We put together some information to both help you select a requirements management tool as well as make the business case for investing in one. In addition to the tools and suggestions you can download this spreadsheet (RM_Tool_Feature_Criteria_List.xls) that lists some of the of some of the core features of a requirements management tool and how they align to satisfying different objectives to help you get a jump start on putting together your own feature criteria list.

We invite you to compare and contrast RTIME with other solutions. Your analysis should find that there are a variety of tools that can help you with managing Business Objectives, Requirements Management or Software Lifecycle Management, but very few tools unify all three in a single tool.

But don't just take our word for it, trial RTIME and see for yourself.

The closer you examine RTIME's features, the more you'll understand why we're confident you'll choose RTIME. If you're pressed for time, call us for a WebEx demonstration and tour, or watch the product videos.

 
    View competitive comparison chart.

2. Evaluate The Total Costs

Some tools are very configurable- so configurable that they take weeks of training and a dedicated Administrator to initially install, configure and maintain, to say nothing of the training needed for end users.

Look to see if 3rd party consultants have built businesses around consulting on a particular tool. If so, you can bet that the Tool is probably a complex set of products. Examine training curriculums and the recommended training regimen and its associated costs and be sure to include that in your analysis.

Be sure you include:

• Installation Fees
• SetUp Fees
• Maintenance Charges
• Administrator Training
• Dedicated Administrator Costs
• User Training
• Best Practice Sessions
• Ancillary but vital Modules

3. Quantify the ROI

Our ROI spreadsheet uses well documented measures of improvement factors in calculating ROI. As you will see in the spreadsheet comments, our conservative factoring of just rework and defect reduction through improved requirements yields very rapid payback for RTIME even in small teams.

Use the ROI tool to plug in our competitors pricing to contrast and compare.

Download ROI spreadsheet

4. Less Quantifiable, But No Less Important Factors

Improvements in Requirements matters significantly, but there are other factors that can make a big difference. Don't forget these important points:

• Better software quality. Quality means more than just producing defect free software, it is also about on-target software functionality that satisfies business requirements. What value do you place on satisfied stakeholders and customers that receive the software that they wanted when they wanted it?

• Conservation of precious resources. Reduce expensive scope creep by keeping the focus on business objectives and eliminating unnecessary/unneeded features. -Overall management time savings. Time consumed reporting project status and analysis is the bane of every manager. Have mercy on your Product or Project Managers! Let them report fast from a unified database instead of wasting precious hours developing weekly status reports - or dunning everyone on the team with email status requests.

• Collaboration time savings/efficiencies. RTIMEs interchange with Mindjet's MindManager mindmapping software allows your team to graphically develop and manipulate requirements. No more mind numbing documents that your group will circulate for half-hearted review. Clear, concise graphic displays can be developed in a shared on-line service and updated with drag and drop ease and synchronized to the RTIME Database in just a few clicks.

• Cost savings through knowledge retention. Employee turnover and project transfer can have very large cost impacts. Don't underestimate the big savings of bringing that new team member up to speed when your SDLC process is formalized with RTIME.

• Positive sales impact. If you do any custom software development, you know that customers are always pressing for better, more comprehensive status reporting. Don't discount how much value customers place on responsive, consistent reporting that summarizes project status. Think of and how RTIME's extensive reporting can illustrate your company's systematic approach and professional discipline even in pre-sales situations.

• Optimization your organization. Identify individual worker productivity and quality metrics. Keep your team tuned for maximum productivity.