NEXT GENERATION ALM Accelerating and Scaling Innovation Why implementing a next generation ALM tool is a strategic decision for high-tech product developers As today’s complex products increasingly rely on (embedded) software, being able to enhance the efficiency of software development means a competitive advantage for companies across all industry verticals. While Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platforms are widely used to manage the development of hardware products, these solutions aren’t equipped to handle the complexity of embedded software development. Software proficiency is becoming the currency in high-tech product development. Therefore, companies need next generation Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tools to enhance traceability, transparency and collaboration throughout a mature development lifecycle. Simply put, integrated ALM helps companies meet their business goals by enabling them to build higher quality products faster. Adopting integrated ALM is becoming a strategic decision rather than one that is limited to the software department only. 3 Understanding the Value of ALM in Product Development Coping with increasing complexity in high-tech product development The automotive industry is a good example of why there’s an increasing need for Application Lifecycle Management software across industry verticals. Today, with IoT connectivity and autonomous features, new cars are equipped with incredibly complex, robust embedded software. In fact, a modern road vehicle may contain up to 150 million lines of code, while a Boeing-787 Dreamliner operates its avionics & online support systems with about 7 million lines. In addition to sheer volume, complexity is also increasingly problematic. Navigation, infotainment, built- in communication, safety systems, advanced driver assistance systems, and connectivity to the Internet of Things require more and more software which all need to be integrated. Orchestrating the parallel development of such integrated systems, whether safety-critical or not, is a challenging task. In order to stay ahead of the competition, automotive developers need to provide reliable software systems packed with features, delivered as fast as possible, and in compliance with relevant regulations and standards. More and more carmakers today are realizing that as software is playing an increasingly important role in their products, they need to give this area due attention. Investing in hiring software development talent, and purchasing top-performing tools are becoming strategic decisions that will affect the competitive edge and profitability of these companies in the long run. Implementing next generation ALM helps future-proof the processes of product innovation and development. ALM software solutions are no longer optional in the development of high quality embedded software: they are becoming necessary tools to complement PLM software. Organizations tend to have a mix of tools, and as a result of the tool friction, there is a difficulty in the traceability. We see a trend towards to integrated, holistic solutions that allow that traceability across the lifecycle. Another key trend is the increase in software content in advanced engineered products. And with that exponential rise of software, there is increased complexity. There’s a need to manage that, and ALM plays a strong role. Michael Azoff, Principal Analyst at Ovum Watch the video: Product Lifecycle Management solutions are very important in managing the entire lifecycle of products, and can help reduce production costs. ALM software solutions are just as essential to software development teams, as they help them manage mature Ovum: lifecycle processes from defining requirements to delivering releases and maintenance services. Similarly to PLM, ALM can Investigating the help reduce the time and costs of product development. Need for ALM 4 Understanding the Value of ALM in Product Development Understanding why ALM should go hand in hand with PLM Product Lifecycle Management software platforms allow multiple teams to collaborate efficiently in the design, development, and manufacturing of physical products from the early phases of ideation throughout the lifecycle all the way to eventual product retirement. The name PLM can be misleading in that it does not cover all aspects of product development: PLM software actually only manage hardware design and manufacturing lifecycles. Generally, PLM tools aren’t equipped to handle the development of complex embedded software. Integrated Application Lifecycle Management platforms essentially do for software what PLM does for hardware. Such technology has evolved from being a novelty to becoming a fundamental necessity for developers of innovative products, especially so in safety-critical fields such as the development of medical devices, avionics and automotive embedded systems, pharmaceutical products, etc. Fierce market competition is forcing product developers to build more sophisticated and innovative products in better quality while reducing development time to enhance profitability. Next generation ALM tools are flexible enough to dock into preexisting PLM and software development tool environments, and can greatly support the implementation of an integrated approach to product development. Even more important than the simple exchange of data between ALM and PLM tools is the integration of processes between these platforms. Mapping data structures and connecting workflows helps make sure that the entire lifecycle is adequately covered. What is next generation ALM? Application Lifecycle Management is a relatively new discipline that has emerged and really gained traction over the past decade or so. However, due to the rapid pace of technological development, vendors and platforms that aren’t able to evolve flexibly can quickly become obsolete. Next generation ALM tools offer scalability in terms of database performance & architecture, and a single repository that spans the entire process of development providing gapless traceability and advanced collaboration throughout the lifecycle. Through a high-performance database designed for managing vast amounts of data throughout the lifecycle, next generation ALM tools such as codeBeamer are capable of handling of 35,000+ requirements and all their connected artifacts (code, test cases, test results, change requests, etc) efficiently. Such tools let you flexibly configure and enforce the use of mature and complex processes. They support the scaling of development across large teams and departments, and codeBeamer ALM also offers automated documentation & simple reporting options to support transparency, compliance audits, and to provide management insights. 5 Understanding the Value of ALM in Product Development Complexity How processes and all their reliations are covered even across functional teams and departments. Next Generation ALM 1000+ 500+ 100+ 0-10 Performance The technical ability of a tool to serve large scale operations where the number of users, teams, and departments involved is rapidly growing. Scalability The purpose of scaling is to serve enlarged teams with all the necessary features and system capabilities at an economic cost. 6 Understanding the Value of ALM in Product Development Integrating ALM in your development environment Most teams already have their tried and tested processes and tools for requirements management, software development, communicating with stakeholders, quality assurance, etc. A large portion of development teams operate in a legacy tool environment that has organically evolved to suit their specific needs. These tools may have been customized or even developed in-house to fit the specific processes of the development team, and updated over time to follow any changes in these processes. Maintaining these isolated tools and the interfaces that allow them to exchange data requires continuous effort. Even so, at best they support current processes, but hardly enable or encourage process innovation and optimization. Relying on a set of proven, but inflexible and unwieldy tools makes it difficult to stay ahead of the competition in a fast-paced market where speed of innovation is becoming the currency. A common concern is that adopting integrated ALM will disrupt these processes, and previously used, trusted tools will have to be abandoned. With next generation ALM tools, that is not the case. codeBeamer ALM, for instance, integrates well into any legacy toolchain via its out of the box integrations with widely used software tools. Its native integration with IBM DOORS and data exchange via ReqIF, MS Excel, and MS Word ensures data consistency across the requirements management lifecycle. UML diagrams may be imported from Enterprise Architect, or drawn using codeBeamer’s own diagram editor. Integrations are offered with MATLAB Simulink, SAP, JIRA, defect management tools, Jenkins, and other automation & test management tools. Git, Mercurial, Subversion, Plastic SCM and CVS are all supported. SAP IBM MS Excel, DOORS Word EA, MATLAB codeBeamer MS Project Simulink ALM SVN, Git 7 Understanding the Value of ALM in Product Development ALM to support multiple product development methodologies Tools, however, are just part of the necessary infrastructure for quality product development. The processes used to design, build, test, integrate, and ensure the correct functioning of products have a more significant effect on the quality of the end product. Adequate software tools such as integrated ALM can