Programming and information technology companies actively adapt to rapid changes in the business industry. With evolving software development lifecycles (SDLC), they have limited time to conceptualize, create, and launch programming products and other projects. Application Lifecycle Management or ALM tools allow these companies to effectively work in such a dynamic business environment, offering benefits like continuous integration, version control, and bug tracking.
ALM is a blanket term for different processes involved in software development, from project management, software testing, quality assurance, and continuous deployment to delivery of IT services to customers.
This encompasses practices like Scrum, Kanban, and other Agile development tools.
This article will provide you with key information to further understand what ALM tools are — what they do, the DevOps tools benefits they bring, and what a good ALM device with effective backlog management and user story features should offer.
Functions of ALM Tools:
Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) pertains to the management of application delivery, from outlining its initial user stories and requirements through to its maintenance and user acceptance testing (UAT). The primary idea is to report and track any progress made to an application throughout its development.
ALM is likewise a crucial component of project management systems. ALM tools provide analytics or insights to the workflow between development teams, supporting branching and merging in the codebase.
These tools are utilized to automate cycles in software development, enhancing continuous delivery.
Unlike other software management tools, ALM software centralizes various controls and processes into a single platform, streamlining collaboration platforms and environment management.
Thus, ALM tools are commonly sold as software suites composed of a few modules or segments, such as requirements management and test management. These modules can be integrated to give a standardized environment that supports business organizations throughout the application lifecycle.
It provides businesses the capacity to manage and track processes in application development, from build automation to release management.
Leading ALM Tools
The following are a few of the leading ALM tools used in the IT industry together with their key features:
Jama Software
Jama Software is the leading solution for risk and requirements management. Its latest ALM tool, Jama Connect, enables automotive development teams to create safety-critical products with improved functionality and lesser risks.
Jama Software allows engineering teams to create and implement test plans that are primarily based on requirements. It helps track progress, and it ensures quality, safety, and compliance by analyzing risks in the process.
Jama Software highlights requirements, tests, and risk management. Its traceability lets the team adapt and respond to rapid changes in requirements throughout the product development cycle, from initial concepts to product roadmaps, which helps improve team collaboration and project outcomes.
Rommana ALM
Rommana Software is one of the leading integrated application lifecycle managers in the market, offering a holistic approach to software development lifecycles (SDLC).
It claims to be the premier ALM tool, with the best requirement tool, and Cloud solution.
Rommana is accessible through Cloud membership, which is a feature akin to continuous integration and deployment, allowing teams to access project data anywhere and anytime.
The most salient features of Rommana are its integration and traceability, through the implementation of key tools such as requirements management, user story tools, change and test management tools, project management, and team collaboration tools.
Microsoft Power Platform
Microsoft Power Platform is a business application platform that offers apps such as Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Virtual Agents, and Azure DevOps to provide business solutions.
These tools aid businesses with an inclusive platform that allows them to increase business productivity, convert concepts into organizational solutions, improve decision-making, and more, emphasizing on continuous delivery and workflow management.
Rational
IBM’s Rational comes up with a full range of software offerings, covering various aspects of the software development lifecycle, that provide technologies that help businesses optimize gains. Numerous leading companies are now utilizing items in this suite such as ClearCase.
IBM Rational items implement both Agile and Waterfall approaches and coordinate with IBM Tivoli to help integration, offering a streamlined environment management.
These revolve around IBM items, thus incorporating various cycles like build automation and release management.
Tuleap
Tuleap presents itself as open-source software for Agile management and DevOps. It offers an integrated platform for project management, issue tracker, and software development tools that help businesses manage software projects and track progress in one solution.
Tuleap can be set up according to preferred disciplines (Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall) and allows development teams to work with different tools such as Git, Jenkins, Eclipse, and so forth. Its advanced technology also features cloud access and backlog management.
Tuleap provides end-to-end traceability of a software project from the initial plan, incorporating branching and merging, up to the delivery.
Polarion ALM
Polarion ALM from Siemens claims to provide a Unified Solution for requirements, coding, testing, and release management to refine workflow and application development processes. The core functionalities of Polarion include team collaboration, requirement traceability, software configuration, and reuse of project data. It also implements Open APIs and software version control integrations to maximize its functions.
Polarion ALM enables businesses to create innovations and adapt to modern software development environments, emphasizing continuous delivery and environment management by providing transparent, real-time solutions.
Salient features of Polarion ALM include change and configuration management, test and quality management, as well as issue tracking and risk management.
CodeBeamer
CodeBeamer is another integrated ALM platform, focusing on software development lifecycles (SDLC). Its core functionalities include requirements management, Quality Assurance, test management, software development, risk management, and branching and merging capabilities.
It offers end-to-end traceability and a unified platform for product development.
CodeBeamer is integrated with tools such as MS Office, JIRA, IBM Rational DOORS, REST API, and other out-of-the-box integrations.
It enables product developers to streamline processes across DevOps lifecycle. Its robust features also allow teams to manage requirements, facilitate workflows, strengthen team collaboration, and analyze risks to ensure regulatory compliance.
Rally Software
Rally Software is an ALM platform from Broadcom that scales agile development practices by design. It aligns development work with key business objectives to produce project outcomes, emphasizing continuous integration and deployment.
It also allows teams to effectively manage dependencies and risks by providing an extensive list of progress and alignment, to aid their decision-making.
Rally Software can be accessed through browsers such as Chrome and Safari, and software like Windows or Linux. This ALM tool aims to aid small to mid-sized organizations with a proper agile framework to optimize business.
Visure
Visure Requirements is a centralized ALM platform for requirement management. It provides environment support to core development processes like risk management, test management, issue tracking, and change management.
This ALM tool captures all elements of requirements management, including item programming, embedded programming, electrical, mechanical and equipment necessities, and project IT development.
Visure is a flexible requirements lifecycle management solution, intended to help clients define, support, and enforce simple to complex requirements processes.
Microfocus ALMÂ / Quality Center
Microfocus ALM provides business groups with a comprehensive ALM platform, integrating features like version control and software configuration, which accelerates the delivery of new software products.
With its requirements management, it’s easier to identify, manage, and track requirements, emphasizing software development lifecycles (SDLC) and work progress throughout the application’s lifecycle.
VersionOne
VersionOne is a centralized platform built for Agile and lean software development, and it focuses on continuous integration and deployment. It allows teams to scale Agile across different levels with its simple to scale, drag-and-drop feature.
VersionOne offers software version control among other innovative features. It provides a more customized interface, prioritizes user stories, and helps identify business targets and potential product issues.
It also provides project outcomes based on business objectives, ensuring continuous delivery. VersionOne unifies all teams and elements in one enterprise Agile platform, controls development processes, and organizes workflows.
Relution
Relution is an ALM tool for mobile app production and software configuration management. It supports leading software platforms such as iOS, Android, and Windows, aligning with software development environments. Overall, this ALM tool offers branching and merging capabilities and is easy to use.
It secures smartphones and tablets by providing restrictions on application access. Being compatible with iOS, Android, and Windows platforms, it emphasizes environment management, improving efficiency and product quality.
Micro Focus
Micro Focus, after its strategic move with HP Enterprise, positioned itself among the giants in the software development lifecycles (SDLC) landscape. Micro Focus offers tools that integrate with software development environments.
Micro Focus ALM is integrated with Lean, Agile, and DevOps software tools, streamlining software development processes to accelerate software development.
This ALM tool, emphasizing software configuration, provides small to large-scale businesses with fast, secured, and predictive digital transformation solutions. Originating from Mercury’s design, HP’s acquisition paved the way for its final home at MicroFocus.
Micro Focus delivers applications with speed and quality.
It ensures continuous integration and boosts collaboration and business productivity. It offers software version control, provides support, visibility, and out-of-the-box integrations for the application lifecycle. It further emphasizes issue tracking and ensures successful administration.
SwiftALM
SwiftALM is a product lifecycle management software that offers innovative features for managing traditional to Agile product development projects within the software development lifecycles (SDLC) in the Global Delivery Model.
With software version control among its offerings, its key features also include advanced search and analytics, emphasizing continuous integration, which help improve business productivity, product quality, and work performance.
Swift ALM facilitates resources, controls development processes, organizes projects, and emphasizes branching and merging by restricting access to plans and reports. It has integrated support for Agile and Scrum software development environments, offering continuous delivery.
It also has a flexible application structure to support various end-users. Lastly, it ensures software configuration and provides advanced search and analytics technologies to enhance business productivity, product quality, and software delivery.
Helix ALM
Helix ALM helps business organizations streamline software development lifecycles (SDLC) and deliver quality products with speed and mitigated risk, emphasizing environment management.
Thanks to its feature modules dedicated to requirements management (Helix RM), test case management (Helix TCM), and issue management (Helix IM) for effective issue tracking, these modules provide the software its exceptional end-to-end traceability.
The latest key features of Helix ALM introduce improved software version control, and flexible reporting options to Microsoft Excel. It also comes with an upgraded version of Helix ALM Web, focusing on continuous integration, which allows users to edit, attach, and export Helix ALM data.
JIRA Software
JIRA Software from Atlassian is a notable ALM tool built for agile software development teams.
With a spotlight on continuous delivery and environment management, it allows them to plan, track, and release software products. JIRA provides substantial planning features such as Scrum and Kanban, ensuring software configuration flexibility in creating plans that align with business objectives.
JIRA, emphasizing software version control, is one of the leading ALM tools used by various business groups.
It enables users to create stories, track issues, build plans, manage projects, organize workflows, release quality products with confidence, export Jira to google sheets, and improve team performance with visual data. JIRA equips software teams with innovative tools to enhance their development workflow and assist them with other tasks using Jira templates for tickets.
SpiraTeam
SpiraTeam is another ALM tool that specializes in requirements, projects, tests, and software configuration management.
It allows development teams to manage a project from requirements, user stories, test cases, Quality Assurance, emphasizing branching and merging, and bugs.
Code Review Bundle
Code Review Bundle is a set of code inspection tools that aid in the understanding of programmer’s decisions, focusing on software version control and improvement of the project code quality within the software development lifecycles (SDLC).
Code Review Bundle integrates with Visual Studio and emphasizes branching and merging. It offers features like code folding and files merging, aligning with software configuration needs. It also improves the code base through comments and continuous integration discussions.
Panaya Release Dynamix
Panaya Release Dynamix (RDx) is a cloud ALM solution aiming to assist IT organizations with continuous delivery of innovation and real-time application changes while meeting business objectives, ensuring a seamless software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Release Dynamix allows organizations to visualize and manage the whole application lifecycle, facilitating software configuration.
This enables them to adapt to complex IT environments by rapid delivery of changes from conception through validation, emphasizing environment management. It also permits them to innovate with reduced risks.
Target Process
Target Process is a visual ALM tool that crafts Agile software and incorporates over 60 applications through the Integration Hub. These applications, aligned with software version control, include GitLab, GitHub, Bitbucket, Microsoft Project Server, Jenkins, JIRA, VersionOne, Blueprint, IBM Rational Quality Manager, Ansible, Puppet, and Salt.
Target Process, supporting continuous integration, is accessible through Android and iOS gadgets, allowing clients to monitor their progress, strategize, and tackle issues directly from their mobile devices.
DevSuite
TechExcel’s DevSuite is an integrated ALM software, simple to use, and emphasizing software configuration. DevSuite’s tools can either operate independently or integrate with other utilities for better traceability within software development environments. TechExcel’s devices also support Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft Access databases, catering to software version control needs. The product oversees all application processes.
DevSuite, focusing on branching and merging, boasts adaptability to various product development types. It enhances project and portfolio management of diverse product development projects, integrating continuous delivery principles.
It elevates product quality with full traceability, overseeing multiple workflows, and issue tracking, detecting any defects. Moreover, it’s versatile and provides an enhanced perspective on product development.
Planview Leankit
Planview Leankit is a Kanban software tool that empowers teams with better visualization of work and processes, aligning with continuous integration, to effectively implement Lean management principles, thus boosting work productivity and delivery. Aside from online Kanban sheets, it features real-time work status, customized interfaces, cross-team collaboration, testing, and enterprise integrations.
FAQs about ALM tools
What’s the big deal about ALM tools anyway?
Well, in the crazy world of software development, ALM tools are like the swiss army knife! They oversee the entire application lifecycle – from conception to grave.
It’s all about making the journey of creating and maintaining software smoother. Think about them as the backbones of software development lifecycles. Without them, things would be pretty chaotic.
How do ALM tools differ from regular project management tools?
Alright, here’s the scoop: while project management tools focus on tasks, deadlines, and resources, ALM tools are tailored for the software realm.
They integrate software version control, branching and merging, and even continuous integration into their functionality. So, they’re more like the nerdy cousin of project management tools, specializing in software stuff.
Why are there so many ALM tools out there?
Man, software development is like a massive puzzle, and everyone has their unique way of solving it. Different teams have different needs, and that’s why there’s an ALM tool for almost every flavor of software development, be it Agile, Scrum, or environment management focused.
Plus, the tech world LOVES innovation. So, there’s always something new around the corner.
Can I use multiple ALM tools together?
Totally! In fact, many teams do. They might use one tool for issue tracking, another for software configuration, and yet another for continuous delivery.
As long as they can talk to each other and integrate well, you’re golden. It’s like having multiple chefs in a kitchen, each with their expertise.
Is it tough to transition from one ALM tool to another?
Ah, the age-old switcharoo! Well, it can be tricky. Transitions involve migrating data, adapting to a new interface, and ensuring software development environments are in sync.
But many tools have import/export features, and there are experts out there who specialize in these transitions. Just gotta roll with the punches!
How do ALM tools support Agile methodologies?
Great question! ALM tools are all about flexibility and quick adaptability, just like Agile. They support branching and merging, backlogs, sprints, and user stories.
Plus, with features focused on continuous integration, they’re all set to ensure teams can iterate fast and release even faster.
Are ALM tools just for large enterprises?
Nope! While big corporations with complex projects might get the most out of the advanced features, even smaller teams or startups can benefit.
There’s a variety of tools tailored for different team sizes. It’s not about the size; it’s about the fit.
How often should we update our ALM tool?
Well, just like how we should regularly update our phones or apps, keeping your ALM tool up-to-date ensures you’re not missing out on any cool new features or essential security patches. Plus, with the tech world always evolving, especially in software configuration and management, it’s a good practice to stay in the loop.
Do ALM tools help in quality assurance?
Absolutely! Quality assurance is a massive part of the software game. Many ALM tools come packed with features for testing, issue tracking, and ensuring that the end product is bug-free. They’re like the guardians of product quality, making sure everything is top-notch.
What happens if my ALM tool provider goes out of business?
Yikes! Not a fun scenario, but it happens. First thing – don’t panic. Data migration is possible. And, given the importance of software development lifecycles, there’s always another tool ready to take the baton. Just ensure you have backups, remain agile, and stay adaptable.
Ending thoughts on these ALM Tools
We’ve now furnished you with a distilled list of premier ALM tools, vital for software configuration and software development lifecycles.
Time and effort, intertwined with continuous delivery practices, are pivotal to tap into the full spectrum of functionalities that ALM software suites have in their arsenal. As the tech landscape evolves, there’s an amplified urgency for organizations to gravitate towards a unified ALM tool, ensuring streamlined environment management.
One of the most constructive strategies to pinpoint the ideal ALM tool for an enterprise hinges on crafting a use case. In architecting this, an enterprise must delineate a lucid blueprint of its business objectives, meshed with branching and merging nuances, existing hitches, and looming hurdles in software version control.
If you enjoyed reading this article on the best ALM tools, you should check out this one about software development budgets.
We also wrote about a few related subjects like how to hire a web developer, how to write an RFP, hiring a web development team, application lifecycle management and web development companies in Serbia.
With over a decade in the tech field, Bogdan blends technical expertise with insights on business innovation in technology.
A regular contributor to TMS Outsource's blog, where you'll find sharp analyses on software development, tech business strategies, and global tech dynamics.
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