What is application lifecycle management?

Why is ALM important?

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Successful ALM implementation bridges technical excellence with organizational goals, ensuring that applications not only function properly but deliver meaningful business value. This integrated approach requires a strategic vision that extends beyond coding practices to include detailed planning for how applications will be built, released, supported, and eventually sunset when they've served their purpose.

Also, Agile methodologies have significantly influenced ALM practices, emphasizing iterative development, continuous feedback, and closer collaboration between business and technical teams. Agile application lifecycle management focuses on delivering value quickly, adapting to changing requirements, and maintaining constant alignment with business objectives. 

Organizations that excel at ALM typically establish clear frameworks that define responsibilities, establish metrics for success, and create systematic processes for moving applications through their natural evolution while maintaining quality and alignment with evolving business requirements.

What are the 5 stages in application lifecycle management?

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AML provides a structured framework and each builds upon the previous one, creating a comprehensive approach to managing applications throughout their entire lifespan.

Requirements management

This initial stage involves gathering and documenting what the application needs to accomplish. Teams identify business problems the app will solve, define the target users, plan the user interface, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Project managers create timelines, assign responsibilities to team members, and establish communication channels. Clear requirements at this stage help prevent costly changes later.

📖 As requirements can be functional and non-functional, it is important to understand the difference between them and why they matter. Check out our detailed article.

Development

During this stage, developers write the code and build the application according to the requirements. While this is primarily technical work, business teams stay involved to ensure the app remains aligned with business goals. Development teams also plan how the application will be tested once coding is complete.

Testing

Once built, the application undergoes thorough testing to find and fix bugs, verify functionality, and ensure it meets all requirements. Quality assurance teams create test cases to check every aspect of the application, including security and performance. Many organizations use continuous integration to automatically test new code as it's added. Business stakeholders also test the app to confirm it meets their expectations.

Deployment

After successful testing, the application is released to users. This stage includes planning for how updates will be managed and establishing monitoring systems to track the application's performance. Deployment isn't simply "going live" – it requires careful planning to ensure a smooth transition for users and minimal disruption to business operations.

Maintenance and retirement

The final stage covers the longest period of the application's life. Teams provide ongoing support, fix bugs that appear after release, add new features, and make improvements based on user feedback. As technology evolves, the application may need updates to remain secure and compatible with other systems. Eventually, when the application no longer serves business needs effectively, a retirement plan ensures data is preserved and users transition smoothly to replacement systems.

What is the difference between SDLC and ALM?

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While both revolve around software creation, SDLC and ALM serve different purposes in software management:

• Scope — SDLC focuses narrowly on building software through technical processes, while ALM encompasses the entire application journey from business concept to retirement.
• Timeline — SDLC typically ends at deployment, whereas ALM continues through maintenance and eventual decommissioning.
• Participants — SDLC primarily involves technical teams, while ALM incorporates business stakeholders throughout.
• Focus — SDLC emphasizes technical quality, whereas ALM balances technical concerns with business value and organizational alignment.
• Relationship — SDLC functions as a component within the broader ALM framework—specifically representing the development phase of an application's complete lifecycle.

In essence, SDLC provides the framework for creating technically robust software. At the same time, ALM offers the comprehensive approach needed to maintain an application's business value, longevity, and strategic alignment from inception through retirement.

What are ALM example tools?

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Here are some widely-used ALMt tools that organizations implement to manage their software development and deployment processes:

• Jira: Atlassian's flagship product offers flexible workflow management, issue tracking, and extensive integration possibilities through its marketplace.
• Microsoft Azure DevOps: Delivers end-to-end DevOps toolchain capabilities including planning, source control, building, testing, and deployment pipelines.
• IBM Maximo Application Suite: An enterprise asset management platform that extends ALM principles to physical assets and infrastructure. It helps organizations manage the entire lifecycle of their physical assets, including maintenance, work orders, service requests, contracts, and supply chain.
• Jama Connect: Specializes in requirements management with strong traceability features, particularly valuable for complex projects in regulated industries.
• Tuleap: An open-source option providing comprehensive ALM features including agile project management, requirements tracking, and test management.