--- title: "Best Application Lifecycle Management Software - 2026 Reviews & Pricing" description: "Find the best Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Tools for your organization. Compare top Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Tools with customer reviews, pricing, and free demos." source_url: "https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/alm-tools-comparison/" page_type: "subcategory" language: "en" --- [Home](https://www.softwareadvice.com/) / Application Lifecycle Management Software Software Advice offers objective insights based on verified user reviews and independent product and market research. When our advisors match you to a software provider, we may earn a referral fee. # Best Application Lifecycle Management Software of 2026 Updated November 3, 2026 On this page 1. Popular Comparisons 2. Buyers Guide 3. Related Software Filter products 123 results ### Compare Products Showing 1 - 25 of 123 products #### Company Size - Self-Employed - 2-10 - 11-50 - 51-200 - 201-500 - 501-1000 - 1000+ #### Pricing Options - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ - $$$$$ ### Compare Products Sort by **Recommendations**: Sorts listings by the number of recommendations our advisors have made over the past 30 days. Our advisors assess buyers’ needs for free and only recommend products that meet buyers’ needs. Vendors pay Software Advice for these referrals. **Reviews**: Sorts listings by the number of user reviews we have published, greatest to least. **Average Rating**: Sorts listings by overall star rating based on user reviews, highest to lowest. **Alphabetically (A-Z)**: Sorts listings by product name from A to Z. ### [Wrike](/project-management/wrike-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.4/5 - Reviews: 3,046 - Starting price: $10.00/month - Best for: Mid-size businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Wrike is the trusted work delivery platform where AI extends what people can accomplish. By centralizing all work in one governed, context-rich environment, Wrike helps [Read more](/project-management/wrike-profile/) ##### What users love - Centralized project organization tools - Unified workspace for teamwork - Flexible coordination across teams ##### To take in mind - Feature overload and complexity - Cluttered and unintuitive interface - Expensive for smaller teams #### Features ##### Best rated features - IT Reporting: 5/5 - Color Codes/Icons: 5/5 - Template Management: 5/5 - Dashboard: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/wrike-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Team - Price: $10.00/month - Intelligent project management ##### Business - Price: $25.00/month - Customizable platform to manage your workflows ##### Pinnacle - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Built for complex workflows [See full pricing details](/project-management/wrike-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Nimble Enterprise](/project-management/swiftalm-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.4/5 - Reviews: 9 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Nimble - Collaborative Lean/ Agile Work Management Platform. Nimble comes with a unique combination of features to manage traditional and Agile projects for a wide variety of [Read more](/project-management/swiftalm-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Prioritization: 5/5 - Dashboard: 5/5 - Document Management: 5/5 - Time & Expense Tracking: 5/5 [See all features](/project-management/swiftalm-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/project-management/swiftalm-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Orchestry Software](/it-management/orchestry-software-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.9/5 - Reviews: 64 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Orchestry is a well-balanced SaaS platform created by Microsoft 365 MVPs with end-users in mind for IT Administrators. For Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, and the entire [Read more](/it-management/orchestry-software-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Task Scheduling: 5/5 - Real-Time Reporting: 5/5 - Lifecycle Management: 5/5 - Administrator Level Control: 5/5 [See all features](/it-management/orchestry-software-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Aha!](/help-desk/aha-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 566 - Starting price: $39.00/month - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview Aha! is a product management software designed to support teams in managing the entire product lifecycle. It is used by roles such as product management, engineering, marketing, [Read more](/help-desk/aha-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Lifecycle Management: 5/5 - Whiteboard: 5/5 - Retrospectives Management: 5/5 - Process Modeling & Designing: 5/5 [See all features](/help-desk/aha-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Aha! Roadmaps - Price: $59.00/month ##### Aha! Discovery - Price: $39.00/month ##### Aha! Ideas - Price: $39.00/month [See full pricing details](/help-desk/aha-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [TrackVia](/scm/trackvia-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 51 - Starting price: $499.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview TrackVia is a low-code workflow management platform designed to automate approvals, data capture, and reporting processes across various operations. It is used by organizations in [Read more](/scm/trackvia-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Multiple Programming Languages Supported: 5/5 - Compliance Tracking: 5/5 - Task Progress Tracking: 5/5 - Process Change Tracking: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Workflow Management: 3/5 [See all features](/scm/trackvia-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Mobile - Price: $499.00/month ##### Quick Start - Price: $999.00/month ##### Business - Price: $2,499.00/month [See full pricing details](/scm/trackvia-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [ClickUp](/project-management/clickup-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 4,644 - Starting price: $0.00 - Best for: Enterprise businesses - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity platform that helps small teams, agencies, engineering groups, marketing departments, HR teams, and enterprise organizations manage projects, [Read more](/project-management/clickup-profile/) ##### What users love - Centralized project organization tools - Customizable team collaboration hub - Flexible and detailed task tracking ##### To take in mind - Lag and slow load times - Steep learning curve for newcomers - Overwhelming and confusing alerts #### Features ##### Best rated features - Bug Tracking: 5/5 - Guest Access: 5/5 - Change Management: 5/5 - Knowledge Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Issue Auditing: 2/5 - Negative Feedback Management: 3/5 - Lead Generation: 3/5 - Overtime Calculation: 3.4/5 [See all features](/project-management/clickup-profile/#key-features) --- ### [aqua](/project-management/aqua-alm-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 28 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview aqua ALM is an AI-powered test management solution helping QA teams to speed up releases x2. Enjoy enterprise-level flexibility & support for an affordable price (from 39 [Read more](/project-management/aqua-alm-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Test Run Tracking: 5/5 - API: 5/5 - Agile Methodologies: 5/5 - Third-Party Integrations: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Activity Dashboard: 3/5 - Real-Time Data: 4/5 - Document Storage: 4/5 - Reporting & Statistics: 4/5 [See all features](/project-management/aqua-alm-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - aqua Basic License is ideal for manual testers, providing essential tools to streamline your ##### Full license - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - The Full License offers complete access to all aqua modules, including AI-powered features for [See full pricing details](/project-management/aqua-alm-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Simplicité](/business-management/simplicite-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 6 - Starting price: €29.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Simplicité is a low-code, application platform-as-a-service solution designed to create custom and scalable enterprise applications and services. It helps businesses manage all [Read more](/business-management/simplicite-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: €29.00/month [See full pricing details](/business-management/simplicite-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Jile](/project-management/jile-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 7 - Starting price: $0.00 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Jile enables entities to accelerate value delivery and ensure all products meet customer demands or expectations. It connects team goals to strategies, elaborates backlogs for [Read more](/project-management/jile-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - File Sharing: 5/5 - Product Data Management: 5/5 - Project Management: 5/5 - Document Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Calendar Management: 1/5 - Collaboration Tools: 1.5/5 - Agile Methodologies: 4/5 - Continuous Delivery: 4/5 [See all features](/project-management/jile-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free Edition - Price: $0.00 - Best suited for single agile team trying agile planning ##### Team Edition - Price: $12.99/month - Best suited for small teams starting on their Agile Ways of Working ##### Standard Edition - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Best suited for small to medium teams with a disciplined delivery approach [See full pricing details](/project-management/jile-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Zoho Sprints](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.5/5 - Reviews: 302 - Starting price: $0.00 - Best for: Small businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Zoho Sprints is an agile project management platform that supports both Scrum and Kanban frameworks. It helps teams plan and prioritize work in the backlog, execute work on [Read more](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Code Repository Integration: 5/5 - NPS of Customers: 5/5 - For IT Project Management: 5/5 - Commenting/Notes: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Billable & Non-Billable Hours: 1/5 [See all features](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: $0.00 - This plan is free of cost and comes with 3 users. ##### Starter - Price: $12.00/year - The Starter plan starts at $1/month/user (billed annually) for up to 12 users. This plan does not ##### Elite - Price: $3.00/month - The Elite plan starts at $3/month/user (billed monthly) or $2.50/month/user (billed annually) for up [See full pricing details](/project-management/zoho-sprints-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [OpenText Application Quality Management](/manufacturing/hpe-alm-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.4/5 - Reviews: 23 - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Micro Focus's ALM/Quality Center is a lifecycle management solution designed to help businesses in requirements management, testing and development in an agile environment. It is [Read more](/manufacturing/hpe-alm-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Compliance Management: 5/5 - API: 4.7/5 - Status Tracking: 4.7/5 - Activity Dashboard: 4.6/5 ##### Worst rated features - Third-Party Integrations: 3.8/5 - Collaboration Tools: 3.9/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 4/5 - Requirements Review: 4/5 [See all features](/manufacturing/hpe-alm-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Polarion](/project-management/polarion-alm-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.3/5 - Reviews: 22 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Polarion is a browser-based application lifecycle management (ALM) solution that allows businesses to manage all facets of the product development lifecycle. Designed for complex [Read more](/project-management/polarion-alm-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Defect Tracking: 5/5 - Configurable Workflow: 5/5 - Status Tracking: 5/5 - Version Control: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Source Control: 4/5 - Agile Methodologies: 4/5 [See all features](/project-management/polarion-alm-profile/#key-features) --- ### [OneOps](/project-management/oneops-profile/) - Overall rating: 4/5 - Reviews: 11 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Available #### Overview OneOps is a cloud-based application lifecycle management (ALM) solution for software developers, information technology professionals and project managers. It is an open-source [Read more](/project-management/oneops-profile/) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/project-management/oneops-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Perforce ALM](/project-management/helix-alm-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.1/5 - Reviews: 29 - Starting price: $89.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Perforce ALM (formerly Helix ALM) is an application lifecycle management suite that enables organizations to scope, design, execute and track the application development process. [Read more](/project-management/helix-alm-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Workflow Management: 5/5 - Issue Management: 5/5 - Requirements Management: 5/5 - Agile Methodologies: 4.5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Multiple Projects: 4/5 - Collaboration Tools: 4/5 [See all features](/project-management/helix-alm-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $89.00/month [See full pricing details](/project-management/helix-alm-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [SpiraTeam](/project-management/spirateam-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.2/5 - Reviews: 98 - Starting price: $57.33/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview SpiraTeam is a project management solution that offers collaboration and quality assurance tools for businesses of all sizes and within all industries. The solution can be deployed [Read more](/project-management/spirateam-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Real-Time Data: 5/5 - Bug Tracking: 5/5 - Reporting/Analytics: 5/5 - File Management: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Backlog Management: 3/5 - Ticket Management: 3/5 - Collaboration Tools: 3/5 [See all features](/project-management/spirateam-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Cloud - Price: $57.33/month - The plan has custom pricing depending upon the number of concurrent users and the price declines as ##### Download - Price: $558.00one time - The plan has custom pricing depending upon the number of concurrent users and the price declines as [See full pricing details](/project-management/spirateam-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Patch My PC](/patch-management/patch-my-pc-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.9/5 - Reviews: 216 - Starting price: $3,500.00/year - Best for: Patch Management - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Patch My PC is a product that allows system administrators to easily publish and deploy patches to third-party applications in Microsoft Configuration Manager and Intune. Our [Read more](/patch-management/patch-my-pc-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Lifecycle Management: 5/5 - Remote Update/Installation: 5/5 - Patch Management: 4.9/5 - Automatic Patch Deployment: 4.9/5 ##### Worst rated features - Usage Tracking/Analytics: 3.5/5 - Event Logs: 4/5 [See all features](/patch-management/patch-my-pc-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Enterprise Plus - Price: $3,500.00/year - For companies that need automated third-party patching and application management for Windows and ##### Enterprise Premium - Price: $5,000.00/year - Everything in Enterprise Plus, with advanced security and insights for ConfigMgr and Microsoft [See full pricing details](/patch-management/patch-my-pc-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Google Cloud](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 2,342 - Best for: Mid-size businesses - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Google Cloud is a suite of cloud computing services that allows businesses to build, deploy, and scale applications. The platform caters to a wide range of industries, such as [Read more](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/) ##### What users love - Scalable and reliable data storage - User-friendly interface and setup - Comprehensive security and permissions ##### To take in mind - Complex and unpredictable pricing - Steep learning curve for beginners - Limited and slow customer support #### Features ##### Best rated features - Pre-built Templates: 5/5 - Policy Management: 5/5 - Scheduling: 5/5 - Reminders: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Release Management: 3/5 - In-Database Processing: 3/5 - Testing/QA Management: 3/5 - Offline Access: 3/5 [See all features](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Free - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - New customers get $300 in free credits to fully explore and conduct an assessment of Google Cloud. ##### Pay as You Go - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/compliance/google-cloud-platform-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Code Capsules](/app-development/code-capsules-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.8/5 - Reviews: 69 - Starting price: $2.00/month - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Code Capsules is the all-in-one PaaS for your MEAN stack. Code Capsules lets you manage your frontend, backend and MongoDB from a single platform; no more need for Heroku, Netlify [Read more](/app-development/code-capsules-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Data Security: 5/5 - Server Monitoring: 5/5 - Application Management: 5/5 - SSL Security: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Configuration Management: 3/5 - Performance Metrics: 4/5 - Event Logs: 4/5 [See all features](/app-development/code-capsules-profile/#key-features) --- ### [PACE Packager Hub](/manufacturing/pace-packager-hub-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 81 - Starting price: €8,300.00/year - Free trial: Not available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview PACE Packager Hub is an out-of-the-box workflow management solution designed exclusively for application packaging teams of various sizes. App packaging engineers use the solution [Read more](/manufacturing/pace-packager-hub-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Rules-Based Workflow: 5/5 - Workflow Configuration: 4.8/5 - Project Management: 4.7/5 - Reporting & Statistics: 4.7/5 ##### Worst rated features - Full Text Search: 3/5 - Document Capture: 4/5 [See all features](/manufacturing/pace-packager-hub-profile/#key-features) --- ### [Docker](/product/430741-Docker/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 538 - Starting price: $0.00/month - Best for: Value for money - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Docker is an on-premise and cloud-based application development platform that helps businesses build, test and share containerized applications and microservices. Using the Docker [Read more](/product/430741-Docker/) ##### What users love - Consistent and portable containers - Streamlined and reliable deployments - Unified and reproducible dev setups ##### To take in mind - Incomplete and confusing documentation - Resource-heavy and slow performance #### Features ##### Best rated features - Software Development: 5/5 - For Developers: 5/5 - Debugging: 5/5 - Application Management: 4.7/5 [See all features](/product/430741-Docker/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Personal - Price: $0.00/month - For individual developers, education, open source communities, and small businesses. ##### Pro - Price: $7.00/month - Includes pro tools for individual developers who want to accelerate their productivity. $5 Per User ##### Team - Price: $11.00/month - For teams and includes capabilities for collaboration, productivity and security.* Minimum of 5 [See full pricing details](/product/430741-Docker/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Scalingo](/product/500547-Scalingo/) - Overall rating: 4.9/5 - Reviews: 27 - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview Scalingo is a platform-as-a-service that caters to a wide range of industries, offering a reliable and compliant cloud hosting solution. It supports a variety of programming [Read more](/product/500547-Scalingo/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Web/Mobile App Development: 5/5 - Workflow Management: 5/5 - Multiple Programming Languages Supported: 4.8/5 - Data Security: 4.8/5 ##### Worst rated features - Collaboration Tools: 1/5 - Monitoring: 2.5/5 - Reporting & Statistics: 4/5 - Alerts/Notifications: 4/5 [See all features](/product/500547-Scalingo/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request [See full pricing details](/product/500547-Scalingo/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [Advanced Installer](/project-management/advanced-installer-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 135 - Starting price: $499.00one time - Best for: Access Controls/Permissions - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview All-in-one Application Packaging Tool for Developers and IT Professionals. For independent developers, software developing companies, and ISVs - The Professional and Enterprise [Read more](/project-management/advanced-installer-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Access Controls/Permissions: 4.5/5 - Requirements Management: 4.5/5 - Lifecycle Management: 4.4/5 - For Developers: 4.4/5 ##### Worst rated features - Third-Party Integrations: 3.5/5 [See all features](/project-management/advanced-installer-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Basic - Price: $499.00one time [See full pricing details](/project-management/advanced-installer-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [OutSystems](/paas/outsystems-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.6/5 - Reviews: 373 - Starting price: $0.00 - Best for: Ease of use - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview OutSystems is a low-code application development platform that helps enterprise organizations across banking, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, government, education, and other [Read more](/paas/outsystems-profile/) ##### What users love - Rapid application development workflow - User-friendly and intuitive interface - Accelerated delivery and deployment ##### To take in mind - Expensive for smaller organizations #### Features ##### Best rated features - API: 5/5 - Templates: 5/5 - Change Management: 5/5 - Data Synchronization: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Pre-built Templates: 3.6/5 - Data Modeling: 4/5 - No-Code: 4/5 - Customizable Fields: 4/5 [See all features](/paas/outsystems-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### OutSystems Personal Edition - Price: $0.00 - Up to 100 users ##### OutSystems Developer Cloud - Price: $36,300.00/year - Starts with 100 internal users [See full pricing details](/paas/outsystems-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- ### [LaunchDarkly](/continuous-integration/launchdarkly-profile/) - Overall rating: 4.7/5 - Reviews: 26 - Starting price: $12.00/month - Free trial: Available - Free demo: Not available #### Overview LaunchDarkly is a cloud-based runtime control platform that helps software development and engineering teams across startups, mid-size companies, and large enterprises manage [Read more](/continuous-integration/launchdarkly-profile/) #### Features ##### Best rated features - Product Data Management: 5/5 - Data Synchronization: 5/5 - API: 5/5 - Activity Dashboard: 5/5 ##### Worst rated features - Quality Assurance: 3/5 - Deliverables Management: 4/5 - Data Import/Export: 4/5 - Continuous Delivery: 4/5 [See all features](/continuous-integration/launchdarkly-profile/#key-features) #### Pricing ##### Foundation - Price: $12.00/month - Ship features and agents to production. Scale both without hitting a ceiling. ##### Enterprise - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Full Platform controls and security for engineering teams at scale. ##### Guardian - Price: Custom - Pricing available upon request - Monitor and guard everything you ship features and agents. [See full pricing details](/continuous-integration/launchdarkly-profile/#pricing-and-plans) --- 1 [2](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/alm-tools-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=2)[3](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/alm-tools-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=3)[4](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/alm-tools-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=4)[5](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/alm-tools-comparison/?__ai_markdown=true&page=5) ## Popular Comparisons [ Wrike vs ClickUp ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/clickup-profile/vs/wrike/)[ Zoho Creator vs OutSystems ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/paas/outsystems-profile/vs/zoho-creator/)[ Google Cloud vs Caspio ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bpm/caspio-profile/vs/google-cloud-platform/)[ Dynatrace vs Advanced Installer ](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/advanced-installer-profile/vs/dynatrace/) ## Send me a copy of this list to my inbox ### Get a copy of this list with pricing info sent to your inbox so you can pick up where you left off when convenient to you. Gartner predicts that by 2020, 40 percent of organizations will have shifted from a project management model to a product management one to manage technology investments in digital business. "Because of the agile emphasis on taking a product perspective, organizations now have the opportunity to more tightly couple their application portfolio to their investment portfolio, and, instead of all investments being 'projects,' many (if not most) of them will become 'new product releases.'" _Source:_ [Predicts 2017: PPM Leaders](https://www.gartner.com/document/3538317) _(content available to Gartner clients)_ To keep pace with this shift, many organizations are investing in application lifecycle management (ALM) tools to create business processes that govern the full lifecycle of software projects and portfolios. ALM tools combine [project/product management](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/) with [business process management](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bpm/#buyers-guide), and are designed to serve a variety of business needs, from starter systems to robust full-service solutions. As such, it can be difficult to know exactly which type of ALM tool is the best fit for your business. We've created this guide to help you better understand all that ALM encompasses, so you can make a more informed investment decision when choosing ALM software. Here's what we'll cover: [What Is Application Lifecycle Management?](#WhatIsApplicationLifecycleManagement) [Common Capabilities of ALM Software](#CommonCapabilitiesofALMSoftware) [What Type of Buyer Are You?](#WhatTypeofBuyerAreYou) ## What Is Application Lifecycle Management? Application lifecycle management is a defined set of processes that govern how an organization manages software projects and investments, from concept to completion. In this way, ALM fits within the larger IT project and [product management](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/product-management-comparison/) markets, but speaks to a greater connectivity between business processes and software engineering. ALM tools create an integrated environment that helps connect teams and improve the flow of work through each stage in the software development lifecycle (SDLC): **Software Development Lifecycle Stages** Although work is designed to flow from one stage to the next, the process can move backward or forward as needed. For example, work will move from development to testing, then back to development then onto testing again, before reaching deployment. - **Plan/gather requirements:** In some models, “planning" and “requirements gathering" are separate stages, but we've included them together because these steps inform one another. This involves stakeholder analysis, defining the scope of the project, identifying any known risks and setting budget and timeline benchmarks. The functional and technical requirements (as well as the subsequent requirements review and approval by stakeholders) inform the project plan. - **Design:** Involves putting the application requirements into a design specification plan. Includes the interface design and proof of concept, as well as the design review and approval by all stakeholders. - [Develop](https://www.softwareadvice.com/app-development/)**/build:** Involves taking the design specs and actually building the application, i.e., generating the code, to meet the original requirements. - **Test:** Involves testing the code for defects and fixing them to ensure the final, approved product meets the original requirements and specifications for the end user. - **Deploy:** Involves rolling out the application to end users, i.e., product release. Depending on feedback from users, and approval from stakeholders, changes may be made to the application to better meet end user needs. - **Maintain/support:** Involves sustaining applications and maintaining their performance until application retirement. Includes application support, systems support and end user support. ALM tools connect teams at each of these stages, improving visibility and collaboration. From planning through maintenance, they are important for tracking changes and providing an audit trail for retrospectives. This transparency plays a large role in helping teams reach their goal of [continuous delivery and improvement](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/agile-comparison/#buyers-guide). These tools range from comprehensive suites designed to manage applications from inception to retirement, to products that specialize in one phase, e.g., planning or test, to simple agile solutions or wikis designed to monitor application progress or code review. ## Common Features of ALM Software While features will vary from system to system, ALM tools typically contain some or all of the following capabilities: | Feature | Description | | --- | --- | | Project management (or product management) | Plan and track software projects, commonly following agile workflows. Streamline task management, time tracking, resource management and scheduling, dashboards, reporting and analytics. | | Requirements management | Define end-user requirements, break work down into actionable sequences, plan backlogs and schedule iterations. | | Design and development | Track works-in-progress. Often, agile teams develop software in two-week iterations, or sprints. This allows for more frequent testing and review. | | Bug tracking | Process, track and report on bugs in the application. Also called defect or issue management. | | Quality assurance (QA) and testing | Document and track application testing to ensure quality and function meets predetermined requirements. | | Release management | Support application deployment. Oversee software release, intake of end-user feedback and planning/initiating maintenance and improvements on application. | | Process review and optimization | Monitor and audit various stages in software development lifecycle with the goal to optimize processes (build, testing, release, application performance etc.). | | Collaboration | Enable users to connect and collaborate within the tool to facilitate group work. Can include content management wikis, group forums or activity streams, user logs, user mentions as well as chat. | --- ## What Type of Buyer Are You? The two most common development methodologies are waterfall and agile, although agile is increasingly becoming the de facto software development model. Several variations on these models exist, including the [big bang](https://www.tutorialspoint.com/sdlc/sdlc_bigbang_model.htm) and [spiral](https://www.tutorialspoint.com/sdlc/sdlc_spiral_model.htm) models. **Waterfall.** A more traditional project management method, the waterfall SDLC model works best for smaller, risk-averse projects where the requirements are clear at the start and not likely to change over the course of the project. Work flows from one stage to the next, sequentially, with the output of one phase becoming the input for the next. [Agile](https://www.softwareadvice.com/project-management/agile-comparison/#buyers-guide)**.** The agile SDLC model works well for projects of any size, where requirements may not be clear at the start or are likely to change over the course of the project. The application is broken down and completed in cycles, over numerous releases. Testing and feedback on each release is then incorporated into the next version. Which SDLC model you chose is largely dependent on the size and scope of the project as well as the customer's requirements. ALM tools should support your team's workflows, not dictate them. It's important to choose a solution that aligns with your team's current processes, but is flexible enough to support multiple SDLC models. ### Related Application Lifecycle Management Software - [Application Performance Management Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/category/4140-application-performance-management/) - [Automated Testing Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/automation-testing/) - [Bug Tracking Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/bug-tracking/) - [Load Testing Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/load-testing/) - [Observability Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/observability/) - [Penetration Testing Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/category/4745-penetration-testing/) - [Performance Testing Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/performance-testing/) - [Test Management Tools Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/test-management-tools/) - [User Testing Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com/user-testing/)