IBM Rational ClearQuest vs. Polarion ALM

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
IBM Rational ClearQuest
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
A customizable database workflow application development and production system that provides better visibility and control. IBM Rational ClearQuest is change management software that helps improve developer productivity while accommodating the methodologies, processes and tools that best fit the project and the people on the team. It provides tools and processes used to maintain control of changes while catering to the diverse needs of the developer.N/A
Polarion ALM
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
Polarion ALM is an application requirement management software platform now owned and supported by Siemens since the 2015 acquisition. It is available on the cloud (Polarion X) and on-premise. Polarion connect teams and projects to improve application development processes with a single, unified solution for requirements, coding, testing and release.
$42
per month per user
Pricing
IBM Rational ClearQuestPolarion ALM
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Polarion X Base
$42
per month per user
Polarion ALM
Contact Sales
one or more years per user/concurrent
Polarion Requirements
Contact Sales
one or more years per user/concurrent
Polarion QA
Contact Sales
one or more years per user/concurrent
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
IBM Rational ClearQuestPolarion ALM
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
IBM Rational ClearQuestPolarion ALM
Best Alternatives
IBM Rational ClearQuestPolarion ALM
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No answers on this topic

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Enterprises
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Score 9.9 out of 10
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Score 8.8 out of 10
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User Ratings
IBM Rational ClearQuestPolarion ALM
Likelihood to Recommend
4.0
(6 ratings)
9.9
(24 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(2 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Usability
7.0
(2 ratings)
7.7
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
1.0
(1 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
4.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
IBM Rational ClearQuestPolarion ALM
Likelihood to Recommend
IBM
If you are familiar with IBM Rational Suite products, RequisitePro will add up due to the synergy between other components. Beyond that, if your business is not structured to an adequate development methodology or lacks the degree of maturity or necessary resources, probably RequisitePro does not add much value. If you work with developers in the requirements analysis, they probably prefer to use an SVN repository.
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Siemens AG
The question is actually not trivial to answer in 200 words. To summarize, I can say that we have had consistently positive experiences with all customers where we have used Polarion ALM. The sector in which the customer operates only played a subordinate role. We use Polarion ALM in almost all sectors: Medical technology, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, agriculture, automotive and many others. It is also interesting to note that in the beginning we were mostly active in the development of products, systems or software. Over time, this has changed more and more for some customers and risk management or projects for lessons learned have taken up more space. This enabled us to banish a seemingly endless number of Excel lists. Who doesn't know this problem: at first there is only one Excel list on the drive. Day by day there are more. Some with a date in the file name. Others with an employee abbreviation. In the end, nobody can tell which is the current and complete list. The really good thing about Polarion ALM is that it is extremely flexible to use and the configuration determines what the project is used for in Polarion ALM. It is customizable to my situation and not rigid.
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Pros
IBM
  • Capability to query bugs on multiple criteria and export it to csv for triages.
  • Simple and intuitive user experience and clearly planned defect life cycle
  • There are other features like assigning the defect to pull request, clearly explaining defect by attaching screenshots, detailed description etc
  • If you are using other IBM tools for requirements documentation, this tool integrates very well
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Siemens AG
  • Requirements Management:
  • Polarion ALM provides a centralized repository for capturing and managing requirements. Teams can define, organize, and link requirements to other artifacts like test cases and development tasks.
  • Test Management:
  • Polarion ALM facilitates end-to-end test management. Teams can create detailed test cases, manage test execution, and track test results.
  • Traceability and Impact Analysis:
  • Polarion ALM ensures traceability across all phases of the development lifecycle. Users can establish links between requirements, test cases, development tasks, and other artifacts. This traceability helps in impact analysis, allowing teams to understand how changes in one area may affect other parts of the project.
  • Customization and Adaptability:
  • Polarion ALM is highly customizable to fit the unique needs of different organizations and industries. Users can create custom workflows, define custom fields, and adapt the tool to their specific development processes.
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Cons
IBM
  • Performance can be an issue. Make certain the server is sized properly
  • There is a large difference in capability of the Thick Client Version compared with the web based version. Make certain each job function has proper access to be able to do what is required of them.
  • Learning curve is not too steep, but would suggest having someone with experience setup the repository. Highly suggest getting a contractor to assist to get the repository up and running.
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Siemens AG
  • More robust engine as far as the actual took is concerned. There are navigation components in trace to reporting which we feel can be improved especially when dealing with cross global accessing of the tool. It slows us down a bit so it's backend driven optimization as well as some front end "clunkiness" that can be improved.
  • Improve some filtering capabilities especially in creating custom reports and generally all around the ALM components of the tool.
  • As of the version we have, the ability to enhance replationship types in traceability is limited.
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Likelihood to Renew
IBM
Most likely as it's one of the powerful tools in the organization. We needed this tool to track all the process related documentation and also to capture signatures.
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Siemens AG
There is too much at stake to go into a new system. But with everything else being promised as far as newer more innovative products, the justification to not renew is a huge risk so that is not a concern
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Usability
IBM
Please keep in mind that this all has to do with you you customize the user interface. It becomes very easy to house all of your requirements, but it may and can make life difficult for you if you do not think ahead of how you want the app to work and house your data
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Siemens AG
Polarion ALM can be used individually and what I do with Polarion ALM is decided by my configuration. Lesson-learned, operational risk management, product, system or software development or customer management .... doesn't matter at all. I decide with my configuration what I will do with Polarion ALM. Of course, you can also use Polarion ALM out-of-the-box for your development because it comes with a large set of project templates.For this reason, I would also recommend not to just get started. A suitable consultant will show you the right templates and customize them according to your needs. Having Polarion ALM is like having a car. You know exactly how to operate the car. You've done it a thousand times before. The details are in the configuration: did I have a navigation system installed or not? Do I have a lane departure warning system or not? Do I have cruise control or not? Unlike when buying a vehicle, almost all functions are already available and can be used, usually at no extra cost. However, if something is missing, it can be obtained via the manufacturer's extension portal. Individual extensions are subject to a charge. Polarion ALM - easy to deploy and easy to use.
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Reliability and Availability
IBM
No answers on this topic
Siemens AG
update, reindex takes to long
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Support Rating
IBM
IBM has good support and knowledge base. With the wealth of information on their site and the support desk, we were able to quickly resolve issues. It is smart to build up a COE and a group that manages the software otherwise it is quick to be able to lose the knowledge as team members are assigned different duties
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Siemens AG
Support for customers using the full range of Polarion could be better.
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In-Person Training
IBM
No answers on this topic
Siemens AG
competent trainer, good training project
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Online Training
IBM
No answers on this topic
Siemens AG
easy to follow, efficent
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Implementation Rating
IBM
It was pretty simple.
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Siemens AG
Automated install and backup procedure ist missing
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Alternatives Considered
IBM
IBM clearquest would the BEST option if you are looking for managing change requests, managing project workflows, generating reports on status of requests. The reason being: cost, cost and cost. It almost handles everything that you would need for your project including bug tracking unless you want something really fancy (like HP QC) with a higher cost that supports a wide variety of needs which you might need to evaluate based on your project needs. For example, if you would be really making use of all those additional features provided by HP Quality Center. To be honest it depends on your project size, the skills of team members and of course budget!
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Siemens AG
Polarion ALM has the best usability, extensibility and reactiv product management. The support is also very good compared to other companies. Or in other words it is closer to the customer. Codebeamer is for sure also a good ALM tool with a great feature set, but existing customers are often neglected. We will see, what PTC as the new owner of codebeamer will change at this point.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
IBM
No answers on this topic
Siemens AG
should be more flexible
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Return on Investment
IBM
  • IBM Rational ClearQuest has provided a workflow that works without unique software methodology. As a result we deliver complete software products to our clients in a 6 to 8 week development time frame.
  • As a result of our highly customized implementation, we have 8 resources supporting IBM Rational ClearQuest. Three of the resources are full time configuration management staff that administer and support the tool set and the other 5 are from the testing group that handle ClearQuest user support issues in addition to their testing duties.
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Siemens AG
  • Many of our customers have achieved things that they could not have done without Polarion
  • Possibility to make engineering enjoyable and not so documentation oriented (especially in regulated industries)
  • Automatic and all the time up-to-date reporting gives savings in time
  • Information reuse is typically giving benefits in resource use and time-to-market. Up to 40% reduction in time-to-market seen.
  • 10-20% reduction in R&D cost is typically achievable
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ScreenShots

Polarion ALM Screenshots

Screenshot of Requirements Management - This feature is used to gather, author, approve and manage requirements across the full project lifecycles.Screenshot of Test & Quality Management - From this interface, users can manage all testing activities from a central platform.Screenshot of Issue & Risk Management - This interface is used to track all possible and reported failures, or plan and assign tasks to mitigate them.Screenshot of Connectors & Extensibility - Out of the box integrations with popular tools. Free, open APIs can be used to build apps and extensionsScreenshot of Agile / Hybrid Project Management - Modern agile techniques can be adopted at once or incrementally with out of the box project templates that can be adjusted to meet any needs.Screenshot of Core Functionality - Collaboration, Traceability and Workflow - 3 core principles built into the software