business.”

Sessions focused on how software sizing metrics, particularly those based on IFPUG standards, help companies accurately measure team productivity, application quality, and provide reliable software product estimates—benefits that LedaMC applies daily with its clients.

Smart AI Estimation: Software estimation powered by generative AI

One of the most anticipated moments at the event was the session by our Senior Consultant, Andrés Gutiérrez. In his presentation titled “Smart AI Estimation: Generating function point measurements from natural language requirements using AI”, Andrés showcased how we’ve integrated generative AI into Quanter, our SaaS application for software project estimation.

Quanter AI quickly and accurately converts natural language requirements into effort and cost estimates, which Andrés demonstrated live with real examples. He explained how this LedaMC-developed tool drastically reduces estimation time for project managers: “With Quanter AI, we aim for better estimates in less time, so project managers can focus more on other management tasks.” Citing a recent IBM report, Andrés added, “AI won’t replace people, but people using AI will replace those who don’t.

Quanter has proven its ability to significantly boost team efficiency, allowing junior estimators to multiply their capacity by up to eight times thanks to this application. For us, this represents a major leap in optimizing estimation processes, and having its impact recognized at ISMA 22 reaffirms our commitment to innovation.

LedaMC on the Expert Panel: Software Sizing, Efficiency, and Benchmarking

The day was filled with compelling sessions, culminating in the highly anticipated expert panel featuring Alfonso González, LedaMC’s Account Manager, alongside industry leaders like Luigi Buglione (DXC), Elena Molina (Dedalus Group), and Stavros Pechlivanidis (Deloitte). The panel discussed how software sizing drives innovation, efficiency, and profitability in IT services.

Alfonso highlighted benchmarking as both a strategic solution for decision-making and a preventative tool for avoiding roadblocks: “Companies turn to benchmarking when stuck, but regular use prevents blocks and enables more informed strategic decisions”.

Las distintas intervenciones del panel dejaron claro que, en la actualidad, medir el tamaño y el valor del software no solo es esencial para mejorar la eficiencia, sino que permite a las organizaciones controlar y gestionar sus proyectos con mayor precisión. Como mencionó Luigi Buglione durante el debate, citando a Tom DeMarco: “You cannot control what you cannot measure”, una frase que refleja perfectamente lo que representa la conferencia ISMA 22.

Panelists emphasized that measuring software size and value is crucial not just for efficiency but for precise project control. Quoting Tom DeMarco, Luigi Buglione summarized the conference’s core theme: “You cannot control what you cannot measure”, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of ISMA 22.

Additional Activities: FSSC and Metrics Workshops

The value of the conference extended beyond Friday. Over the weekend, IFPUG offered specialized workshops on software metrics, allowing attendees to delve deeper into Function Points (FPA) and SNAP Points analysis. Certification exams for FPA and SNAP were also held, giving participants the chance to earn internationally recognized credentials, for which LedaMC offers official courses at its Academy.

The Functional Sizing Standards Committee (FSSC), which is the committee in charge of overseeing and updating the international functional sizing standards, also met. Andrés Gutiérrez from LedaMC is part of this committee, which places us at the centre of the discussions on the future of these metrics and underlines LedaMC’s commitment to the best practices and standards in the industry.

Committed to Metrics and Innovation

In addition, this ISMA 22 conference was sponsored by our application Quanter and its Smart AI Estimation and with an exceptional master of ceremonies, Julián Gómez, Chief Digital Officer of LedaMC and Director of Communication & Marketing of IFPUG, who guided the attendees throughout a day full of learning.

ISMA 22 has undoubtedly been an enriching experience that has offered us the opportunity to share and learn from other professionals and industry leaders and strengthen our presence as a company focused on the optimization of software development processes.

We are already looking forward to the next editions, always with an eye on how we can continue to contribute to the evolution of metrics and the improvement of the IT sector.

Congratulations to IFPUG for another fantastic ISMA conference and see you at the next one!