Product Development Management Suite Updated

Seapine Software Inc. (Mason, OH) recently unveiled TestTrack 2014, the latest version of its process-centric software product development management suite. A key enhancement in TestTrack 2014 reported by the company is a new unified web interface that integrates the functions of Seapine's three previous web clients into a single interface. Version 2014 also offers improved usability and additional features. In a related announcement, Seapine Software also unveiled two new licensing options for TestTrack: An on-premise, time-delimited subscription license and Seapine Cloud, a cloud-based hosting solution.

TestTrack, says Seapine, is a complete, configurable solution for managing product development phases and artifacts from requirements capture through defect/issue tracking and workflow automation to test planning and execution. Offered as an enterprise application suite or as a hosted cloud-based service, TestTrack can be broken down into three main capabilities: Requirements management, issue and defect management and test case management. Among the additional add-on functionality available are applications lifecycle management (ALM), software change and configuration management as well as automated functional and load testing. TestTrack provides multi-level security, and a SOAP-based software development kit supports its open interfaces.

TestTrack’s centralized requirements management capabilities, says Seapine, provide a collaborative solution that helps keep all stakeholders informed of new requirements. Functionality ranges across such capturing and tracking requirement areas as planning, workflow, traceability, review, change management and reporting. TestTrack is said to track everything that defines a requirement, including its description and details, email threads, workflow, versions, documents, links to other requirements, file attachments, folders, and history. An unlimited number of requirements can be managed, and requirements can be grouped into documents and arranged by hierarchies. Common requirements between documents are sharable.

Seapine says that TestTrack’s centralized issue management features can help you manage and report on tasks, defects, feature requests, change requests and similar development-related work items, while keeping all stakeholders informed of progress. According to the developer, TestTrack tracks everything about an issue details, workflow, known workarounds, related source code changes, email, links to other issues, folders and its history. Issue management includes the ability to track multiple reports of an issue as one, which is said to provide better metrics and improved product planning. Other issue management features include email account monitoring for incoming support issues, time-based escalation rules and the ability to keep customers in the loop with per-issue email notification lists.

TestTrack also provides a centralized test case management solution for creating, organizing, executing, measuring and reporting on both manual and automated product testing. This set of capabilities can track everything about a test, including test case details, test steps, variants and emails, and it can manage an unlimited number of test cases.

TestTrack 2014 replaces its three previous web clients with a single, “cleaner” interface that is optimized for usability, the company says. It features new search filtering capabilities and enhanced options for removing interface elements to increase usable screen real estate.

“TestTrack's new web interface features full test management and requirements management support, along with enhancements that make finding and updating data easier and more intuitive,” said Rick Riccetti, president and CEO, Seapine Software, in the TestTrack 2014 announcement. “Users can now create, update, manage and report on all their work items and project artifacts within a unified TestTrack web client.”

According to the company, deploying TestTrack 2014 is easier than earlier releases because it eliminates the need to install desktop clients on multiple computers. The solution also includes new integrated dashboard capabilities for the ALM Reporting Platform, its cross-application and cross-project reporting solution. Enhancements to the ALM Reporting Platform enable teams to launch ALM RP dashboards from web clients as well as create reports and charts to view and share project metrics using built-in widgets.

A cloud-based hosting solution, the Seapine Cloud service is optimized for TestTrack 2014, says the company. This hosted software as a service (SaaS) version of TestTrack operates as the standard model of SaaS on Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud platform. Pricing is on a per user/per month model. Hosted licenses start at 10 users and require a one-year commitment.

The new on-premise licensing option allows users to install and use TestTrack for a fixed period of time at a cost that Seapine says is much lower compared to purchasing TestTrack outright. The subscription term can be extended before expiration, and additional licenses can be added at any time. Technical support and product upgrades are provided for the duration of the subscription.

“Both new licensing options give customers greater purchasing flexibility to accommodate their software licensing preferences,” said Seapine Software’s Riccetti in a press statement. “Development teams can now access TestTrack from anywhere in the world via Seapine Cloud without needing to set up servers or firewalls. Customers in heavily regulated industries with restrictions about where data can reside will benefit by using TestTrack on an on-premise subscription basis.”

TestTrack continues to be offered on a perpetual license basis, a one-time purchase, followed by an annual maintenance renewal for upgrades and technical support. Perpetual licenses are available in named license and floating license versions.

For further details on TestTrack 2014, visit Seapine Software.

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Access a library of white papers on process-centric product development issues and solutions.

Go here for more on licensing options and system requirements.

See why DE's Editors selected TestTrack 2014 as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.