Eclipse + ALM: it doesn’t have to suck!
By Benjamin Engele,Manager Integration & Customization at Polarion Software
Developers often dislike (to put it mildly!) using ALM tools. You can’t really blame them, because until now most ALM tools:
- Force developers to leave their IDE to review tasks, report time and status, and collaborate with others.
- Impose a learning curve for a tool that’s not directly related to what developers do
- Break developers’ “flow” rather than help keep them focused
We have good news for developers who use the Eclipse IDE in a team using Polarion. It’s the Mylyn Connector for Polarion by TaskTop and it relieves ALM aggravation for developers like no other tool available today.
Eclipse-centered ALM
Developers can work with key Polarion data from within Eclipse. That means less distraction as there is no need to leave Eclipse to find out what has to be done or to report progress.
And there’s hardly any learning curve. No need to learn Polarion… just get familiar with a few key Polarion data fields that relate directly to developers’ work.
Task-focused ALM
Eclipse/Polarion developers can now benefit from Mylyn’s task-focused programming feature, which helps them quickly zero in on tasks by hiding irrelevant information and tracking the context of each task (opened files, web pages, etc.).
Via the connector, it is even possible to attach the context of a task to a Polarion Work Item and share it with the team. If a task gets reassigned, or undergoes a code review, the new assignee or the reviewer will be able to hit the ground running and continue exactly where the last developer left off.
Less Distracting Time Tracking
Reporting time spent working on a specific task is another distracting interruption that’s minimized with the Polarion Connector and Mylyn. It’s fast and easy because as a developer works in Eclipse, the time is automatically recorded and can be tracked in simple Polarion work records. The developer moves on, and the data is automatically rolled up for managers and others who need it.
Start reaping the benefits of ALM combined with Eclipse
With managers using Polarion in the rear echelon and developers using Eclipse with the Polarion-Mylyn Connector at the forefront, everybody works productively with just the right combination of tools and information.
To get your developers started using the Mylyn Connector for Polarion you just need to:
- Get the connector (info & download link)
- Install it into Eclipse (documentation link)
Developers… discover for yourself that using a cutting-edge ALM tool with Eclipse-based development doesn’t have to suck! Try the Mylyn Connector for Polarion free for 30 days.
