About Us

Welcome to AgileBenchmark

We are passionate about empowering organizations to excel in (agile) software development. AgileBenchmark brings over 25 years of unparalleled expertise in IT optimization and agile transformation. Our goal is to enable businesses with data-driven solutions that enhance performance, reduce costs, and maximize value delivery.

Our Story

The story of AgileBenchmark is one of specialized expertise meeting a clear market need in the evolving world of agile software delivery.

AgileBenchmark is a relatively new specialized consultancy founded by Drs. Harold van Heeringen, a recognized expert with more than 25 years of deep experience in IT metrics, application development & maintenance measurement, cost estimation, output-based contracting (notably aligned with the Dutch NPR 5333 standard), and software benchmarking.

After decades of working in the field — including senior roles where he developed and applied fact-based measurement approaches in large-scale IT environments — Harold identified a persistent gap: many medium-to-large organizations adopting or scaling agile were still struggling with true transparency, objective performance insights, and data-driven decision making around cost, speed, quality, productivity, and value delivery regarding their software development function.

Subjective opinions, vendor promises, and traditional metrics often fell short in complex, multi-team, multi-supplier agile settings.

This realization led to the creation of AgileBenchmark as an independent consultancy firm dedicated to bridging that gap. The company combines Harold's long-standing knowledge of parametric models, industry benchmarks, and agile-specific measurement techniques into a focused, client-centric service offering.

Our Mission Statement

Our Mission Statement is: "Empowering you to drive sustainable application development success with data-driven insights. AgileBenchmark transforms agile uncertainty into enterprise mastery by providing fact-based benchmarks, parametric models, and actionable insights that enhance cost efficiency, speed, quality, productivity, and value delivery—enabling medium and large organizations to measure, optimize, and excel in software value delivery with absolute transparency."

Our Vision

Our vision is: "Sustainable, high-performing software development as the standard for every enterprise—enabled by objective benchmarks and insights that eliminate uncertainty forever."

Our Core Values

Our core values are:

Expertise
Decades of hands-on experience in agile application development and maintenance measurement, metrics, estimation and benchmarking, delivering proven, practical mastery to every client engagement.

Transparency
Fact-based, evidence-driven insights and open communication—building trust through complete visibility into performance, costs, and outcomes.

Integrity
Uncompromising honesty, independence and ethical guidance in every recommendation, benchmark, and partnership—doing what's right, always.

Innovation
Pioneering cutting-edge methods, parametric models, and data analytics to tackle the toughest software delivery challenges and unlock breakthrough performance.

Partnership
Collaborating shoulder-to-shoulder with clients as true allies—co-creating sustainable success, shared goals, and lasting value.

Why Choose AgileBenchmark?

We stand out by combining technical precision with a client-first mindset. Whether you’re optimizing agile teams, assessing contract value, or improving process maturity, Harold’s personalized consultancy advice drives results. Our track record speaks for itself, with clients experiencing enhanced transparency, efficiency, cost savings, and ROI.

Get in Touch

Ready to transform your IT landscape? Contact us today to discuss how AgileBenchmark can support your journey.

Our Founder: Harold van Heeringen

With more than 25 years in the field, Harold is a recognized expert in many services in the application domain. He is President of Nesma, a not-for-profit organization governing one of the standards for functional size measurement and a knowledge platform for software cost estimation, and he is a Board member of the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group (ISBSG). He has worked for over 10 years as the lead of the metrics desk of Sogeti, an international IT services provider, part of Capgemini, after which he became Senior Consultant and, from 2020 onwards, Principal Consultant at Metri, an IT management advisory.

In his career, Harold has built up extensive experience in (not limited):

• Agile Team Benchmarking

• Software Cost Estimation (ICEAA Software Cost Estimation Certified)

• Contracting Support (NPR5333 compliant)

• IT Contract Benchmarking

• Process Maturity Assessment

• Requirements Quality Analysis

• Value Delivery Assessments

• Functional Size Measurement (Nesma and COSMIC certified expert)

• Other IT Consultancy

His hands-on approach, knowledge, expertise, and deep industry knowledge ensure clients receive practical, impactful solutions.