TeamTrack version 6 from Serena Software Inc. is the first product to deliver on the companys next-generation framework for managing business processes related to application development.
The TeamTrack upgrade, which was announced last week and is due later this month, is the first product that the San Mateo, Calif., company has released for its Serena Application Framework for Enterprises environment. It is also the first release of the TeamTrack technology since Serena acquired its creator, TeamShare Inc., in June.
TeamTrack Version 6 includes a new process management dashboard portal that enables users to view the progress of applications in real time through the development life cycle. It also gives users a view from a single source. Version 6s role-based user interface enables users to view information based on their roles within the organization.
The update features a workflow library with configurable business processes that enable users to enforce operations that track the way their business works.
Serena has traditionally focused on enterprise change management, or ECM, software. Dick Heiman, an analyst with International Data Corp., of Framingham, Mass., said TeamTrack “is a good complement to the configuration and change management packages Serena offers because it ties everything together.”
Heiman said an increasing number of ECM vendors are moving to cover more of the application development life cycle.
“Vendors are broadening their solutions to have more appeal overall to the enterprise,” Heiman said. “Anybody who wants to have a broader enterprise story either is, has or should be considering this kind of product.”
Users have been thrilled with TeamTrack so far.
“We use TeamTrack in every department: product development, IT, sales, business development, finance and HR,” said Larkin Rider, director of process management at LookSmart Ltd., in San Francisco. “It is the easiest way to automate internal processes, support and report on operational metrics and goals, and maintain records for audit purposes. The external auditors love it. It has paid for itself many times over. As the director of process management, I cant imagine working in a company without TeamTrack to support my initiatives for operational efficiency.”
Brent Housenga, quality assurance manager at Siemens Transportation Systems Inc., concurred.
“We have been using TeamTrack for about two years, and I can say the product has performed as advertised,” said Housenga, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “As a quality professional, I am always looking for tools that can help manage processes, and TeamTrack has proven to be a great tool in helping us to manage our business processes.”