Application lifecycle management (ALM) is the management of the software application lifecycle from initial development to final release. ALM encompasses all the practices, processes, and tools that help manage the lifecycle of an application from a development and business perspective. Key capabilities of an ALM platform include the ability to manage change management, workflow, source code management, task management, testing and bug tracking, lab management, reporting And the analysis. An ALM platform must also include a central repository for managing all the various types of content created (i.e., code, tasks, roles, requirements, and other artifacts), as well as a system for establishing traceability and accountability across the many creation processes. the ALM platform. locations and types of tools.

Given the complexity and magnitude of the time and resources that a company invests in software development, risk management becomes extremely important. All software development contains inherent risk, as software development is not based on mathematical or physical certainty, but is based on innovation, discovery and art. Unlike a manufacturing system where processes can be automated, the software development process cannot be translated into a one-size-fits-all solution. It is impossible to predict each and every one of the variables that could affect a software project from the beginning.

In the past, development teams have relied primarily on the “waterfall” approach to managing ALM. However, like the manufacturing assembly line, the waterfall method is a “linear” approach in which product requirements are gathered up front and the development process follows a predefined sequence of events, from coding to completion. testing, quality control, and then launch. The risk of following this type of approach is that it increases the risk of project failure. By the time the final product is released, it may no longer be relevant to the market it was designed for.

To reduce the risk of project failure, software development teams are constantly looking for ways to improve both the process and technology of software development. No software system is so simple that all development can be completely programmed from start to finish in a linear fashion, which is why we are seeing a shift in the market towards “Agile ALM”. In a nutshell, both the ALM and Agile communities are focused on improving the current state of software development. While ALM approaches the challenge from a technology standpoint, Agile focuses on improving the “process.” Due to the common goals and synergies of ALM and Agile, we expect multiple Agile ALM vendors to appear in the market in the next 1-3 years.

Unlike the “linear” waterfall method, agile teams use an “iterative” or “check and adapt” approach to ALM to address the changing requirements, complexities, and risk factors that will arise throughout the software project. . Scrum, the most popular implementation of the Agile movement, has seen exponential growth in recent years for both large- and small-scale development projects, and is now rapidly expanding its footprint in the enterprise. The success of Scrum, for the most part, is due to its focus on enabling the creation of “high-value features” as well as efficient collaboration between self-organizing teams. Teams using Scrum see Scrum as a benefit because they realize business ROI sooner, minimize project rework, and accelerate product innovation.