Integrating PPM and ALM improves visibility across projects throughout their life cycle. It ensures project managers and developers can follow their own methodologies supported by different productivity tools, while remaining seamlessly connected with each other.
Solution
Microsoft’s EPM Solution and Visual Studio Team Foundation Sever helps organizations to better connect the two worlds of Application Lifecycle Management and Project Portfolio Management. Both tools are already used by many organizations to support PPM and ALM. Integrating these tools allows the development team to work in a familiar environment, maximizing productivity and focusing on quality, while ensuring all required data is provided to the project manager to facilitate project and portfolio reporting.
The solution subjects the project to the appropriate governance controls throughout its lifecye. The main governance phases are described below:
1. Initiate Phase
The Initiate phase focuses on capturing project requests from across the organization and developing business cases in accordance with governance workflows.
2. Select Phase
The Select phase focuses on prioritizing, optimizing, and selecting a project portfolio that best aligns with the organization’s business strategy
3. Plan Phase
The Plan phase focuses on scheduling, resource planning and task assignment. The integrated solution ensures the project manager can capture high level tasks for the development work and collaborate with the development lead who is responsible for defining the granular activities and assigning members of their team.
4. Execute Phase
The Execute phase primarily focuses on tracking the project to a successful conclusion. The integrated solution allows the development team to utilize familiar tools and methodologies and focus on releasing a high quality product, without being diverted with administrative tasks and project reporting. Likewise the solution ensures the project manager and stakeholders have visibility and insight into the development activities and progress.