Highlights include the ability to build live dashboard links to other Rational lifecycle tools and embedded integration with Rational Method Composer, the recently released software development process tool.
The new version, 6.2, provides the ability for the project console dashboard to get live updates from Rational’s ClearQuest issue tracking, RequisitePro requirements management, testing and other life cycle tools.
Additionally, the new version of RPM bundles Rational Method Composer. That enables RPM to generate project plans and templates from based on best practices specified by RUP Rational Unified Process (RUP) or whatever process the organization uses as long as it is already captured by RMC.
In addition to software development projects developed using RUP, in the future it could also include plans for implementing the Tivoli Unified Process for instrumenting the performance or adherence of the app with service level agreements once it’s gone into production.
Further down the road, RPM could also generate plans for project artifacts developed using the open source Project Beacon framework, once that Eclipse project delivers results. In the long run, that could significantly expand the breadth of projects that are planned and tracked using this tool.
Other enhancements include a new graphical workflow editor that is added to the project planning function. That will make it easier to define and insert checklists, decision checkpoints, and approval workflows into a project plan.
Additionally, a web services interface will facilitate integrating data and artifacts form other systems. For instance, you could sync with resources management from ERP systems, or financial data from corporate accounting systems.
On the horizon are plans to add web services adapters to popular data sources such as SAP. Furthermore, given that IBM like other PPM vendors are promoting the governance benefits, it is likely that IBM will begin developing templates for generating compliance reports.
For instance, a report for Sarbanes-Oxley auditors could document that charge requests were strictly tracked and prioritized, and that no unauthorized persons tampered with code.
