Tag Archive for: Product Development & Management

Tag Archive for: Product Development & Management

Mastering Variant Management for Product Line Success

This Blog Is a Preview of Our Recent Whitepaper, “Mastering Variant Management for Product Line Success” – To Read the Entire Asset, Click HERE

Mastering Variant Management for Product Line Success

The complexity of modern product lines is driving the need for effective variant management.

Explore how organizations can thrive by managing diverse product variants efficiently while addressing market, regulatory, and customer demands. Leveraging expert strategies, including structured feature models, reuse tactics, and traceability approaches, this guide equips businesses with the tools needed to streamline product development processes while maintaining quality and compliance.

Variant management is particularly crucial in industries like automotive, consumer electronics, and software, where organizations must balance innovation with efficiency. By adopting proven methodologies and leveraging advanced tools like Jama Connect®, businesses can reduce complexity, ensure compliance, and optimize product line strategies.

This whitepaper provides actionable insights into how investing in variant management can yield a competitive advantage and fuel growth.

Key Takeaways:

  • Identify and adapt variants to address diverse customer and market needs.
  • Streamline product development with smart reuse and cross-team alignment.
  • Reduce complexity while maintaining traceability across product lines.
  • Ensure compliance in rapidly evolving regulatory environments.
  • Gain visibility to optimize product strategies and decision-making.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution

Discover how your organization can unlock the potential of efficient variant management and take the next step in product line engineering innovation.

Effective product line engineering is a strategic approach that empowers businesses to manage complex product portfolios with efficiency and precision. By addressing diverse market demands, streamlining development processes, and ensuring compliance amidst evolving regulations, organizations can achieve a competitive edge in today’s dynamic industries.

Central to this approach is the concept of variant management, which simplifies complexity, strengthens collaboration, and drives innovation across teams.

The ability to reuse and align product components across teams is not just a matter of efficiency but a necessity in maintaining agility. With better visibility into product strategies and calculated decision-making, businesses are better positioned to adapt and thrive.

By leveraging robust variant management practices, teams can maximize reuse, reduce inefficiencies, and maintain a competitive edge.

With expertise in variant management, product managers and engineers can effectively tackle pressing organizational challenges, enabling their businesses to stay ahead in the market while scaling operations intelligently.

“Product companies utilizing single-system engineering and management approaches may end up with highly complex and low-quality products, low productivity, high employee turnover, and less than expected customer satisfaction.” – ISO/IEC 26550:2015(E) (SSPL) Software and systems engineering — Reference model for product line engineering and management

List of the benefits of PLE and Variant Management.

Why Businesses Need Effective Variant Management

Variant management is a critical component of modern business strategy, especially in industries characterized by high variability and complexity. A well-structured approach to managing product variants can enable companies to respond efficiently to dynamic market demands, adhere to increasing regulatory constraints, and meet evolving customer needs.

The pressures businesses face today are numerous and interconnected. For instance, market demands have grown rapidly, with customers expecting highly customized products and shortened lead times. Without effective variant management, businesses risk falling behind competitors who are better equipped to deliver tailored solutions. Additionally, regulatory constraints, particularly in industries such as automotive and healthcare, require meticulous compliance that can only be achieved through streamlined product configurations and robust tracking mechanisms. Businesses must also grapple with changing customer preferences, which necessitate agility in the design and delivery of new product variants.

Data supports the notion that inefficient variant management can have severe financial and operational repercussions. Companies struggling with outdated or manual processes often see rising costs, delays in production, and errors in product delivery. For example, a case study in the automotive sector highlighted how poor variant management led to production bottlenecks, ultimately delaying vehicle deliveries and incurring significant reputational damage. Similarly, in the semiconductor industry, the inability to manage design variants efficiently increased engineering costs and time to market, diminishing competitive advantage.

Conversely, businesses adopting advanced techniques and tools for variant management have demonstrated remarkable improvements. The automotive industry provides a notable example, where companies leveraging advanced configuration systems reduced production errors and improved time-to-market metrics. Semiconductor companies employing automated design variation tools saw reduced development cycles, enabling them to remain leaders in innovation while containing costs.

Effective variant management is not just an operational necessity — it is an enabler of long-term strategic success. By addressing the challenges of market demands, regulatory compliance, and customer expectations with data-driven strategies, companies can secure both competitive and financial advantages in even the most complex industries.

Studies have shown that organizations leveraging robust variant management strategies can experience up to a 20% reduction in production time and a 15% decrease in overall costs, according to recent industry analyses. Furthermore, a survey conducted by Deloitte highlighted that 85% of companies implementing advanced variant management systems reported improved customer satisfaction due to better customization options and faster delivery times. These metrics underscore the tangible benefits of adopting data-driven approaches to variant management, emphasizing the critical role they play in enhancing operational efficiency and fostering innovation.

Effectively managing product variants requires overcoming significant challenges, especially in areas such as traceability, operational inefficiencies, and collaboration across teams. These obstacles can hinder innovation, escalate costs, and delay critical processes, ultimately impacting market competitiveness.

RELATED: The Strategic Transition: From Word and Excel to Modern Requirements Management

Mitigating Traceability and Quality Assurance Issues

Navigating the complexities of tracking changes across multiple product variants is critical. Without a centralized system, it becomes nearly impossible to maintain visibility and ensure quality across diverse versions. Version control gaps can lead to costly errors, regulatory challenges, or even safety risks, particularly in highly regulated industries. A robust variant management solution provides the tools to document and trace changes efficiently, ensuring comprehensive oversight for all stakeholders involved.

Streamlining Inefficient Processes

Inefficient processes not only increase time-to-market but also inflate development costs and risk inconsistencies that impact customer satisfaction. Leveraging a purpose-built solution ensures that all teams have access to aligned workflows and automated updates, creating a streamlined development cycle. Effective management reduces redundancies, accelerates decision-making, and enables a focus on delivering high-quality products faster.

Bridging Alignment Gaps Across Teams

Communication breakdowns often arise when managing multiple product lines across geographically dispersed or cross-functional teams. Maintaining synchronized collaboration ensures everyone operates from a single source of truth, reducing misunderstandings and keeping deliverables on track. Solutions that foster seamless collaboration help establish a unified framework, bridging the gap between engineering, design, and compliance teams.

“Before using Jama Connect, it was a constant struggle to manage the sheer complexity of variant tracking and communication between teams. Adopting a tailored solution transformed our workflow, helping us cut time-to-market by almost 30% while maintaining traceability across all versions.” – Jama Connect Customer

Overcoming these challenges with modern variant management tools empowers organizations to innovate efficiently while keeping costs and risks in check. Such systems provide the structure needed to scale operations without compromising quality or alignment, ensuring long-term success in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Ready to Learn The Solution for Best Practices for Variant Management? Download the Entire Whitepaper:
Mastering Variant Management for Product Line Success

Two photos of the speakers for this event on the topic of ASQMS and Automotive Compliance.

In this blog, we recap a preview of our recent webinar. Click HERE to watch it in its entirety.

Making Sense of ASQMS: A New Standard for Automotive Software Quality

The Next Automotive Software Standard Is Here. Are You Ready for ASQMS?

The shift toward software-defined, new energy, and intelligent vehicles is transforming the automotive industry. As vehicles become more reliant on complex software to power advanced features, autonomy, and connectivity, the need for robust quality management has never been greater. To meet this challenge, China’s CACPQSP introduced the Automotive Software Quality Management System (ASQMS).

In this blog, we recap a preview of our recent webinar in which hosts Sathihya Ramamoorthy (Jama Software) and Ronald Melster (Melster Consulting GmbH) discuss how ASQMS fits into the standards landscape and why it matters for your teams.

What You’ll Learn:

  • An overview of ASQMS, who published it, and why it matters
  • Key differences between ASQMS, ASPICE, and IATF, including new lifecycle requirements
  • Why ASQMS complements, rather than replaces, ASPICE
  • Practical tips for risk-based software classification and lifecycle coverage
  • Actionable next steps to strengthen software quality and efficiency

The Above Video Is A Preview – Click HERE To Watch The Entire Webinar

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT PREVIEW

Ronald Melster: Thank you very much for the warm introduction and thank you very much also for inviting me to today’s webinar. I am excited to be here with all of you and to share with you the information about this new standard ASQMS. So let’s get started and explore what the standard means for the automotive world and how we can best adapt to it. For those of you who don’t know me yet, my name is Ronald Melster. In the automotive world, I’m simply known as Ron. As one of Europe’s most experienced Automotive SPICE principal assessors, I have spent nearly three decades helping organizations transform their development processes. Since 2005, I’ve been guiding teams not just to achieve higher capability levels, but to truly understand the why behind effective processes. My journey began in the 1990s when I studied computer science in Berlin and Edinburgh, but I quickly discovered my passion for software engineering and processes. What started as a love for coding evolved into a mission to help teams balance structure with pragmatism.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with industry leaders like Bosch, Audi, Porsche, and Here Technologies. One of my biggest achievements was leading a Bosch development division with 7,000 engineers worldwide to capability level 3, proving that even larger teams can embrace systematic improvements. But here’s what I’ve learned. Assessments are not just about ratings. They’re about empowering people, building confidence, and creating sustainable change. Whether it’s functional safety according to ISO 26262, cybersecurity, or process improvement initiatives, I’m here as your mentor, coach, and sparring partner. Maybe you have heard the rumors about this new China standard and you want to learn more about it. You have come to the right place. Let’s start with the name of ASQMS, Automotive Software Quality Management System. That’s the full name of the standard, and yes, it’s a Chinese standard.

We will take that apart piece by piece in this webinar. So the first question is which body exactly published this ASQMS standard? And the answer is the Chinese Association of Consumer Products Quality and Safety Promotion, short CACPQSP. Say this three times. This body is dedicated to consumer rights and their safety and regulates consumer products, including cars. To promote this, they created the ASQMS standard and demand that each OEM selling cars in China needs to be certified according to the standard. So naturally, it applies to Chinese OEMs selling in China, and it also applies to European OEMs wanting to sell cars in China as well. And there’s more. The OEMs are required to request the certificate from their suppliers as well, so it also applies to any supplier tier two or tier one if they want to be part of the supply chain for cars sold in China.

Let’s have a look at why they created the standard and why we need another standard if we have Automotive SPICE or ASPICE. The reason for that is the dependency on software in the car. The complexity is growing rapidly. The number of technical and organizational interfaces gets bigger every day, and the cars increasingly rely on data coming from the outside. Let me share an observation with companies trying to reach capability level 2, according to Automotive SPICE. At the beginning of the project, the capability level is at a stable level 0. Then it takes one, or two, or even three years to get to level 1 and then to level 2. Then the project delivers the result and is finished. And the next project start again at level 0. I call this cycle the chainsaw or zigzag, up and down and up and down. It’s a huge waste of time and effort, and might have led to the ASPICE frustration, which we observed in networks like LinkedIn.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution for Automotive

Melster: Why is that? Because the knowledge is not captured after the project in the company, nor is it standardized or rolled out. Only few companies have managed to establish a stable level 3 with a standard process according to ASPICE. Why can a project not start in a systematic way, aka level 2 or level 3, from the start of the project? This will also reduce the technical debt, which is built up every time a project starts from level 0. There are some of the reasons why this new standard was developed. We need a strong focus on software development. We need to include the software outside the vehicle, and we need to focus on the organization to provide standard process which is applied in each and every project in a similar way. And I might add that we need to take care of the software long after the initial development phase. In a world with rising cybersecurity issues, the software must be maintained and updated if new threats become known. Therefore, ASQMS includes the entire life cycle, including the termination of the software with a systematic deletion of all personal data.

Let’s talk about what’s inside the standard ASQMS and how it’s structured. The standard contains three kinds of requirements, which must be implemented by a company which wants to be certified according to ASQMS. The first one are basic practices, not base practices, but basic practices. They’re mandatory for all automotive development. The second kind of practices are advanced practices. They must be implemented by products which are safety or cybersecurity relevant. And the third type of requirements are recommended practices. They should be implemented by all software projects. The ASQMS standard follows a risk-based approach, which means that not all requirements, which are defined by the standard need to be implemented in each development program. For that, a classification is introduced, the two classes or types of software.

Type II is a software that carries a risk related to safety or cybersecurity, and type I is the rest of the software, which is not related to safety or cybersecurity. For type II software, the cybersecurity or safety-related, the basic practices are mandatory, and the advanced practices are mandatory. The recommended practices are recommended. For type I software, which are not as critical, only the basic practices are mandatory, and advanced and recommended practices are optional. ASQMS clusters the processes into three groups: operational processes, supporting processes, and system management processes. The operational processes include project management and the entire V-model with requirements engineering, architectural design, detailed design and implementation, unit verification, integration, and verification testing.

Apart from these well-known engineering processes, the following processes are defined as part of the operational processes: supplier management, software release, software deployment, software maintenance, user information management, and software termination. So there’s some overlap and some new processes. The supporting processes include some which we already know from Automotive SPICE like configuration management, problem resolution management, change request management, and of course, quality assurance. They even have the same process names. The basic practices may differ in some aspects. And some new supporting processes are introduced like documentation management, equipment and facilities, knowledge management, revenue management, and externally supplied products and services, which includes the management of free and open-source software.

RELATED: Jama Connect® for Automotive

Melster: With the system management processes, something completely new is introduced. They’re not to be confused with the system development processes, which we know from ASPICE. System here refers to the quality management system in the name of ASQMS. So it’s similar to ISO 9001, or ITF 16949, or an information security management system, which gets certified by TSACS. These processes include the scope and the context of the organization, the quality management system fundamentals like quality policies and roles, personnel management, performance evaluation, and the continuous improvement process. In this next section, I will highlight some of the key changes when we compare Automotive SPICE with ASQMS. The first one is the software, which is in the scope of the standard ASQMS. The requirements are not only mandatory for in-vehicle software, which many of us have known for a long time, but also for software outside the vehicle is in scope.

This includes any software in the cloud providing data to the vehicle or to an entire fleet. It furthermore includes any system along the roads, so-called roadside systems. Again, exchanging information with the car or even controlling the behavior of the vehicle. And it applies to the software tool chains which are used for software development and maintenance. The next important change is the lifecycle. Automotive SPICE development projects typically stop with the release of the finished software, whatever this means. The maintenance phase is usually left out or ignored, and really no one thinks about the termination of the software in an ASPICE project. This will change with ASQMS. The entire lifecycle of the software must be covered. This only starts with the initial development phase and must be continued with the ongoing maintenance of the software until the termination of the software. You might want to know, what is the termination more than switching off the software? Well, many software instances store data, oftentimes personal data, and this information must be securely deleted as part of the termination.

Many companies claim that they are ASPICE level 2 certified. However, this is not true. There is no such certification. What they have reached in most cases is a level 2 in one project at a certain time. So this does not apply to any other project in the same company without performing additional assessments, nor is the claim true in the future or after the assessment for the same project. So here’s the last key change I will talk about. ASPICE assessments are statements about projects at a certain point in time. This statement cannot be carried over to any other project in the company, nor is it valid in the future. ASQMS, on the other hand, focuses on the organization. This means that the organization must establish processes to fulfill the requirements and maintain them in each and every development project. This also includes internal auditing activities to make sure that all projects follow the defined rules and methods. And as I’ve mentioned earlier, it also includes processes to provide competence staff to the project. Only then will the company get the ASQMS certificate, which is published by an external auditor.

So what have we learned today about how ASPICE and ASQMS can work together? First, ASPICE integration. ASQMS will not replace Automotive SPICE. Instead, ASPICE can be used to show the conformance with the overall standard processes. And if you are already using ASPICE at the project level, these methods can be scaled to the entire organization using the approach of ASQMS. Second, both standards have shared goals. They’re built on the same fundamental principles, traceability, clear structure, and well-defined roles. Whether you’re working on a senior development project or managing quality across multiple teams, these core elements remain the same. And finally, ASQMS is extending the scope. Here’s where ASQMS goes beyond traditional ASPICE scopes. It adds organizational elements like leadership development, culture building, and personnel focus. The reality, ASPICE and ASQMS work as a partner, not competitors. Automotive SPICE gives you project-level excellence while ASQMS builds the organizational capability to sustain that excellence across all your software activities. Together, they create a comprehensive quality approach that works at every level.

This Has Been A Preview of Our Webinar, To Watch the Full Webinar, Visit:
Making Sense of ASQMS: A New Standard for Automotive Software Quality

Data-Driven Reports Show Jama Connect® Outperforms Key Competitors Polarion and Codebeamer

Data-Driven Reports Show Jama Connect® Outperforms Key Competitors Polarion and Codebeamer

Finding the right requirements management software can make or break your product development process. With countless options flooding the market, how do you separate genuine value from marketing hype? Two new comprehensive reports from SoftwareReviews provide the answer with data-driven insights that cut through the noise.

These head-to-head comparisons pit Jama Connect against two major competitors: Polarion ALM and Codebeamer. Based on verified user feedback from the July 2025 Data Quadrant Award, the results paint a clear picture of industry leadership that might surprise you.

The Data Behind the Decisions

SoftwareReviews, a division of Info-Tech Research Group with over two decades of research experience, doesn’t rely on vendor claims or marketing materials. Their methodology digs deep into real user experiences, collecting over 130 data points on each product across the entire software lifecycle.

Every review undergoes rigorous quality assurance to ensure authenticity. Only verified users with legitimate credentials can participate, creating a trustworthy foundation for decision-making. This approach reveals insights you won’t find in traditional product comparisons or vendor demonstrations.

The reports examine both quantitative metrics and qualitative feedback, measuring everything from technical capabilities to emotional satisfaction. This comprehensive view helps you understand not just what the software can do, but how it feels to work with it daily.

RELATED: The Benefits of Jama Connect: Supercharge Your Systems Development and Engineering Process

Five Critical Areas That Define Success

Strategy and Innovation

Your requirements management platform needs to evolve with your business. The reports evaluate how well each vendor demonstrates forward-thinking innovation and supports customer growth initiatives. Jama Connect shows particularly strong performance in helping customers innovate and continually improving their platform.

Users consistently report that Jama Connect inspires innovation within their organizations, while competitors struggle to maintain the same level of strategic vision. This matters because today’s software purchase becomes tomorrow’s competitive advantage — or disadvantage.

Service Experience

Technical support can make or break your software experience. When critical projects hang in the balance, you need responsive, effective support that treats your business with respect. The data reveals significant differences in how vendors handle customer relationships.

Jama Connect users report notably higher satisfaction with service quality, describing interactions as respectful, efficient, and time-saving. This translates to faster problem resolution and less downtime for your team.

Product Experience

Features matter, but user experience determines adoption success. The reports examine how well each platform enhances performance, maintains reliability, and protects organizational data. These factors directly impact productivity and user satisfaction across your entire team.

The comparison reveals substantial gaps in product experience metrics, with Jama Connect consistently outperforming competitors in reliability and productivity enhancement. Users describe the platform as performance-enhancing rather than burdensome.

Negotiation and Contract

Software procurement involves complex negotiations that set the tone for your entire vendor relationship. The reports evaluate how vendors handle contract discussions, pricing transparency, and initial relationship building.

Data shows marked differences in negotiation approaches, with some vendors prioritizing client interests while others focus primarily on their own objectives. These patterns often predict long-term satisfaction levels.

Conflict Resolution

Disputes and disagreements inevitably arise during software relationships. How vendors handle these situations reveals their true character and commitment to customer success. The reports examine trustworthiness, fairness, and integrity under pressure.

Results show significant variation in conflict resolution approaches, with some vendors maintaining professionalism while others become adversarial. Understanding these tendencies helps you choose partners who will support your success even when challenges arise.

RELATED: IBM Customers Choose Jama Connect the Most

Beyond Surface-Level Comparisons

Traditional software evaluations focus on feature checklists and pricing tables. These reports dig deeper into the human elements that determine real-world success. They examine emotional footprints, measuring user sentiment across multiple dimensions of vendor relationships.

The Net Emotional Footprint Score captures user feelings about vendor trustworthiness, respect, and fairness. These emotional responses predict long-term satisfaction better than technical specifications alone. The data reveals substantial differences between vendors in building positive user relationships.

Users don’t just evaluate software — they evaluate the entire experience of working with a vendor. This includes everything from initial sales interactions through ongoing support relationships. The reports capture these nuanced experiences that traditional product reviews miss.

RELATED: Companies Choose Jama Connect Over Codebeamer

Comprehensive Feature Analysis

The reports examine 11 core product features specific to requirements management, including:

  • Agile Work Management: Sprint planning, backlog management, and artifact hierarchy
  • ALM Integration: Cross-phase artifact integration through APIs and internal systems
  • Analytics and Reporting: Real-time dashboards and data extraction capabilities
  • Artifact Management: Creation, reuse, and audit capabilities for project artifacts
  • Collaboration: Real-time work sharing and communication features

Each feature receives detailed evaluation based on actual user experiences rather than vendor specifications. This reveals gaps between promised functionality and delivered value.

The analysis shows consistent patterns of performance across feature sets, helping you identify vendors who excel broadly rather than in isolated areas. This comprehensive view prevents costly surprises after implementation.

Vendor Capability Deep Dive

Beyond product features, the reports evaluate 11 essential vendor capabilities that determine long-term partnership success:

  • Business Value Creation: Ability to generate organizational value
  • Vendor Support: Quality and timeliness of customer assistance
  • Usability and Intuitiveness: Learning curves and adoption barriers
  • Implementation Ease: Deployment complexity and timeline predictability
  • Data Integration: Compatibility with existing systems

These capabilities often matter more than individual features because they affect every aspect of your software experience. Vendor support quality, for instance, impacts how quickly you resolve issues and implement new functionality.

The data reveals significant performance variations across these capabilities, with some vendors excelling consistently while others show uneven performance. This information helps you avoid vendors who might excel in sales presentations but struggle with execution.

RELATED: Discover Why Polarion Users Are Switching to Jama Connect

Making Data-Driven Decisions

Requirements management software represents a significant investment in both financial and organizational terms. The wrong choice creates cascading problems that affect project timelines, team productivity, and business outcomes. These reports provide the evidence needed to make confident decisions.

User feedback reveals real-world performance under actual business conditions. You’ll learn how software performs during high-stress periods, how vendors respond to urgent support requests, and how well platforms scale with growing requirements.

The comparative format lets you evaluate trade-offs between different approaches. Some vendors prioritize feature breadth while others focus on user experience. Understanding these strategic differences helps you align vendor strengths with your organizational priorities.

Your Next Steps

Don’t let requirements management software decisions rest on vendor demonstrations and marketing materials alone. These comprehensive reports provide verified user insights that reveal true performance patterns and vendor capabilities.

The data shows clear performance leaders across multiple evaluation categories, but your specific needs might prioritize different factors. Download both reports to understand the complete competitive landscape and identify the best fit for your organization.

Each report includes detailed breakdowns of user satisfaction metrics, feature comparisons, and vendor capability assessments. You’ll gain access to insights from verified users who’ve implemented these platforms in real business environments.

Requirements management affects every aspect of product development. Choose your platform based on comprehensive data rather than surface-level impressions. These reports provide the evidence you need to make decisions that drive long-term success.

Download the comprehensive head-to-head comparison reports against Polarion, Codebeamer, and IBM® DOORS Next® today and discover why users consistently choose Jama Connect for their requirements management needs.

Note: This article was drafted with the aid of AI. Additional content, edits for accuracy, and industry expertise by Mario Maldari, Makenna Imholte, McKenzie Jonsson, and Decoteau Wilkerson.

Streamline Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance by Taking a Full Lifecycle Approach with Jama Connect®

In this blog, we recap a section our recent datasheet, “Streamline Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance by Taking a Full Lifecycle Approach with Jama Connect” – Click HERE to read it in its entirety.

Streamline Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance by Taking a Full Lifecycle Approach with Jama Connect

Postmarket surveillance (PMS) is an expected regulatory activity that plays a vital role in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices after they reach the market. The key to an effective PMS program is to ensure that the requirements and risks identified early in the development process are continually updated throughout the product’s lifecycle. Maintaining “living” design documentation allows companies to better identify, analyze, and respond to potential safety issues. As new information about the product comes from user feedback, clinical studies, or complaint reports, teams can review and update all product information in Jama Connect, allowing them to conduct better investigations and continually enhance the product as a benefit to patients.

Jama Connect for Medical Devices streamlines and simplifies the PMS process by providing a single source of truth for a product’s entire lifecycle. Whether it is managing requirements, performing risk analyses, or conducting effective change management, companies can meet all regulatory requirements and provide patients with safer and more effective devices.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution for Medical Device & Life Sciences

KEY BENEFITS:

  • Improve Postmarket Surveillance by Using the Same Platform During Development and Post Launch: Jama Connect is a full lifecycle platform that allows companies to manage requirements, testing, and risk analyses both during development and after launch, ensuring all PMS activities are managed efficiently and reliably.
  • Enhance Risk Management Through Structured Collaboration: Build or easily migrate risk management items into Jama Connect so that internal and field-based teams can work together to collect and analyze product safety information and implement better corrective and preventive actions faster.
  • Modernize Change Management by Maintaining a Living Design Documentation File: Create a real-time view of all product design and risk information in Jama Connect and utilize automated workflows to conduct change management activities.

Seamlessly Transition from Development to Surveillance

Jama Connect’s ability to create Live Traceability™ across your development tool chain ensures that every step, from ideation to postmarket adjustments, is documented and traceable.

Organizations that use Jama Connect for managing requirements, tests, and risk during development and postmarket surveillance can conduct investigations and implement product changes with greater speed and confidence to minimize the impact on patients and the company.

Finding success in Jama Connect is not just limited to those starting a new project from scratch. A company with many existing projects can transfer all requirements and risk information using migration solutions and services provided by Jama Software. This will create a strong foundation that helps the organization enhance postmarket surveillance activities and improve future development.

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE DATASHEET TO LEARN MORE:
Streamline Medical Device Postmarket Surveillance by Taking a Full Lifecycle Approach with Jama Connect

Extending End-to-End Traceability into the Semiconductor Design Cycle

Modern semiconductor design is a high-stakes, high-complexity endeavor. With fabless semiconductor companies evolving rapidly & tackling increasing design challenges, effective requirement traceability across the entire design lifecycle has never been more critical. Traditionally limited to the later stages of development, traceability now demands an upstream extension, covering Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and verification tools.

Why does this matter? Extending requirement traceability earlier into the semiconductor design cycle doesn’t just minimize errors; it ensures efficiency, reduces costs, and bolsters compliance. This whitepaper explores why integrating traceability into EDA tools benefits chip and system-on-chip (SOC) projects and how companies can set themselves up for success.

Why Extend Requirement Traceability to EDA Tools?

Manage Complexity Across Distributed Teams

Fabless semiconductor companies and Integrated Device Manufacturers (IDMs) increasingly rely on globally distributed teams and specialized domains for system, hardware, and software design. This decentralization makes collaboration more challenging, and critical requirements may get lost in translation.

Without clear traceability, common pain points include:

  • Miscommunication about design intent across teams
  • Misinterpretation of product requirements
  • Testing against outdated requirements
  • Uncertainty and risks in IP reuse, especially when lineage and design intent are undocumented

By extending the reach of traceability into EDA tools and workflows, organizations can create a direct link between system requirements, IP blocks, design intent, and test benches. This reduces the risk of potential miscommunication & ensures that every design artifact aligns with higher level business goals.

Identify Risks Early in the Design Cycle

Simulation and Verification capabilities in an EDA tool are critical checkpoints for ensuring alignment between architectural design and performance requirements. When connected to traceability frameworks, these tools elevate quality assurance and minimize risk.

Through such an integration, teams can:

  • Detect and correct inconsistencies in architecture, performance, and design constraints before tape-out
  • Proactively identify gaps in requirements coverage
  • Continuously monitor power, performance, and area (PPA) metrics as designs evolve
  • Increase chances of first silicon success

By tying simulations and verifications directly to requirements, companies preserve agility while safeguarding against expensive last-minute failures.

Lay the Foundation for Generative AI Integration

From defect prediction to automated generation of requirements and test cases, AI is transforming the semiconductor industry. To fully leverage AI’s potential, organizations need well-structured data from across their lifecycle that is traceable. This includes EDA tool and serves as fuel for AI-driven insights such as:

  • Defect predictions and design inconsistencies
  • Automated requirement creation and test case generation
  • Robust analytical capabilities with intelligent suggestions for coverage gaps and test improvement

This end-to-end integration is essential for companies aiming to improve the structure of their engineering data so it can be used as a data pipe to feed other AI/ML projects and initiatives.

RELATED: Join the Leaders Choosing Jama Connect® for Semiconductor

Avoid Failure Despite Mature Processes 

Even the most advanced requirements management processes can fail to bridge the gap between early design work and high-level product goals. This disconnect can result in overruns on cost and time while missing performance or functional
targets.

Without tightly linking decisions in early-stage EDA tools to requirements, organizations face:

  • Misaligned timing, throughput, or power targets during critical milestones
  • Slow root cause analysis when performance benchmarks are missed

Extending traceability ensures visibility into how each design decision affects product goals, enabling rapid adjustments and informed decision-making.

Facilitate Efficient Change Impact Analysis

Semiconductor design is an iterative process where late-stage requirement changes can ripple across RTL, DFT, and verification layers. Effective traceability enables teams to propagate changes efficiently and assess downstream impacts in real-time.

When EDA tool outputs, constraints, and simulations are part of the traceability chain:

  • Impact analysis for system requirement changes becomes seamless
  • Verification teams can identify affected test plans and test constraints instantly
  • Regulatory compliance processes become auditable and efficient

This end-to-end integration is essential for companies aiming to improve the structure of their engineering data so it can be used as a data pipe to feed other AI/ML projects and initiatives.

Ensure Regulatory Compliance and Certification

Whether it’s automotive (ISO 26262), aerospace (DO-254), or medical devices, safety-critical industries demand rigorous traceability and accountability.

By extending traceability into EDA ecosystems, semiconductor companies can provide proof of:

  • How requirements were implemented in RTL and verified through simulations
  • Continuous validation of system-level intents

This level of transparency is crucial for certification in highly regulated industries, ensuring customer and stakeholder confidence while avoiding compliance gaps.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution for Semiconductor

Practical Approach to Achieving End-to-End Traceability

Here’s how fabless semiconductor companies can implement a traceability framework that extends across the design, simulation, and verification layers.

System Layer: Where it All Begins

End-to-end traceability starts with a solid foundation at the system layer. This stage focuses on managing requirements and maintaining a clear connection between what the product must deliver and how those goals translate to system functions.

Key Takeaways:

  • Jama Software serves as the traceability hub to ensure alignment across teams
  • Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) Tools such as Cameo enable detailed system modeling
  • Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Tools like Windchill help track complete product lifecycles

Key Artifacts:

The artifacts at this stage include product requirements, architecture models, and functional and non-functional requirements such as PPA (power, performance, area) metrics.

Traceability Links:

High-level requirements are seamlessly linked to system functions and verification criteria, ensuring no gaps between product expectations and system capabilities.

Design Layer: Bridging Hardware and Software

Once system requirement baselines are established, the focus shifts to the design layer, where the intricate dance between hardware and software development takes place.

Key Tools and Resources:

  • RTL Design Software, like Synopsys VCS, simplifies design processes
  • Software Tools, such as Jira, streamline task management
  • Prototyping Tools, including Xilinx Vivado, assist with early-stage testing

Key Artifacts:

The main outputs here are HDL (Hardware Description Language) modules, design specifications for hardware and software, and integration plans to bring it all together.

Traceability Links:

At this stage, system requirements feed directly into design specs, which flow into HDL and software modules to uphold interconnected traceability.

Download the full whitepaper to learn more about the following topics:
  • EDA Toolchain Integration Layer: Simulations at the Core
  • Verification and Validation Layer: Testing the Foundation
  • Analytics and Decision Support Layer
  • Transforming Requirement Traceability with Jama Software
  • Set Up Your Semiconductor Design for Success

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE WHITEPAPER TO LEARN MORE:
Extending End-to-End Traceability into the Semiconductor Design Cycle

From AI to Roadmaps: Your Guide to Jama Software’s Upcoming Community Events

In this blog, we share exciting upcoming Jama Software Community Events!

From AI to Roadmaps: Your Guide to Jama Software’s Upcoming Community Events

Are you ready to connect, learn, and grow with a community of like-minded professionals?

Jama Software Community Events are here to empower our customers with insights, strategies, and tools to maximize your success with Jama Connect®.

Whether you’re tackling challenges in requirements traceability, regulatory compliance, or product and systems development, these events are your gateway to meaningful conversations and actionable solutions.

Please note: These events are for existing customers only. If you are not currently a customer and would like to start a free 30-day trial, click here!

Here’s a sneak peek at the exciting lineup of upcoming events:

1. Explore Customer Success Journeys

Date: August 27, 2025 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. CEST
Discover how tailored support solutions can align with your business goals. Learn about Premium, Strategic, and Essentials Support Plans, and gain practical strategies to enhance efficiency and ROI. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your experience with Jama Software.

Register Now!

2. Ask Me Anything (AMA) with our VP of Solutions & Support

Date: September 24, 2025 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. CEST
Get exclusive insights from Jama Software’s VP of Solutions & Support, Preston Mitchell. Learn time-saving strategies, actionable tips, and answers to your burning questions in this interactive session.

Register Now!

3. The Future of Requirements Management with AI

Date: October 15, 2025 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. CEST
Join Senior Product Manager Katie Huckett to explore how AI is revolutionizing requirements management and product development. Gain insights into AI-driven tools that enhance clarity, precision, and collaboration.

Register Now!

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution

4. Product Roadmap Session

Date: November 5, 2025 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. CEST
Be the first to learn about Jama Software’s upcoming features and enhancements. This session offers a glimpse into the future of innovation and how it can empower your workflows.

Register Now!

5. Reflect on Jama Connect’s Top Features of 2025

Date: December 3, 2025 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. CEST
Take a look back at the standout features of Jama Connect in 2025. Learn how these innovations have driven efficiency and collaboration and discover how to maximize their impact in your organization.

Register Now!

6. Lean Coffee with Jama Software

Date: January 22, 2026 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. CEST
Kick off 2026 with an interactive Lean Coffee session. Collaborate with experts and peers to tackle challenges in product, systems, and software development.

Register Now!

7. Fireside Chat with Jama Software

Date: February 10, 2026 | Time: 8:00 a.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. CEST
Engage in a conversation with a leading Jama Software executive. Get firsthand insights into the latest updates, upcoming developments, and strategies to drive impactful results.

Register Now!

RELATED: Jama Connect Continues to Dominate as the #1 Leader in Requirements Management Software

Why Attend?

  • Learn from Experts: Gain actionable insights from industry leaders and Jama Software experts.
  • Collaborate with Peers: Exchange ideas and strategies with power users.
  • Stay Ahead: Discover the latest innovations and trends shaping the future of product development.

Don’t miss these opportunities to connect, learn, and grow. Reserve your spot today and take the first step toward transforming your potential into action.

CLICK HERE: Explore All Events and Register Now!

Legacy Requirements Tools Present Modern Performance Challenges

Legacy Requirements Tools Present Modern Performance Challenges

When evaluating requirements management platforms, response time emerges as a critical factor that influences user adoption, team efficiency, and project success. Today’s modern engineering projects demand more than legacy solutions can deliver. The speed at which teams can access, modify, and collaborate on requirements directly impacts project timelines, quality outcomes, and overall productivity.

Understanding Response Time in Requirements Management

Response time in requirements management refers to the speed at which a system processes user requests, displays information, and enables collaborative activities. This is comprised of several key indicators:

  • System Responsiveness: The time required to load requirements, modules, collections, folders, execute searches, and navigate between different sections of the application.
  • Collaboration Efficiency: How quickly team members can access shared requirements, make modifications, and see updates from stakeholders and team members.
  • Scalability Under Load: The system’s ability to maintain acceptable performance levels as project complexity increases, and more users access the platform simultaneously. Modern engineering projects often involve thousands of requirements, multiple stakeholders, and tight integrations with various development or System Modeling Tools. Slow response times can create bottlenecks that cascade through the entire development process.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution

Legacy Architecture and Performance Characteristics

Tools such as IBM® DOORS® have established themselves as a requirements management standard across many industries, particularly in aerospace, automotive, and defense sectors. However, the architecture is a reflection of design decisions made decades ago, which impacts response time characteristics.

Performance Profile

DOORS operates on a client-server architecture that was optimized for local network environments. Users frequently report noticeable delays when:

  • Loading large requirements modules with complex hierarchies
  • Performing cross-project searches across multiple projects
  • Generating reports that span numerous requirement sets
  • Simple tasks, such as expanding projects and folders

The system’s reliance on a proprietary database and queries for basic operations can result in response times that vary significantly based on database size, network conditions, and concurrent user activity. Unchecked DXL scripts can also be a point of performance degradation and require frequent updating and maintenance.

User Experience Feedback

Teams using DOORS consistently highlight response time as a primary concern. Common feedback includes:

  • Extended wait times when opening large requirement sets
  • Delays in search functionality, particularly for complex queries
  • Slow performance during peak usage periods
  • Timeout issues when generating comprehensive reports

These performance limitations often force teams to work around the system rather than with it, leading to decreased productivity and compliance issues.

Jama Connect®: Modern Architecture for Enhanced Performance

Jama Connect represents a new generation of requirements management tools, with a modern UI and high performing architecture. This foundation enables significantly improved response times across various operational scenarios.

Architecture Advantages

Jama Connect’s browser-based interface and modern backend infrastructure deliver several performance benefits:

  • Optimized Data Handling: Jama Connect uses advanced caching mechanisms and efficient data structures to minimize loading times for requirements documents and related artifacts.
  • Real-Time Collaboration: Built-in mechanisms for live updates and collaborative workflows, such as the Review Center, reduce the latency typically associated with multi-user environments.
  • Flexible Infrastructure Options: On-Prem and hosted options allow for flexibility when it comes to organizational needs. Jama Connect is certified at SOC 2 as an application and for its hosting environment.
  • Streamlined Integration: Out-of-the-box integration with systems modeling tools and other best-of-breed applications.
  • RESTful API: Modern API design enables faster synchronization with external tools and systems.

Performance Metrics and User Feedback

Organizations migrating from legacy tools to Jama Connect report substantial improvements in response time metrics.

  • Requirement Loading: Users experience faster access to requirements, with loading times reduced by significant margins compared to traditional tools.
  • Search Performance: Advanced indexing and search algorithms deliver rapid results, even across large requirement sets.
  • Collaborative Operations: Real-time updates and collaborative features, such as the review center, operate with minimal latency, enabling more efficient team workflows.
  • Report Generation: Reporting capabilities process complex requirement sets more quickly than traditional approaches.

RELATED: Move to Jama Connect — A Modern Requirements Management Alternative to IBM DOORS

Comparative Analysis: Response Time Impact on Project Outcomes

Development Velocity

Teams using responsive requirements management tools demonstrate measurable improvements in development velocity. Quick access to requirements information reduces context-switching delays and enables faster decision-making throughout the development process.

Quality Assurance Efficiency

Faster response times in requirements management directly correlate with improved quality assurance processes. Teams can more efficiently trace requirements to test cases, identify coverage gaps, and maintain traceability matrices.

Stakeholder Engagement

Responsive tools encourage broader stakeholder participation in requirements review and approval processes. When accessing and reviewing requirements becomes frictionless, stakeholders are more likely to provide timely feedback and maintain engagement throughout the project lifecycle.

Cost Considerations

While modern tools may require initial investment, the productivity gains from improved response times often justify the cost through:

  • Reduced time spent waiting for system responses
  • Improved user adoption and reduced training overhead
  • Faster project completion times
  • Enhanced collaboration efficiency

RELATED: Traceable Agile™ – Speed AND Quality Are Possible for Software Factories in Safety-critical Industries

Making the Right Choice for Your Engineering Team

Response time and performance represents just one factor in requirements management tool selection, but its impact on daily productivity makes it an essential consideration.

Teams working with complex, rapidly evolving requirements benefit most from platforms that prioritize responsiveness and real-time collaboration. The investment in modern tools often pays dividends through improved team efficiency, faster project delivery, and enhanced stakeholder satisfaction.

Navigating AI Safety with ISO 8800 in Road Vehicles

In this blog, we recap our recent Whitepaper, “Navigating AI Safety with ISO 8800 in Road Vehicles”

Navigating AI Safety with ISO 8800 in Road Vehicles

Editor’s Note: This blog post is based off of content from our recent webinar, presented by Matt Mickle and Jody Nelson from SecuRESafe (SRES). To learn more about how SRES can help your team develop responsibly safe and secure products for the evolving automotive and industrial space, please visit SecuRESafe (SRES). 

The automotive industry is in the midst of a transformation, driven by the rise of autonomous systems and artificial intelligence (AI). With the promise of enhanced safety, efficiency, and reliability, these technologies are rapidly advancing. However, as the complexity of AI systems used in road vehicles grows, ensuring their safety continues to be a top priority. Key to achieving this is the emergence of new standards like ISO 8800, a pivotal framework for guiding AI safety practices.

AI-powered road vehicles introduce numerous safety challenges, from understanding edgecase scenarios to managing real-time decision-making under varying conditions. Without proper safety assurances, these systems pose risks that could compromise passenger safety and public trust.

Existing Standards and Their Limitations

Standards like ISO 26262 (Functional Safety) and ISO/PAS 21448 (SOTIF – Safety of the Intended Functionality) have laid solid foundations for addressing traditional safety concerns. However, they do not fully account for the dynamic and adaptive nature of AI systems. This gap underscores the importance of ISO 8800.

RELATED: Accelerate Automotive Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (ASPICE) with Jama Connect®

Addressing the Gaps with ISO 8800

ISO 8800 aims to bridge the existing gaps by providing comprehensive guidelines tailored specifically to AI-driven systems and their unique challenges. Unlike traditional systems, AI operates in a highly dynamic environment where decision-making is continuously evolving based on real-time data inputs. This introduces complexity in ensuring predictable and safe behavior, especially in unprecedented situations.

One of the key contributions of ISO 8800 is its focus on the explainability and transparency of AI decisions. By mandating traceable decision-making processes, it ensures that the behavior of AI systems can be understood, audited, and, if necessary, corrected. This is crucial for building trust and accountability, particularly in high-stakes contexts such as autonomous vehicles. Additionally, ISO 8800 emphasizes robust testing methodologies that go beyond conventional verification techniques. These methodologies consider edge cases, rare events, and adaptive learning mechanisms to ensure the AI system performs safely under even the most unpredictable circumstances.

By addressing these and other critical facets, ISO 8800 not only enhances existing standards but also sets a forward-looking precedent for ensuring the safety and reliability of AI systems in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

ISO 8800 Overview

ISO 8800 focuses on ensuring that AI systems deployed in road environments adhere to rigorous safety standards while maintaining adaptability to real-world challenges. The framework is built around several key pillars, including behavior modeling, risk assessment, and continuous improvement processes.

First, ISO 8800 emphasizes the creation of robust behavior models for AI systems. These models define how an AI system should act in varying scenarios, taking into account factors such as traffic conditions, weather changes, and unforeseen obstacles. By establishing clear behavioral expectations, ISO 8800 aims to prevent unpredictable AI actions that could compromise safety.

Second, the framework requires comprehensive risk assessment protocols. This involves identifying potential vulnerabilities and failure points in AI systems and implementing strategies
to mitigate these risks. Importantly, ISO 8800 promotes a proactive approach, encouraging developers to anticipate edge cases — rare and complex situations that may strain an AI system’s capabilities.

Lastly, continuous improvement is a fundamental aspect of ISO 8800. AI systems must undergo regular updates and evaluations to ensure optimal performance in evolving environments. The framework supports ongoing data collection and analysis, allowing developers to refine algorithms and adapt to new challenges over time. By addressing these areas, ISO 8800 provides a structured foundation for managing the intricacies of AI in road safety, paving the way for innovation that aligns with public trust and regulatory expectations.

Core Principles

  • Transparency: Ensure clear visibility into AI decision-making processes.
  • Robustness: Design AI systems to perform reliably even under challenging and unforeseen conditions.
  • Fairness and Accountability: Mitigate biases in AI algorithms and establish accountability mechanisms for system failures.

Interoperability with Other Standards

One of ISO 8800’s strengths is its compatibility with existing safety standards, complementing ISO 26262 and SOTIF. Together, these frameworks create a holistic approach to managing road vehicle safety.

Benefits of ISO 8800 Adoption

The adoption of ISO 8800 brings forth a range of strategic and operational advantages for organizations working on AI-driven systems, particularly in safety-critical industries. One of the most significant benefits is the enhancement of trust in AI systems. By adhering to standardized guidelines that emphasize safety, transparency, and reliability, companies can demonstrate their commitment to ethical AI practices. This commitment builds confidence not only among regulatory bodies but also within the general public and the broader industry ecosystem.

Another crucial advantage is the reduction of safety risks. ISO 8800 provides a robust framework for identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential hazards associated with AI operations. This systematic approach reduces the likelihood of accidents, malfunctions, or unforeseen consequences, particularly in applications such as autonomous vehicles, healthcare technologies, and industrial automation. Furthermore, by minimizing risks, organizations can lower the potential costs associated with failures or liability claims.

Regulatory compliance also becomes significantly more streamlined with ISO 8800. The standard aligns closely with emerging global regulations, helping organizations stay ahead in meeting legal and procedural requirements. This proactive alignment not only speeds up product approvals but also positions organizations as leaders in regulatory adherence, further strengthening their market reputation.

Lastly, adopting ISO 8800 can unlock new opportunities for innovation and collaboration. By integrating these standards into their development processes, companies create systems that are interoperable and compatible with broader networks. This fosters collaboration with partners, suppliers, and stakeholders while driving industry-wide advancements. Ultimately, ISO 8800 serves as a critical enabler of long-term success in building safe, reliable, and scalable AI systems.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution for Automotive

BEST PRACTICES FOR COMPLIANCE

Integrating ISO 8800 in Your Systems

  • Start with a Gap Analysis: Identify areas where current practices fall short of ISO 8800 requirements.
  • Develop a Comprehensive Safety Plan: Define clear safety goals and documentation protocols.
  • Leverage Scalable Tools: Use model-based approaches to manage complexities in AI behavior.

Achieving compliance with ISO 8800 requires a well-structured and proactive approach. Begin by conducting a thorough gap analysis to evaluate your current processes against ISO 8800 standards. This initial step allows organizations to pinpoint specific areas where improvements are necessary, ensuring resources are allocated effectively. Following this, the development of a comprehensive safety plan is crucial. Such a plan should outline clear safety objectives, specify documentation procedures, and include ongoing evaluation mechanisms to ensure continuous improvement. It is essential to integrate roles and responsibilities across teams to foster
accountability and streamline implementation efforts.

Organizations should also invest in scalable tools to manage the inherent complexities of AI system behavior. Model-based approaches can be particularly effective, enabling teams to simulate, test, and validate system responses in a controlled environment. Additionally, prioritizing robust data management practices — such as ensuring data quality, traceability, and transparency — can strengthen the organization’s ability to identify risks and address them proactively. Regular training and awareness programs for staff are equally important to ensure alignment with compliance requirements and foster a culture of safety.

Finally, maintaining consistent communication with stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, industry partners, and end-users, helps build trust and demonstrates a commitment to adhering to ISO 8800. Establishing a feedback loop where compliance practices are periodically reviewed and refined will significantly enhance both reliability and long-term industry credibility.

By embedding these best practices, organizations can ensure a robust framework for safety and compliance while keeping pace with evolving industry standards.

DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE WHITEPAPER TO LEARN MORE FAQS ABOUT ISO 8800:
Navigating AI Safety with ISO 8800 in Road Vehicles

Bridging ALM and MBSE for Modernized Systems Engineering Practices

This blog recaps our recent Whitepaper, to download the entire thing, visit “Bridging ALM and MBSE for Modernized Systems Engineering Practices.”

Bridging ALM and MBSE for Modernized Systems Engineering Practices

1: Introduction

In an era marked by rapid advancements in technology, the aerospace and defense industries face increasing complexity in systems engineering. Addressing these challenges requires a paradigm shift towards more integrated and collaborative workflows. This whitepaper explores the essential relationship between Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), highlighting how bridging these disciplines can modernize systems engineering practices.

2: The Growing Complexity of Systems Engineering

The complexity of systems engineering has grown exponentially in recent years, driven by advancements in technology, globalization, and the increasing interconnectivity of systems. Modern systems often integrate a wide array of specialized components, from hardware to software, all of which must seamlessly function as a whole. This challenge is further compounded by the need for performance optimization, cybersecurity considerations, and adherence to regulatory and safety standards, which vary across industries and regions.

For example, in the aerospace sector, the development of next-generation aircraft requires the integration of advanced avionics, autonomous systems, and material innovations. These aircraft must not only meet stringent performance criteria but also comply with international safety regulations and environmental standards. Similarly, in the defense industry, modern weapon systems rely heavily on interoperability between software-driven subsystems, such as sensors, communication networks, and artificial intelligence algorithms, all of which must operate flawlessly in highly dynamic environments.

To manage this complexity effectively, systems engineers must adopt integrated methodologies that bridge gaps between disciplines and stakeholders. Traditional linear workflows and siloed engineering practices can no longer keep pace with the demands of today’s systems. The introduction of tools and frameworks like MBSE enables teams to visualize and validate system designs in a digital environment, ensuring all components meet specifications before physical prototypes are developed. Combined with ALM, MBSE enhances traceability and communication, fostering collaboration across various teams and ensuring that every aspect of the system remains aligned with the overall mission objectives.

By leveraging integrated approaches and modern engineering tools, organizations can address the escalating challenges of systems complexity, enabling them to deliver innovative solutions while minimizing risk and maintaining efficiency.

The demand for innovative, safe, and efficient systems in aerospace and defense has led to unprecedented levels of complexity. Systems engineering processes need to manage a significant volume of requirements, design models, stakeholder expectations, and compliance standards. Traditional engineering approaches fall short of addressing these demands effectively, creating the need for solutions that promote end-to-end traceability and model-driven development.

RELATED: Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Requirements Management and Traceability Solution

3: ALM and MBSE Defined

3.1 What is ALM?

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) is the framework that encompasses the entire lifecycle of a system, from concept and design to implementation, testing, and maintenance. ALM ensures alignment between business needs, development efforts, and operational goals.

3.2 What is MBSE?

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) represents a paradigm shift by focusing on the use of models as the primary means to design, analyze, and validate system behavior. MBSE emphasizes simulation, system-wide visualization, and clear documentation to foster collaboration and problem-solving.

4. The Value of Integration

Integrating ALM and MBSE enhances engineering by enabling a seamless flow of information and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration. This integration is fundamental to achieving traceability between requirements, design, and verification, ensuring that projects meet critical objectives efficiently.

4.1 Improved Traceability

By linking tools like Jama Connect with system modeling tools, teams can create a direct trace from system requirements, design decisions, test cases, and compliance reports to the system model analyses, parameters, and behaviors. This level of traceability minimizes risks and helps ensure that the final product aligns with initial specifications.

4.2 Enhanced Collaboration

Bridging ALM and MBSE facilitates better communication among stakeholders by providing shared insights and clear documentation of system behaviors. This reduces misunderstandings and promotes alignment across all project phases.

4.3 Accelerated Development Cycles

Integrated workflows reduce redundancies, streamline handoffs, and eliminate rework, allowing engineering teams to accelerate system development while maintaining high quality and compliance standards.

RELATED: Compliant Engineering: Leveraging Live Traceability for Regulatory and Product Compliance Success

5. Tools to Enable ALM and MBSE Integration

Jama Connect for MBSE

Jama Connect is a powerful tool that brings cohesiveness to Model-Based Systems Engineering by enabling efficient requirements management, traceability, and collaboration throughout the system lifecycle. By integrating with MBSE processes, Jama Connect provides a centralized platform where teams can define, manage, and validate requirements while ensuring alignment with system models. Through its robust traceability features, Jama Connect ensures that every requirement is linked to design elements, testing artifacts, and verification processes, creating a comprehensive digital thread.

One of the key strengths of Jama Connect is its ability to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders. The platform offers an intuitive interface for real-time communication, enabling engineers, project managers, and business teams to work together seamlessly, ensuring clarity and reducing the risk of misunderstandings. Additionally, Jama Connect’s alignment with compliance standards streamlines audits and regulatory reviews, essential for industries with rigorous certification requirements.

When linking Jama Connect with system modeling tools, such as SysML modeling solutions, Jama Connect facilitates continuous synchronization between system requirements and system architecture models. This reduces errors, eliminates redundancies, and supports iterative development, helping teams adapt to changes quickly. Ultimately, Jama Connect empowers organizations to align engineering objectives with business goals, ensuring that the end product meets customer needs and system specifications efficiently.

LemonTree.Connect™ for Enterprise Architecture

LemonTree.Connect™ acts as a bridge between ALM and MBSE tools, offering advanced capabilities for merging and synchronizing data to maintain consistency across systems models and requirements.

When used together, Jama Connect and LemonTree.Connect™ create a unified environment for modern engineering practices.

TO READ PARTS 6 – 10, VISIT:
Bridging ALM and MBSE for Modernized Systems Engineering Practices

Requirements Advisor

Jama Connect® Features in Five: Jama Connect Advisor™

Learn how you can supercharge your systems development process! In this blog series, we’re pulling back the curtains to give you a look at a few of Jama Connect’s powerful features… in under five minutes.

In this Features in Five video, Katie Huckett, Senior Product Manager at Jama Software, will introduce viewers to Jama Connect Advisor™, Jama Connect’s natural language processing (NLP) tool, designed to improve requirement quality.

In this video, learn how Jama Connect Advisor enhances your product management by:

    • Reducing authoring errors
    • Increasing clarity
    • Optimizing foundational product needs and requirements managed in Jama Connect Cloud

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Katie Huckett: Hi. I’m Katie Huckett, Senior Product Manager at Jama Software. In this video, I’ll introduce you to Jama Connect Advisor, an add-on to Jama Connect Cloud that uses engineering-based natural language processing to optimize requirements authoring. It helps you write effective, well-organized requirements with speed and accuracy.

We’ll explore how Jama Connect Advisor can enhance your product development by reducing errors, increasing clarity, and optimizing the foundational requirements managed within Jama Connect Cloud. Jama Connect Advisor is designed to help teams author complex requirements quickly and accurately using AI and engineering-focused natural language processing. It minimizes disruption to engineering workflows while improving quality. How does it work?

Jama Connect Advisor applies the globally recognized INCOSE requirements rules and EARS syntax patterns. Even experienced engineers find it challenging to follow all forty INCOSE rules and six EARS patterns while writing even a single requirement.

That’s where Jama Connect Advisor steps in to streamline the process and enhance productivity. Now I’d like to show you a demonstration of how Jama Connect Advisor enables teams to intelligently improve requirements quality and usability, minimize requirement ambiguity and contradictions, which are the source of seventy to eighty-five percent of rework, and save time authoring, reviewing, analyzing, and updating requirement statements.

RELATED: Jama Connect Advisor™ Datasheet

Huckett: There are a few different ways that you can use Jama Connect Advisor within the Jama Connect Cloud application.

Let’s start by adding a new requirement. Once you’ve added your requirement into the description field, you’ll notice the highlighted text to analyze the prompt underneath the description field. Once you’re ready, go ahead and select the text that you’d like to analyze and select analyze selection.

Underneath the description field, you’ll see a quick summary of your INCOSE score as well as any errors found, if any. You can move on at this point and save your item, or you can go ahead and view the details if you’d like to make changes at this point. So I can see on the slide over panel, the text that’s been analyzed, what my INCOSE score is, eighty-seven percent, and then the different identifiers that I’ve flagged it for the INCOSE rules. Underneath, you’ll see the EARS errors, if any were found. You’ll also see some information about the EARS notation pattern that your requirement might align with. I’m gonna go ahead and save this item, and I’ll wait to make my changes in a moment.

Now that I’ve saved that, let’s say I want to analyze a whole group of existing requirements. I’m going to go ahead and analyze all items within my set on the side here. So I’ll select all items and you’ll notice the batch analyze button, appears in the top right-hand corner. Once you select that, you’ll be given a summary view of what will be analyzed. So you can see I’ve got seventeen items selected here. All seventeen of those items happen to have a Jama Connect Advisor-enabled field on it, and then we have thirty-four fields per, these items. So it appears we have two Jama Connect Advisor enabled fields, per each item within this group.

Once you select analyze, the slide of our panel will pop up on the right-hand side. You’ll notice your group of requirements. Each item is listed at the top within this drop-down. You can navigate with the drop-down or the directional arrows. And then underneath, we also have a field drop-down. So as I mentioned, we have two fields per item type on this particular example. So I can swap between those as well either using the drop down or the directional arrows to move through.

So now that I’ve come in here and I see the, recommendations, I’d like to go in and edit my item to make some changes. So here, I want to remove some of the items that were flagged. I’m gonna remove this and just update this to say, you know, users can create a login using we don’t wanna use pronouns, per that flag. So I’m gonna change this to using an Apple ID, email.

RELATED: The Essential Guide to Requirements Management and Traceability

Huckett: I’m gonna update this to be an actual logical condition with or social media. And then I’m gonna remove the example of LinkedIn because I don’t necessarily need that, and I’ll just update that to end the sentence there. Once I’ve made my changes, I can select the text again in the edit quick edit mode, analyze the selection, and I can see here my INCOSE rule score is now a hundred percent. I still have to deal with my ears errors, but so far so good on INCOSE.

I can view my details again in the slide-over panel and update here. I can also close that back out, and I can return to my batch analysis results by selecting the latest analysis link at the top, and that will take me right back in where I was before I made those changes. Now I can go ahead and save my item and complete those changes going forward. If I want to work through these requirements across multiple sessions or maybe I just wanna have a benchmark of what my score was before I started making my edits, you can then generate a report within the slide-over panel.

That will open up in your reports history page where you can download the report into Excel.

Once you open the report that was generated, we have a few different tabs you can work through in the worksheet. The first one just gives you some general information. What’s the average score of your requirements, the minimum, and maximum score, your total number of valid requirements, and then if you did have any invalid requirements as well. The file analysis reports, tab will give you a complete breakdown of all the requirements that were analyzed, their score, and then any corresponding INCOSE flags that may have popped up within the analysis.

We also have an explanation of each INCOSE flag as long as with their associated description. And then if your, report did happen to include any invalid requirements for any reason, those will be included in their separate sheet as well. Thank you for watching this demonstration of Jama Connect Advisor. If you would like to learn more about how Jamala Connect can optimize your product development process, please visit our website at jamasoftware.com

If you are already a Jama Connect customer and would like more information about Jama Connect Advisor, please contact your Customer Success Manager or Jama Software Consultant.

To view more Jama Connect Features in Five topics, visit:
Jama Connect Features in Five Video Series