About DCG-SMS

“The value you receive should exceed your expectations… 
  we don’t want to waste your money or time.”

– Mike Harris, President and CEO

Information Systems are the critical hub of modern business operations. DCG-SMS provides professional, objective, independent know-how for businesses and public sector managers who need a highly-tuned engine giving the best business performance.

DCG-SMS works with clients to build improved processes, operate those processes, and transfer the know-how and capability to the client team so that they can operate successfully unsupported.

Our engagements are focused, time-boxed interventions designed to save our clients time and costly mistakes.  At the end of a consulting engagement our client will have successfully embedded the processes, skills and tools they need to maximise the value from their IT.

We are leading specialists in quantitative management of software-intensive systems. 

DCG-SMS brings both independence and unsurpassed specialist expertise in the software development process to the changes and challenges you face. Our clients determine the length and focus of an engagement based on incremental delivery of the requirements.Consulting is delivered using Agile methods – challenges are prioritised and addressed in a controlled manner. We measure our own performance by the results delivered to clients. 

DCG-SMS offers services in key areas which support business performance improvement:

  • Vision and strategy
  • Cost and delivery time
  • IT Value
  • Outcome-focused supply and supplier management; Lean procurement practice
  • Effective metrics practice
  • Software Estimation
  • Software measurement
  • Requirements Management
  • Agile
  • Process excellence
  • Process transformation and behaviour change
  • Models and frameworks – appraisals, gap analysis, coaching and mentoring for IT-related quality and capability standards, including  ITIL  and ISO 20000,  ISO 27000 (security), CMMI, SPICE, Automotive SPICE, COBIT, TickIT etc.
  • PMO
  • Project Management

Build your sustainable future on our know-how.

We have been  Specialist Software Development and IT Consulting Providers since 1994. We are the Industry’s leading independent provider of Software Sizing, Metrics, Benchmarking, and Process Improvement.
DCG-SMS was formed when the David Consulting Group (founded 1994) acquired the assets of the SMS Exemplar Group (founded 1994) in September 2012, creating largest independent specialist in software measurement and process management.

The founding genius behind SMS was Grant Rule. Grant  was an internationally recognised authority on measurement and goal-setting for managing IT services, software productivity, predictability and performance. DCG-SMS continues to supply world-class expertise in estimating, requirements, performance management,  value realisation and cost benefit analysis for software development and application management.

Charles Symons, creator of the MkII Function Point method and co-creator of the award-winning and internationally adopted COSMIC FP size measure is a retired director and available by special arrangement for bespoke consultancy on COSMIC.

Many DCG-SMS consultants have contributed significantly to the development of industry standards at both national and international levels. They have been instrumental in establishing not only the ISO standards for functional size measurement (ISO 14143), but also have contributed to creation of the COSMIC FP sizing method (now ISO/IEC 19761:2003). Our team includes a number of IFPUG Certified Function Point Specialists (CFPS), MkII Certified Function Point Counters, and contributors to the Common Software Metrics International Consortium (COSMIC).

DCG-SMS consultants have participated in the Counting Practices Committees of the design authorities for IFPUG FPA, Mark II FPA and COSMIC and worked with the British Standards Institute (BSI) and the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Work Group 12. Currently, the national representatives on ISO WG12 for both the United Kingdom and the Republic Of Ireland operate as DCG-SMS consultants.

DCG-SMS is an active member of Intellect and the NOA. We are contributors to Intellects Guide to Outcome-Based Agreements. Many of the DCG-SMS team present at industry conferences, such as the European SEPG, UK Software Metrics Association, SMEF, ITSMA, Software Best Practices, Process Improvement Forum, NASCOMM, Chinese Process Improvement Conference, ACOSM, IEEE, Agile Edge, BCS and SPIN events.

What’s New

DCG-SMS Webinar: Outcome Based Metrics 9th July 2013. Alan Cameron considers how project metrics need to change to keep pace with today's approaches to applications development.
Register. >>

DCG-SMS Webinar: Contracting for Agile
17th September 2013. Susan Atkinson of Keystone Law considers how the approach to contracting for software needs to change to leverage the business advantages of Agile.
Register >> 

Archive
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Every CIO's Guide to Risk Management
Click here for presentations from the Executive Seminar held at the British Library on 18th April 2012
UNICOM
Click here for presentations from the following events:-
  • Application Lifecycle M'ment Forum
  • Lean & Agile Seminars
  • Enterprise Architecture Forum

  • Business Measurement and Improvement Forum
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