Here it is

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) provides a process defining structure for creation or acquisition, sustainment and controlled destruction of data systems and software throughout their operational lifetime, (TechTarget, 2011).  ALM tools provide the framework for organizations to develop, test and manage new software with standardized best development and security processes and references to industry standards.  This platform is an essential part of tracking progress and providing procedural analysis for application development.  “By zeroing in on the individual tasks, developers are better suited to track their progress, make adjustments as needed and, ultimately, speed up the development cycle,” (TechTarget, 2011).  An effective ALM platform will improve an organization’s developmental efficiency, security, quality and consistency.  It is due to this overall improvement in efficiency of process that enables organizations to acquire the necessary agility to meet the evolving needs of their clients, (Business Software, 2016).  If utilized to its fullest potential, ALM tools will provide your organization with necessary competitive edge to be a known and trusted leader within the financial arena.  The best suited product to accomplish this end state is IBM Rational Solution for Collaborative Lifecycle Management.

IBM is a consistent leader within the ALM product industry as well as in software design.  IBM Rational solution for Collaborative Lifecycle Management provides ALM services with an emphasis on collaboration.  This product is adaptable and can functionally coexist with a majority of the related industry products on the most prominent operating systems including AIX, Linux, Solaris, Windows, IBM I and z/OS.  It is comprised of three cohesive platforms: Rational Team Concert, Rational DOORS Next Generation and Rational Quality Manager.  “Rational Team Concert is a software development collaboration tool which enhances team collaboration, provides high visibility into project activities and team progress, and facilitates planning and execution,” (IBM, 2016).  Rational DOORS Next Generation facilitates traceability and transparency by providing a single server or web client repository, (IBM, 2016).  “Rational Quality Manager provides a secure environment for test planning, construction and execution,” (IBM, 2016).  This product is also backwards compatible with all former IBM ALM platforms and applications and is equipped to support all associated legacy applications.  The integrated “Jazz Team Server application utilizes a standard authentication, authorization, and permission mode, while the application uses a set of predefined roles that are assigned to users, (Beard, S., 2014).  This ALM platform allow for separation of duties with the lowest level of required access assigned while the server remains accessible to only to network users with designated privileged access providing a two tier approach to denying unauthorized access.  “If a user fails to authenticate by providing a valid user ID and password, the server rejects the request without the request ever reaching the application,” (Beard, S., 2014).

Opportunities for improvement lie within the complexity of platform administration and financial acquisition.  While tenured personnel with experience working with legacy IBM ALM platforms may be well equipped to utilize this software, personnel with limited knowledge of IBM systems may require additional training to attain proficiency.  IBM does offer training seminars, virtual classes and direct support, but this often times will incur an additional fee.  “Installation and management costs can be reduced by opting to utilize the vendor’s cloud-based solutions” (Wilson, N., Duggan, J., Murphy, T., Sobejana, M., & Hershmann, J., (2015) over physical servers.

Your organization needs an ALM product that can provide consistent framework for your anticipated growth.  Rational Solution for Collaborative Lifecycle Management supports a waterfall and an agile methodology.    This platform primarily focuses on collaboration and traceability, ensuring that your growing team will have access to a dedicated repository of documentation, process, and test environments.  “Team members can access better data for decisions, manage development, gain real time traceability and collaborate seamlessly throughout the lifecycle process,” (IBM, 2015).  IBM’s Jazz Team Server offers superior access protection preventing unauthorized access through the use of its separated application and directory services collaborating with required smart card access which will ensure the security and availability of product development systems effectively protecting your organizations brand and reputation.  This product provides a transparent framework for end of life products and systems ensuring proper handling, utilization, storage and destruction of essential data and platforms throughout the process.  Rational Solution for Collaborative Lifecycle Management can provide an effective platform to collaborate with all of your legacy products and systems, as well as provide the necessary agility and security for future innovation within your growing organization.