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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