Why Modern Engineering Teams Aren’t Using IBM DOORS or DOORS Next Generation for Requirements Management
If you’re currently using DOORS for requirements management, you likely know that moving to a different solution is necessary, and you might be considering DOORS Next Generation. However, fast-shifting market dynamics require a new approach to accelerate innovation. As a modern alternative to traditional legacy platforms, Jama Connect® enables digital transformation with a more efficient and user-friendly approach to managing risk and compliance.
To adapt to increasing industry challenges and complexities, innovative organizations are now requiring best-in-class software to scale development, reduce risk, save time, and ensure compliance to quality and safety regulations — and migrating to a new requirements management tool, will be a necessity to keep pace with the competition.
The leader in requirements management software, Jama Connect outranks IBM DOORS Next®
for implementation time, adoption, ROI, & market presence
5 Key Reasons Teams Are Choosing Jama Connect over DOORS NG
Considering choosing Jama Connect over DOORS Next? Jama Connect consistently stands above DOORS Next (for requirements management tools) in the G2 Grid® for overall satisfaction, performance, user experience, collaboration, reviews and approvals, implementation, usability, user adoption, and overall ROI.
Fastest Time to Market/ROI
Deploy in weeks, not months with easy updates and high performance
Pre-configured frameworks to satisfy industry regulations
Intuitive user interface and workflows that drive efficiency
See how DOORS Next stacks up against Jama Connect
in key areas below.
Jama Connect is a proven IBM DOORS and DOORS NG alternative with flexible, scalable, and reliable migration solutions, including:
Operation in an IBM DOORS supply chain. Innovative companies leverage Jama Connect to get up and running fast with a modern requirements management process that tightly aligns with industry standards and practices that support regulatory compliance. Organizations can connect to customers and suppliers that use IBM DOORS through Data Exchange for Jama Connect.”
Integration services. Jama Connect provides integration with key product development lifecycle tools.
Coexists with IBM DOORS. IBM DOORS is embedded in many organizations and may take some time to migrate completely. Progressive teams and divisions can get started on Jama Connect quickly while the larger organization works toward replacing existing programs over time. This approach is supported through a mix of integration, migration, and exchange services.
In conclusion, DOORS has been a faithful requirements management tool that has served the product development community well for almost 30 years. But to stay competitive, it’s necessary to switch to a modern requirements management solution like Jama Connect.
To learn more about making the switch from IBM DOORS or DOORS Next Generation to Jama Connect, download our datasheet.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2022/08/2022-08-25-doors-ng-and-jama-connect-1.jpg5121024McKenzie Jonsson/media/jama-logo-primary.svgMcKenzie Jonsson2022-08-25 03:00:102023-01-12 16:46:25DOORS Next Generation or Jama Connect: A Side-by-Side Look at Requirements Management Platforms
Why Migration Efforts from IBM Rational DOORS to DOORS NG Are Failing – And an Alternative Path.
IBM Rational DOORS was built in 1991 when it became clear that document-based tools such as Microsoft Office did not offer the capabilities able to manage and analyze requirements traceability. And while it was revolutionary at the time, not much has changed about the product in over 30 years.
Many teams are looking to switch away from Rational DOORS because of IT mandates, poor usability due to an antiquated user interface, lack of collaborative features, and a host of other reasons.
However, thinking that migrating to DOORS Next Generation is the easiest, most logical next step is a mistake. In this post, we’ll discuss why many migration efforts from IBM Rational DOORS to DOORS NG are failing, and provide a simpler, more modern alternative.
Considering a switch? If you want to move away from IBM Rational DOORS, you are not constrained by a specific path of migration.
Leaders might already understand the need to switch from Rational DOORS, but they aren’t sure of the next best step. Some lean toward switching to IBM DOORS NG with the assumption that it will be easier to learn and deploy than starting from scratch with a new solution.
However, the only thing that DOORS Next shares with the original DOORS is the name; otherwise, it’s a completely different platform that takes the same level of migration effort that any migration away from DOORS legacy would take. Any expensive DXL customizations — which can sometimes add up to more than a million lines of code — cannot be migrated to DOORS Next.
As you make your decision on whether to migrate away from DOORS or not, consider the risks associated with DOORS and the benefits of choosing a different option.
Risks may include:
Loss of control and employee frustration. Employees frustrated with DOORS work outside of DOORS, most often in Microsoft Word or Excel, which means that requirements are no longer maintained in a central system and a rigorous process is not followed. This leads to an inability for management to monitor key metrics for the end-to-end process to identify process risk patterns.
Increased operational costs. Continuing the existing path of using DOORS increases an organization’s risk and expense complying with ever demanding IT security regulations.
Disruption in business. New users are reluctant to pick up the antiquated user interface of DOORS, expecting software to be as intuitive as applications in their social environment. Not having the ability to move fast and scale business to meet innovative market demands will cost your business time and resources.
Missed market opportunities. Errors, defects, and omissions not found until the end of the process cause costly delays and overruns. A company’s long-term success can be hindered by delayed launches and missed market opportunities.
Increased exposure to risk in regulated markets. A requirements management tool helps you stay compliant and increase visibility in regulated markets. Limited customer and cross-functional involvement in the review and approval of requirements and a lack of stakeholder alignment create unnecessary risks. And, the absence of process exception tracking, which determines if requirements have been omitted or modified, creates additional exposure. With more stakeholders refusing to use DOORS, compliance is checked after the fact with the arduous task of tool admins importing data and then running trace analysis. Extended stakeholders who are using DOORS are only able to see any errors long after they have been introduced and eventually imported.
Distraction from the core business. An ineffective requirements management tool encourages organizations to create customizations rather than simply configuring a tool to meet process needs. Developing and maintaining ad-hoc customizations forces an organization to focus on how to create requirements management functions rather than focus on core business. A modern requirements management solution enables teams to work faster and more efficiently, leading to faster time to market.
Need more proof? Here’s what IBM says about migrating from IBM Rational DOORS to DOORS NG
Looking at Rational DOORS and DOORS NG Side-by-Side
It may sound like migrating from Rational DOORS and DOORS NG is just a click of a button, the two systems have completely different infrastructure, processes, and structure. It’s a very complex and manual process. In fact, migrating to DOORS NG will cause major architectural shifts that will impact performance and require extensive employee training.
There are a number of data types, including historical data, that can’t be migrated at all. But don’t take it from us; IBM says it themselves.
Additionally, there is no upgrade path from Rational DOORS to DOORS NG
5 Common Migration Myths Debunked
Transitioning to a new solution doesn’t have to be challenging; however, there are some assumptions that mislead us into thinking that difficulty is inevitable. Consider the following myths:
MYTH 1: Migrating away from IBM solutions will be more expensive. The amount of work that goes into upgrading to DOORS Next or transitioning to a new RM solution is the same, differentiated only by the quality of the tool and services available to help with migration. An option other than the DOORS family is most often a better fit for your organization.
MYTH 2: Customization will carry over to DOORS Next. You spent a lot of time customizing IBM DOORS and may believe those customizations will transition seamlessly to DOORS Next. However, this isn’t the case and is the reason selecting a different solution doesn’t involve more work.
MYTH 3: DOORS is already deployed and cheap to maintain. Continuing the current path with IBM DOORS is an expensive option in the long term, and often requires dedicated personnel. Switching to an alternative RM solution can improve efficiency while saving money.
MYTH 4: Business disruption is too difficult. The right RM tool will empower teams to effectively hit deadlines, collaborate, and improve business outcomes
MYTH 5: The user experience will suffer., Many people refuse to use DOORS due to a challenging user experience. DOORS Next is a completely new tool with a new user experience. Adopting a user-friendly solution allows teams to collaborate far more effectively as team members can accelerate concepts, designs, and validations for faster times to market.
Migration Away from IBM Rational DOORS is Inevitable – Here’s An Alternate, Easier Path
The fact is, IBM DOORS is extremely outdated, and at some point, updates and support will inevitably end.
If you’re currently using DOORS, you likely know that moving to a different solution is necessary, and you might be considering DOORS Next. However, fast-shifting market dynamics require a new approach to accelerate innovation. As a modern alternative to traditional legacy platforms, Jama Connect® enables digital transformation with a more efficient and user-friendly approach to managing risk and compliance.
Jama Connect is a proven IBM DOORS alternative with flexible and reliable solutions, including:
Operation in an IBM DOORS supply chain. Innovative companies leverage Jama Connect to get up and running fast with a modern requirements management process that tightly aligns with industry standards and practices that support regulatory compliance. Organizations can connect to customers and suppliers that use IBM DOORS through Data Exchange for Jama Connect.
Integration services. Jama Connect provides integration with key product development lifecycle tools.
Coexists with IBM DOORS. IBM DOORS is embedded in many organizations and may take some time to migrate completely. Progressive teams and divisions can get started on Jama Connect quickly while the larger organization works toward replacing existing programs over time. This approach is supported through a mix of integration, migration, and exchange services.
The IBM DOORS Migration Experts are Now Employees at Jama Software
Migrating from IBM Rational DOORS to any other solution has never been easier. Our DOORS Migration team has a total combined experience of over 165 years with IBM DOORS. You won’t go it alone — as DOORS experts, this team is here to support you through every step of the migration.
To learn more about the three flexible approaches to support companies moving away from IBM DOORS and how our migration team can help, download our datasheet.
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2022/08/2022-08-04-migration-from-doors-1-1.jpg5121024Mario Maldari/media/jama-logo-primary.svgMario Maldari2022-08-11 03:00:422023-01-12 16:46:27Why Migration Efforts from IBM Rational DOORS to DOORS NG Are Failing – And an Alternative Path.
Considering DOORS® for requirements management? There is a more modern solution.
If you’re considering IBM® DOORS® for requirements management, it might be because it’s considered a “safe” move, you’ve used it in the past, or because you’re unaware that there’s a significantly more modern and easier to use alternative to DOORS requirements management.
IBM DOORS was an amazing tool – when it was originally published in 1991, over 30 years ago. DOORS for requirements management has many capabilities for working in regulated industries, but the limitations far outweigh the benefits. It does not deal well with increasing complexity or the need for collaboration and seamless integration in existing tool ecosystems. Let’s have a look at some of the limitations of DOORS:
Traceability: DOORS has powerful traceability capabilities, but they are hidden behind a cumbersome interface. This leads to outdated traces. Users find traceability maintenance to be difficult with DOORS, and sometimes traces are created “after the fact” for compliance audits and nothing else. This is a missed opportunity. Having a more modern tool, like Jama Connect® with an easy-to-use traceability matrix creates transparency and confidence when reacting to change. Traceability also enables agility.
Change Management: The traceability of DOORS does support change management, e.g., via suspect links in principle. Unfortunately, this information is hidden and hard to utilize. Compare that to the actionable traceability of Jama Connect, which proactively points out issues in the traceability matrix and suggests how to fix them, instead of doing this reactively, after-the-fact.
Compliance Reporting: DOORS requirements management allows you to report on virtually everything – but almost everything requires custom scripting with its proprietary scripting language, DXL. Unless you have a responsive (often costly) programmer on your team, you will have a hard time getting the information you need, when you need it.
Best Practices: Every “module” (document) in DOORS has its own fields, and without an in-house expert, users sometimes find themselves with little guidance on how to use the tool. This results in inconsistencies, which in turn results in confusion and lack of transparency. Consider two “system specifications” with inconsistent data values for “priority.” Likewise, standardized workflows guide users through their daily work. In DOORS, you need a programmer to provide this functionality.
Market Drivers Are Pushing Engineering Teams and Technology to Evolve Past IBM DOORS’ Capabilities
Today’s products and software have become more complex. This complexity, combined with rapidly evolving customer and market demands, is forcing engineering teams to change the way they work. Now, far more stakeholders need to get involved in the requirements, driving the need for requirements tools to be more collaborative and have functionality that is applicable to diverse users.
Organizations that successfully transform to support this new way of working understand that effective and optimized product and system development requires highly collaborative solutions and methodologies.
To reduce risk in product development while still accelerating system design and delivery, teams need access to real-time data and alignment across disparate teams as well as across engineering, business, and product management lifecycles.
Leading-edge companies who are successfully supporting transformation of their engineering teams:
Invest in new technologies and agile processes to continually improve product development: Engineering teams prefer to make their own decisions about which best-of-breed solutions support their specific discipline and optimization of their activities – one single tool will not fit all users’ needs. It’s no longer possible for a Prime Contractor or OEM to mandate a single product or vendor across supply chains, and in fact, standards such as ReqIF (Requirement Interchange Format) and OSLC (Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration) have come about to help products work better together. Modern development solutions prioritize integration across the ALM-PLM ecosystem.
Take a data-driven approach to product development: An organization’s investment in their data is far more than the investment they make in tools, and the primary focus now comes down to availability of data and how that flows across an engineering community (integration) and the value chain (exchange). What is required is a loosely coupled approach that ties together the necessary metadata across disparate tools in a way that connects the desired outcome (user and system requirements) to downstream activities – the digital thread. The digital thread is the best approach to reduce the risk of negative product outcomes while preserving engineering autonomy and productivity.
Support more formal processes to address increased regulation: As product complexity increases, so has the need for more formal processes and compliance with industry standards. Best practices for systems engineering have been prescribed in many industries. This formal process adoption started with the need to comply with aerospace standards such as DO178 or ISO 9001. Now we see engineering regulation or compliance needs increase across automotive, medical, finance, and other industries, which require the same level of rigor in their development process. Investment in tools that support the generation of the necessary proof of-process compliance to standards, most commonly: requirement validation, verification, traceability, risk assessments, and test results, are critical to supporting efficiency while reducing risk.
IBM DOORS for Requirements Management vs. Jama Connect
Today’s product development teams must innovate and adapt quickly to changing market demands in order to remain competitive. Many find legacy solutions like DOORS are unable to adapt to support these needs. The following are the top reasons why some of the world’s most forward-thinking companies are electing to switch to Jama Connect:
Easy to use, intuitive modern user experience
Jama Connect supports multiple development methodologies and engineering disciplines to drive cross-team collaboration and alignment.
Flexible, scalable, and secure deployment models that provide manageable total cost of ownership (TCO)
Jama Software offers flexible license and deployment models with unlimited licenses for reviewers to promote collaboration across product development teams. Deployed in the cloud or on-premise, the solution ensures flexible access for distributed teams anywhere.
Open architecture to integrate with the tools teams want to use
Jama Connect enables integration with best-of-breed tools across the entire product development lifecycle. We provide a powerful network of options to get the right technology stack aligned to meet each client’s unique business needs.
Are you considering DOORS for requirements management or considering making a switch? Check out this webinar, Moving from Modules to Models – Is it finally time to leave IBM® DOORS® behind? Watch it here
https://www.jamasoftware.com/media/2022/07/2022-07-21-considering-doors-more-modern-solution-1.jpg5121024Jama Software/media/jama-logo-primary.svgJama Software2022-07-21 03:00:542023-01-12 16:46:31Considering DOORS® for requirements management? There is a more modern solution.
