Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) describes the complete lifecycle of an application from the first idea through to decommissioning. Application Lifecycle Management and Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) are sometimes used interchangeably. However, ALM is more comprehensive than the SDLC.
The Three Areas of Application Lifecycle Management
What exactly is ALM? ALM can be divided into three distinct areas: Governance, Development, and Operations:
Source: David Chappell & Associates
The lifecycle of an application begins with an idea. Once the application has been built, it goes through release — it is deployed into the production environment. As soon as it no longer delivers business value, the application reaches the end of its lifecycle and is decommissioned.
The Governance area houses the project management of the application, where all key decisions are made. This area spans the entire lifecycle. The Development area maps the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) — it covers the actual development process of the application, from the idea through to release. The Operations area encompasses the activities required to run and manage the application. It begins with the release and then continues uninterrupted until decommissioning.
ALM Tools
The three ALM areas — Governance, Development, and Operations — are closely interconnected. To get the maximum benefit from an application, all three areas require careful management, which presents a significant challenge. Today, the right tools make it easier to meet these challenges. Such tools help organizations link the three ALM areas together. The tools should not only work horizontally within each individual area, but also be vertically integrated across them.
The project management tool should, for example, be connected to the development tools, which in turn should be connected to the operations tools. Innovative ALM tools enable smooth collaboration across the three ALM areas. They unite the functionality of agile tools, project management tools, and helpdesk software. They link the three areas and enable agile application development, with ALM integrated into project management and the helpdesk.
Senior Advisor
Jörg Friedrich is the original author of the project management software Allegra and continues to accompany its development to this day. He has many years of industry experience as a project and department manager. He also serves as a professor in the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences.
