Chrono-Logic Monitors Development Costs with New Tool
August 25, 2009 Alex Woodie
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Software development projects are notorious for taking twice as long as originally planned, and costing four times as much. (Sound familiar?) To maintain control over unwieldy programming projects–or, more accurately, to prevent them from reaching that stage–i OS tools vendor Chrono-Logic last week unveiled iAM for Management, a new product designed to keep managers and auditors informed of the progress of software development projects, and the costs they have incurred. At times it appears certain there is no other human endeavor that can waste as much time and money as efficiently as software development projects. Just as a well-designed and popular program can launch a company into the stratosphere and lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in pure profit (see: Microsoft Office), a development project that’s poorly conceived and executed can turn into a veritable money pit of waste and despair. Even the presence of an automated change management solution (commonly called an application lifecycle management tool these days) doesn’t guarantee success. If the managers don’t stay on top of development schedules and aren’t looking at the right metrics, there exists the potential to go off track. Enter Chrono-Logic with its new iAM for Management solution. The Montreal, Quebec, company designed iAM for Management to plug into any change management system for the i OS server, including its own change management products, iAM for Development and iAM for Visual LANSA. iAM for Management aims to keep development projects on track and on budget by putting project-related metrics up on the screen for a manager to see. This project-related information is displayed in two sets of reports, one for managers and one for auditors. The reports are customizable, and allow users to set up their screens with the information they need, including the names of developers, drop down lists, check boxes, and dates. iAM for Management also collects and displays timecard-related data. These reports include the name of the worker, hours they have worked, the task or project they are working on, and the date or time-period allotted to the job. The new product also includes e-mail alerts and workflow functionality. It can be set up to automatically send an e-mail whenever a development task is started, changed, or completed. The e-mail functionality is customizable, and integrates with Outlook, Notes, and i OS e-mail messaging systems, the vendor says. Keeping a lid on development projects and keeping them from running amok is important during all economic cycles, but it takes on greater significance during tough times like this, says Normand Jacques, president of Chrono-Logic. “In today’s economic recession, it’s more important than ever to control a project’s cost,” Jacques says in a press release. “By using the appropriate products, IT managers will be able to control costs in application development and modernization projects. Because of Chrono-Logic’s experience in change management, we found it natural to provide a solution to manage these projects.” iAM for Management has completed beta testing and is generally available. For more information, see www.chrono-logic.ca. RELATED STORIES Chrono-Logic Updates Change Management Offering for LANSA LANSA and Chrono-Logic Extend Agreement Chrono-Logic’s Change Management Solution Now Supports LANSA 2005 Chrono-Logic Offers Cross Reference Tool for LANSA
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