Accelerating Application Lifecycle Management: Key Steps for Modern Teams

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Application Lifecycle Management

It doesn’t take much to imagine how a house would look if built without a plan, and that’s exactly how transactional software would turn out without ALM.

It is a well-known fact that a Software Application Development Process involves multiple simultaneous processes of software design, coding, and testing. For modern software teams, ALM is crucial because it ensures that everyone knows what to do when to do it, and how to collaborate effectively.

But to integrate an auxiliary tool with specific functions into your workflow, you need to comprehend the fundamentals on which their functionalities are based. And this is exactly what this guide aims to do.

Importance of ALM in Software Development

You can find software everywhere: in phones, in cars, in refrigerators. And because these applications have a faster time to market, the quality gets diluted. They also need to be accessible.

ALM takes care of these issues by providing Streamlined Collaboration: ALM encompasses the entire software development, managing requirements, quality control, and assembling monitoring and control. Specialized ALM Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) allow a unified interface that integrates most of the tools.

 The time that is needed to comprehensively understand a software that has gone through reconstruction, can take extensive time and resources, and restructuring translates to high costs. But if any structural discrepancies occur, ALM systems could be of enormous assistance.

Example: What about having a school project? If your group divides roles (one person performs the research, another develops the presentation, and a third does the delivery), it is much easier to meet the deadline. Software teams in ALM also operate in the same manner.

Essential Stages in the Implementation of an ALM Strategy

Let’s now examine the different phases in ALM – step by step. Each phase is instrumental towards ensuring the successful delivery of software:

1. Determining Requirements

This part begins a tutorial’s journey. The same holds for the software’s intended purpose. Questions like “What problem are we solving here?” and “Who needs this?” get answered here.

Example: There exists a need for tracking exercise goals and suggesting diet plans with graphical representations of progress on a fitness app.

2. Planning

At this stage, the team discusses how the application is going to be integrated streaming-wise. They prepare some documents that illustrate the way the application will be used by the clients.

  • Tools: Figma, Lucidchart
  • Example: Designers might determine that the workout tracker will be implemented on the home page for easy access.

3. Actual Implementation

This is the part when actual coding begins. Developers write the various components of the software.

Best Practice: It is recommended to have version control tools like GitHub for better tracking and collaboration.

4. Validation

Validation guarantees that the application functions as expected while debugging helps fix any hidden issues for clients.

Tip: Use automated testing tools such as Selenium for quicker results.

For example, check whether the calorie logging subroutine works by timing a user to see if, in fact, they do go for a 30-minute run.  

5. Deployment  

The app is being made available to users! This means publishing the app and its further updates.  

Tools: Docker, Kubernetes  

For instance, the fitness application is published in application distribution services such as Google Play and the Apple Store.  

6. Maintenance  

There’s still more that can be done. The aider keeps the app under observation, resolves any problems that arise, and implements fresh updates to ensure user satisfaction.  

For instance, if the users do not like some feature and prefer having a dark mode instead, the team will strategize and roll out an update that addresses the concern.

Best Practices and Tools

Here are best practices for maximizing the use of ALM in each phase’s activities:

Always Communicate – To keep everyone on the same page, conduct check-in meetings on a regular basis. Ensure conversations happen on platforms such as Slack or Chanty.

Keep All Records – Use assisted collaboration platforms like Confluence to document decisions, alterations, and lessons.

Make Workflows Efficient – Reduce human error and save time through automated testing and deployment.

Ensure Tools are Effective

  • Use Jira or Trello for requirements.
  • Use Figma or Adobe XD for design.
  • Use GitHub or Bitbucket for development.
  • Use Selenium or Appium for testing.
  • Use AWS or Google Cloud for deployment.

For example, when you make a cake, instead of stirring it by hand, you can use a mixer (automation). This is just like how teams can dedicate more time to work that requires more thought and focus due to the automation of repetitive tasks in ALM.

Overcoming Common ALM Difficulties

Nothing is quite as simple as it sounds. Here, we will talk about the challenges that a team is likely to face and the solutions to address these problems as a group.

Miscommunication

  • Problem: Groups have no clue about what each one of them is trying to achieve.
  • Solution: Organize periodic meetings and make use of progress visibility software.

Resource Constraints

  • Problem: Lack of time, personnel, or budget prevents job completion.
  • Solution: Eliminate all non-critical features and focus on the ones that have the most importance. 

Tool Overload:

  • Problem: Increased usage of tools leads to chaos.
  • Solution: Use a select few, which can work together seamlessly. This may include Jira for tasks and GitHub for coding.

Resistance to Change:

  • Problem: Team members find it challenging to accept new ways of doing things.
  • Solution: Offer training and demonstrate the benefits and advantages of ALM to everyone.

Real-Life Example: A group developing a healthcare application faced an issue with the communication gap that existed between the developers and the doctors. Due to the fact they had weekly meetings and could work on tools like shared Trello boards, they achieved alignment and completed the app in time.

How is ALM Related to Different Subjects

The ALM principles do not limit their application to software only. They can be applied in other industries such as vehicle management. For instance, platforms like https://ownery.com/ do make the maintenance buying and selling of cars easier for people. It turns out that just like the ALM makes software development easier, Ownery does the same for vehicle ownership.

Conclusion

In this case, ALM can be understood as much more than a mere term – it is a significant transformation for contemporary teams. By adhering to the established phases, employing the appropriate tools, and dealing with frequent problems, software development teams can deliver applications of a higher quality and quicker than ever before, with significantly lower levels of associated stress.

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Roy M is a technical content writer for the last 8 years with vast knowledge in digital marketing, wireframe and graphics designing.

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