ALM revolutionised the test tool landscape when it launched and has maintained its position at the top of the testing tree for decades.
Whether you know it as Application Lifecycle Management, Test Director, Quality Center or simply ALM, this tool is a genre-defining solution. Now at version 16.01, this tool is better and more relevant than ever.
ALM has had a long and proven history, first beginning life in the early 90s as Mercury Interactive Test Director. It continues to deliver software test management to the highest level.
Throughout its tenure at the top, ALM has witnessed huge changes in software projects and the importance of quality. Yet throughout this time, ALM continued to deliver best-in-class test management. If you’re running traditional software projects, Micro Focus ALM is better than ever.
This is backed up by ALM’s #1 rank in the PeerSpot (IT Central Station) Best Test Management Tools.
How Does ALM Keep Getting Better?
Since the early days, ALM development has motored on at an incredible pace, rarely standing still for more than a few months. This pace continued through various guises (Test Director, Quality Center, ALM) and owners (Mercury Interactive, HP, Micro Focus).
This is not just history for history’s sake, this history is key to understanding the nature of ALM – that is, constant improvement.
ALM isn’t just a test management tool, it’s your window into software quality and progress.
Through ALM’s reporting and analytics, you can identify areas of concern and channel this information into your development process to continuously improve your software.
Micro Focus are constantly improving ALM, this allows you to constantly improve your software projects, which drives constant improvement of your customer experience. This evolution is ongoing and will continue long after this article has been published.
What’s New with Micro Focus ALM
Over the last few months, Micro Focus has released ALM 16.0 and then ALM 16.01 (not just a bug fix).
These include several enhancements over previous versions, including:
- You can create tests directly on the web, without downloading the ALM client
- You can also perform site admin directly from a web browser
- You can start a Microsoft Teams chat from within ALM, with the entity link and general information including in the chat
- You get access to greatly expanded analysis and dashboard capabilities
- You can now upload requirements, tests, and defects via Google Sheets
- You get deeper audit capabilities, including logs for IP addresses and changes to workflow
If you missed the ALM Client Launcher announcement from 2020, you now have an alternative to using MS Internet Explorer. ALM Client Launcher is a lightweight and flexible tool that enables you to run an ALM desktop client on a Windows machine with no need for Internet Explorer or admin permissions.
You can download ALM Client Launcher here
Micro Focus ALM Highlights Videos
I’ve added the Micro Focus highlight videos for both 16.0 and 16.01 below
ALM 16.01 Highlight Video
ALM 16.0 Highlight Video
Micro Focus ALM Release Information
If you want to learn more about the last few ALM releases, I’ve included the full release updates below:
- What’s new in ALM 16.01
- What’s New in ALM 16.00
- What’s New in ALM 15.5.1
- What’s New in ALM 15.5
- What’s New in ALM 15.0.1
- What’s New in ALM 15.00
How Can You Learn More About ALM?
Micro Focus ALM is the best test management tool for anyone running traditional software projects. By which I mean, waterfall or similar paradigms, rather than Agile or DevOps methodologies.
Calleo is Micro Focus Gold Partners and test tool experts. We can help you learn more about ALM, including how you can give it a go, and how you can see it in action.
Get in touch with us today, we’ll sort out the rest.
