Red 7 Management Solutions
PM Productivity Tools
There Must Be A Better Way
Robert Grupe
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents
 Scope of Presentation
 Discussion of
 Solution Options
 Product Examples
 PM Requirements Management
 PM Integrated Suites
 Selection Considerations
 Recommendations
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Scope of This Overview
This is a discussion and overview of
productivity tools for
 commercial product management
 NOT internal business process
automation and improvement tools
(i.e. business & marketing vs business
analyst)
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Most Common Product
Management Tools
 Word Processor (MS-Word)
 MRDs, PRDs, business cases, competitive matrices, etc
 Spreadsheet (Excel)
 Requirements tracking, Financial analysis, Charts, etc
 Presentation Software (PowerPoint)
 Roadmaps, Customer presentations, Training, etc
 Web Conferencing Tools - WebEx, GoToMeeting
 Requirements Management
 Bugtrackers - Bugzilla, etc.
 Screen Capture and Image Editing Tools
 Collaboration Servers - Wikis/Portals
 Collaborate on requirements and bugs with Engineering teams
 Collaborate with customers
 Online Office Suites - Google Docs
 Survey Tools
 Such as Surveymonkey and Surveygizmo
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

This Overview:
Focus on PM Tools
 Something PM’s can acquire independently
 Without affecting current Engineering to improve their own
productivity and provide better business intelligence
 Provide PM specific functions
 Not provided by Engineering requirements management
solutions
 However, integration with Engineering tools definitely a plus for
traceability, dependencies, etc.,
• Engineering requirements and project management
• Other important systems such as CRM (sales and support)
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

So NOT…
 Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
Requirements Management tools
 for requirements, test, change, configuration, build, and project
management
Such as… (see Forrester report - free from IBM)
IBM Rational RequisitePro & DOORS
Microsoft Visual Studio Team System
Borland CaliberRM Compuware Optimal Trace
HP Quality Center MKS Integrity
Rally Enterprise Serena Dimensions RM
Jama Countour
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Platform Options 1/2
 Corporate Server
 A’s - Security control
 D’s - in-house deploy and maintenance resources
 Hosted Application Server
 A’s
• Hardware & OS maintenance outsourcing
• Application configuration and maintenance outsourcing
• Via solution vendor professional services
 D’s
• Reliance on 3rd parties for availability and SLA’s
• Shared security control (but could also be an benefit)
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Platform Options 2/2
 SaaS
 A’s
• Quick start-up, pay for what you need
 D’s
• 3rd party security and business continuity risks
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

SaaS/Hosted Considerations
 Service Availability & Support Responsiveness
 Look for SLA guarantees and performance dashboards
 Business Continuity & Data Portability
 What happens if the vendor goes out of business or has a
disaster?
 How will you operate in times of service disruption?
 IP Confidentiality
 How are your data and archives being protected from malicious
activities?
• Some companies make misleading claims.
• Look for 3rd party verification.
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

SaaS Security Validations
 SAS 70 audits
 Type I
• Whether or not the claimed security policies are documented
internally
 Type II
• Have the claimed security policies been implemented during the
specified time
 Audit reports usually provided to customers on a requested
basis only
 AICPA SysTrust
 Audit report available through seal on web site
 3rd parties (e.g. McAfee tested)
 Not standardized or independently validated
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Security Certifications
Buyer Be Ware
 Demand a copy of the audit report for any claimed security
certification
 Ensure that they are for your vendor, not just their hosting provider
 Ensure that the date period is recent (not years ago)
 Read the report to see what security is being claimed and verified
 If you just receive the cover letter, ask for the full report
 Pay attention to auditor’s comments
 Actual performance against claims
 SAS and AICPA SysTrust are no guarantees of security
 CPA auditors, validating documentation and procedures
 McAfee’s own web site vulnerable despite “McAfee Secure”
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Outsourcing Security Caveats
 What level of security do you REALLY need and what is the real
risk of not having it?
 Data breach could expose company to legal regulatory issues Despite
the best due diligence, no security is infallible
 If a competitor got access to your future requirements what damage
would that really cause your company?
 Rather than conducting your own extensive security audit, how
about accepting a reference customer’s endorsement?
 Someone you assume would do the proper due diligence
 Salesforce gained huge market share due to convenience without any
security assurances
• And yet many companies would consider their sales pipeline and contact
details highly confidential
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

PM Solutions by Category
 PM Requirements  Suggestions Capture
Management

 Accompa
Accept Requirements (SaaS)
 Accompa (SaaS)  Accept Idea
 IBM Focal Point (Server)  Ryma IdeaScope
 Nahito Pathfinder (SaaS)
 Orcanos QPack (Server)  Portfolio Analysis
 Requirements DB (Server)  Accept Portfolio
 Ryma FeaturePlan (SaaS)
 IBM Focal Point
 Ryma FeaturePlan
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

PM Requirements
Management Solutions
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Orcanos QPack
 Company
 Israeli, founded in 2004
 Customers
 Alvarian, Quategra, Flash Networks, Incredimail
 Pricing
 Unknown
 Customer Service
 Unresponsive to requests for information
 Product
 Simple, easy-to-use
 Basic requirements management database application with Blackblot
document templates
 Windows server based with Windows only client
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Accompa
 Company
 Headquarters in US, development in India & US
 Private: no details about ownership or management
 Customers
 100+: HP, Xythos, Primavera, etc
 Pricing
 $25/month/user for first 10 licenses ($300/yr/usr)
 $19/user/month ($228/yr) after the first 10 users
 Customer Service
 Best for timeliness and completeness of responses to requests for information
 Email and web support only
 Product
 Requirements management, suggestion capture, and project ROI comparisons (user
defined)
 SaaS: ready to go with minimal configuration
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Nihito Pathfinder
 Company
 Founded in 2006
 No other info on web
 Customers
 Unspecified
 Pricing
 Unknown
 Customer Service
 Unresponsive to requests for information
 Web & email only
 Product
 Simple requirements databases and document repository. Reports in tabular
format.
 Nothing you couldn’t do with your own templates, spreadsheets, and intranet
wiki/portal or even shared network drives.
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Requirements Management
Database (ReqDB)
 Company
 White Plains, NY
 Customers
 Unspecified
 Pricing
 $395/usr
 Customer Service
 Email/Web only
 Product
 Basic requirements management
 MS-Access application with Web UI
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Build Your Own
 Suggestions: CRM Portal (Salesforce)
 Salesforce - customer portal Case type “Feature Request” and
escalated defects
 Requirements Management: Wiki/Portal
 Microsoft SharePoint Services 3.0
Downloadable Application Templates
• Product and Marketing Requirements Planning
• Document templates (not integrated)
• From Blackblot Procedural Requirements Management Model
• Marketing Intelligence Portal
• Customer suggestions
• Requirements Database with discussions
• Change Management
• Bug Tracking
• MS Project integration
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Integrated PM Suites
Requirements and Portfolio
Management +
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

IBM Telelogic Focal Point
 Company
 Telelogic acquired by IBM in 2008
 Customers
 Boeing, Ford, Toyota, Sony Ericsson, Sharp, Symbian, etc.
 Pricing
 Software (plus annual maintenance 20%)
• Full User $1,750 /user
• Contributor $950/user
• 5 - Stakeholders $1,750
 Hosted (includes maintenance)
• Full User $819 / user
• Contributor $445/ license
• 5 - Stakeholders $819
 Customer Service
 Unresponsive to requests for information
• Probably because of IBM focus on larger customers
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

IBM Focal Point Impressions
 A’s
 Open source & *nix platform
 Interactive analytics for executive what-if’s
• On-screen dragging of elements
 Integration with DOORS and Rational IDE
 D’s
 IBM not very responsive to SMBs?
 Requires configuration and integration
 Document templates require professional services
 Was a great product, but maybe has lost its way due to IBM
acquisition?
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Ryma Feature Plan
 Company
 Quebec Canada, founded in 2000
• VC round B Aug 2008
 Based on and co-marketed with Pragmatic Marketing
 Customers
 Reuters, Trend Micro, Proofpoint, Autodesk, etc.
 Pricing
 Unspecified: integrated with consulting services, integration,
and customization
 Customer Service
 Unresponsive to requests for information
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Ryma FeaturePlan
Impressions
 A’s
 Integration with Rally IDE
 Suitable for large PM environments
 Go-to-market functionality
 D’s
 Complex to deploy and integrate
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Accept
 Company
 Fremont CA
 Partner with 280 Group consulting
 Largest number of product award recognitions
 Customers
 150+: BAE, Intuit, Tumbleweed, VMWare, Utimaco
 Pricing
 Access Ideas $1,200/yr for 1,000 active suggestions
 Requirements & Portfolio
• Primary admin $3,000
• PM $1,200-$1,800
• Dev $1,000-$1,200
 Customer Service
 Responsive and helpful
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Accept Impressions
 A’s
 Independent of any particular PM process
framework
 Most number of product awards
 D’s
 SaaS only solution
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Other Tools
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Business Resource Software
Wizard interview and analysis, recommendations, spreadsheet graphing, samples, financial
statements, export to Word & PPT, etc.
$230 each or packaged discounts.
 Business Plan: Plan Write
 When Budget dollars are tight a solid business plan is essential. Plan Write Expert Edition will guide you
through the entire process of documenting your business plan.
 Pricing Strategy: Plan Write for Pricing
 Will help you determine the optimal price with a strategic pricing plan designed to maximize profits or
capture market share.
 Marketing Strategy: Business Insight
 will help you develop the best marketing strategy based on proven business models, including Michael
Porter's Five Forces. Your product management efforts will benefit from a structured strategic planning
process.
 Marketing Plan: Plan Write for Hi-Tech Marketing
 Will help you plan and implement your marketing strategy. The result is a professional marketing plan that
will provide you guidance and the ability to measure your product management success.
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Requirements Management
Integration Considerations
 Test Cases
 How your requirements will be verified
 Use Cases
 Storyboarding
 Graphical UI’s with collaboration
 Mock-up UI’s
 Change Management
 Requirements Traceability
 Effort and cost estimates
 Glossary
 Agile/Iterative Release management
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Recommendations
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

ROI of PM Tools
 Accompa Customer Survey (n=23)
 28% PM time on requirements
 $106k average PM burdened annual cost
 16% average time saved with Accompa
 $4749 savings per PM
 $278 average Accompa cost per PM
 ROI = 17x + other benefits
 Jama Requirements Management (team of 10)
 $25,023 Improved team efficiency
 $50,446 Avoiding lost requirements
 $135,122 Avoiding unnecessary work
 $99,390 Reducing requirements defects
 $309,981 Annual cost savings --> Cost/Benefit 4:1
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Tool Selection Criteria
 Define your PM framework first and identify analytical needs.
 What existing or future IDE’s would this need to integrate with?
 What are the IT security concern barriers?
 Can you outsource (SaaS)?
 How much money and influence does your PM team have to get
the tools you want?
 If you have little, then you need to go with simpler tools that will be the
least disruptive on current operations.
 Successful products are more than just features.
 It is about execution: design implementation, quality, delivery, customer
satisfaction, reputation, etc.
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

CMMI (Capability Maturity)
Level Characteristics Result
5 Ð Optimizing Continuous Process Improvement
Causal analysis and resolution
Focus on process improvement
4 Ð Quantitatively Quantitative process performance analysis
Managed Processes managed and controlled.
3 Ð Defined Process Standardization
Increasing
Process characterized for organization and proactive (adaptable
Productivity &
frameworks based on project requirements).
Quality
2 Ð Managed Basic project management
Requirements management
Project management, monitoring, and control
Process characterized for projects and often reactive.
1 Ð Initial Competent people and heroics.
Processes undefined, uncontrolled, non-repeatable.
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

PM Solutions for CMMI Levels
PM Org Complexity Implementation Complexity
• FeaturePlan
• Focal Point
• SharePoint • Accept
• Pathfinder • Accompa
• ReqDB • QPack • IdeaScope
Level 1: Ad Hoc Level 2: Managed Level 3+: Defined
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

PM Solutions
Recommendations
 CMMI Level 1
 Build Your Own
(Hosted SharePoint, $20/mth for 50 users)
• Wiki/Portal - centralized repository and discussions
• Extend Defect tracking system for PM requirements
• Use CRM portal for customer suggestions
 CMMI Level 2
 Accompa
 CMMI Level 3 (executive involved what-ifs)
1. Accept
2. FeaturePlan (Pragmatic Mkg loyal / Rally IDE shop)
3. Focal Point (IBM IDE shop)
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.

Fini
 Full presentation and vendor feature
comparison matrix available
Robert Grupe, CSSLP CISSP PE
robert.grupe@red7managementsolutions.com
+1.314.266.7321
http://www.red7managementsolutions.com
2009-05-24 © 2009 Robert Grupe. All rights reserved.