IBM Rational ClearQuest is the "Clear" choice for custom methodologies!
March 04, 2016
IBM Rational ClearQuest is the "Clear" choice for custom methodologies!
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with IBM ClearQuest
IBM Rational ClearQuest is the tool we use for the software development life cycle workflow for the legacy products at our organization. We are tracking features, issues and bugs while integrated with source control via a connection to IBM Rational ClearCase. ClearQuest is used across the enterprise, but the latest release of our flagship product utilizes Team Foundation Server for application life cycle management.
IBM Rational ClearQuest is a competent issue tracking tool for our organization. ClearQuest users are able to manage their workflow effectively to assure releases are on time. We are in a highly regulated industry and ClearQuest records track and document all phases of the life cycle providing valuable and detailed information during audits.
IBM Rational ClearQuest is a competent issue tracking tool for our organization. ClearQuest users are able to manage their workflow effectively to assure releases are on time. We are in a highly regulated industry and ClearQuest records track and document all phases of the life cycle providing valuable and detailed information during audits.
- IBM Rational ClearQuest records and workflow are highly customizable. As a result, ClearQuest implementations can be tailored to any organization's methodologies.
- IBM Rational ClearQuest Integration with IBM Rational ClearCase provides traceability between work records and source code changes, expanding the SDLC scope of the toolset.
- Greater and more complex customization requires more administration. Prepare to devote full time resources to maintaining and administering IBM Rational ClearQuest. The greater the customizations and if integrated with ClearCase, the more maintenance will be required.
- At my previous company, our organization's contract with IBM lapsed and they didn't offer "a-la-carte" support. We couldn't obtain support even though we were willing to pay for it.
- 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.
We use Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS) with the latest version of our software for our clients and the IBM Rational ClearQuest/ClearCase tool set for the previous versions. Both offer customizable workflows, but Microsoft support for custom templates is lacking. Heavy customization in Team Foundation Server makes upgrading to a later version a very tedious and complex process. With TFS, you should decide if it's more important for your company to be on the latest version as often as possible or if you need to tailor the tool to your company's methodology. With ClearQuest, IBM will fully support custom implementations and upgrading to a later version works well with heavy customizations. If your organization is looking for full Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) integration, then Team Foundation Server is a better solution than IBM Rational ClearQuest + ClearCase. TFS offers full integration and workflow management with all phases of the ALM. Build, Test and Release Management are included alongside Code and Workflow management.