eR&D - Effective access to project information in diverse environments

Effectively managing projects and product lines becomes increasingly relevant within software development. Profeet information is key, however difficult to obtain and to use in an environment of diverse processes. At Alcatel we realized during a substantial reengineering of our development and industrialization processes that the typical tools vendor approach to instaU one process and tailor it, was not applicable. Different processes and legacy tools need to be seamlessly integrated to avoid inconsistencies and inefficiency in project management. Specific focus is given within this article on how to obtain effective project iriformation within a product line that embeds various components with individual architectures. The eR&D concept is introduced for mastering the underlying process and tools diversity within a common product life cycle. Examples include product life cycle automation, project dashboard, and effective defect management in a legacy environment.