Top Seven Features to Consider when Choosing an ALM (Application Lifecycle Management) System

Integrated ALM (application lifecycle management) refers to the tools and process of managing software applications across a project’s lifecycle, integrating all aspects of the product as it is being developed. An integrated ALM tool supports smoother lifecycle management with a standardized environment that facilitates collaboration and communication across teams. But not all ALM solutions are created equal. How do you know which one is right for your organization?

Here are seven things to look for when selecting an integrated ALM solution:

1. Requirements management: Managing requirements across the entire lifecycle can be daunting and wrought with frustration. Choose an ALM solution that can store, organize, and filter data and documents across a single project lifecycle and across multiple projects.
2. Project management: Project management can make or break your budget, deadlines, and deliverables. With an integrated ALM tool that offers simple planning features, time management options, and real-time monitoring capabilities, you can track and manage key milestone progress to support highly efficient project management processes.
3. Traceability: Simple traceability is an absolute must-have feature in an integrated ALM tool. Your ability to trace artifacts throughout the project lifecycle is foundational to ensuring compliance with industry standards. Your ALM application should be able to accurately trace up and down with a precise level of detail across your project, identify what is linked with what kind of relationship, and create audit reports with the click of a mouse.
4. All-in-one: The more tools you use across your various processes, the more time-consuming your project—and the more room for error. Look for a tool that offers all-in-one functionality in one unified solution that enables real-time, fully informed reporting and collaboration across your organization.
5. Testing: Using disparate processes to do your testing can cause confusion, leading to costly delays. Your ALM application should allow you to complete your testing activities from a central place without interrupting your existing environment. Look for one that lets you create test cases and link them to your software requirements, instantly and automatically notify your team of testing progress, and share files and work items across the team.
6. Documentation: Your integrated ALM solution should offer one centralized location where you can easily track and manage your documentation throughout the lifecycle of the project. With the ability to see who’s working on what with a single source of truth, you can facilitate real-time collaboration with a seamless flow of information between all relevant parties.
7. Personalization: Regardless of the ALM application you select, no tool will be one-size-fits-all; different users will have different levels of readiness and uses for the tool. Ideally, your integrated ALM solution will offer personalization options specific to individual use and relevance.

 The ALM solution you choose should be able to synchronize the management of all activities and assets across the entire product development lifecycle, helping teams innovate, collaborate, and uncover synergies across distributed teams. At Sterling PLM, we specialize in Polarion, an integrated ALM software program that connects teams and projects and improves application development processes. 

For more information, check out our product lifecycle videos or contact us here.