Focal Point® integrates with collaborative lifecycle management solutions by using the Open Services Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) specifications, REST XML APIs and REST RDF APIs.
Focal Point® supports OSLC Change Management (OSLC-CM) and OSLC Requirement Management (OSLC-RM) specification, enabling integrations with providers of those specifications such as Rational Team Concert (OSLC-CM) and Rational Requirements Composer (OSLC_RM).
With this integration, you can use the Rational solution for CLM products to plan, implement, detail, and deliver solutions. For example, in a product management context, you can define release contents in Focal Point® and use the CCM application and RM application to support development.
Focal Point® captures the perspective of the business and is used as governance and decision making tool in the following manner:
▪ It is used for high-level portfolio management so that business needs can be prioritized based on market, risk, cost, benefits and so on.
▪ It can be used for portfolio prioritization and investment decisions.
▪ It also helps in high-level delivery management to track project outcomes against expectations.
▪ It can be used by business decision makers, stakeholders, analysts, IT leaders, and CxOs.
▪ It provides metrics related to portfolio performance, financials, overall quality and schedule.
Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM) applications enable development and delivery of what the business requests in the following manner:
▪ The application can be used for collaborative requirements elaboration.
▪ The applications are used by the development and testing team in a process-aware environment.
▪ The applications provide traceability from requirements to code artifacts.
▪ The applications are used by technical analysts, developers, testers, project and team leads
▪ The application metrics are related to defect rate, test results, project schedules and other project development data.
Advantages and benefits of integrating Focal Point® with CLM applications
By integrating Focal Point® with the Requirements Management (RM) and the Change and Configuration Management (CCM) applications of the Rational solution for CLM, the following advantages and benefits are derived:
▪ Effective end-to-end lifecycle management and traceability.
▪ Collaboration and planning between the business and implementation teams.
▪ Improved communication of business needs and priorities.
▪ Increased understanding by technical teams of business requests.
▪ Insight to the business on implementation progress.
▪ Timely communication of issues and changes.
▪ Traceability between business and implementation artifacts.
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