There are a lot of CM/ALM solutions out there - so where are we headed? In my opinion, the future of CM/ALM will be defined by the level of tool suite integration, more than by any other factor in the 3rd and 4th Generations of tools. And basic "integration" will not cut it. Putting tools together into a single package with some glue and triggers to help the tools interact is helpful, but will fall short of market demand. "seamless integration" will be a requirement. No advance is more important to the next generation of CM tools. What about cost? What about ease-of-use? How about traceability? The answer is simple: first seamless integration, and the rest will follow. If you haven't seen a seamlessly integrated tool suite, you may not fully grasp this statement. But seamlessly integrated tools are the ones that will be dominant in the future. Let's look at why.

Organization-wide continuous improvement programs that notably include an agile adoption and It compliance function can play a vital role in driving the levels of collaboration and reuse necessary to achieving scale. Audits can directly contribute to collaboration and knowledge reuse among agile teams.

In this article, we explore why almost no one does "proper" inspections and set up the case for lightweight peer code review. Try it. You'll like it!

Payson Hall broke onto the software development scene as a maverick programmer, but his penchant for imposing his ideals onto others created more enemies than allies and sometimes detracted from product quality. In this week's column, a more experienced Payson recalls how he exchanged hubris for humility and shares lessons learned during his transformation that help him craft constructive reviews.