Patent ID: 8311861

Claim:
A computer implemented method for estimating a combined synergy result in a development process, comprising: estimating, by a synergy tracker stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium and executed by a processor, baseline project hours spent during a baseline time period by an adopted software application in support of a non-adopted software application, wherein the non-adopted software application is a redundant application under development that has been selected for phasing out, and wherein the estimated baseline project hours spent by the adopted software application in support of the non-adopted software application equals project hours spent on the adopted software application during the baseline time period multiplied by project hours spent on the non-adopted software application during the baseline time period and divided by project hours spent on all supported project software applications in the development process during the baseline time period; estimating, by the synergy tracker, subsequent project hours spent during a subsequent time period by the adopted software application in support of the non-adopted software application, wherein the estimated subsequent project hours spent by the adopted software application in support of the non-adopted software application equals project hours spent on the adopted software application during the subsequent time period multiplied by project hours spent on the non-adopted software application during the subsequent time period and divided by project hours spent on all supported project software applications in the development process during the subsequent time period; subtracting, by the synergy tracker, the estimated subsequent project hours from the estimated baseline project hours to determine an indirect synergy result, wherein the indirect synergy result illustrates hidden maintenance savings beyond development savings from phasing out the non-adopted application; subtracting, by the synergy tracker, project hours spent in the subsequent time period on the non-adopted software application from project hours spent in the baseline time period on the non-adopted software application to determine a direct synergy result, wherein the direct synergy result illustrates the development savings from phasing out the non-adopted application; and adding, by the synergy tracker, the direct synergy result to the indirect synergy result to estimate the combined synergy result as hours saved to display on a computer.