Software Configuration

for an open source world

Review of OSRMT

configuration managment system Posted by Rob Castellow


The acronym OSRMT stands for open source requirements management tool. It may also be classed as a 'platform independent' requirements management tool. It is a popular download option, suitable for use by a variety of users. These include the everyday computing enthusiast, software developers, project testers and analysts. It has currently been rated with four out of five stars.


If you are wondering as to the reason for management requirement, many projects fail that might otherwise have succeeded. Problems such as errors, omissions and confusion concerning requirements are often the core cause of project failure, research has shown. When attending to a problem that arises further on in the duration of a project, rather than at the requirements stage, is reportedly more than 100 times as costly to address. It therefore makes sense to obtain and utilize a product such as OSRMT, especially as it is obtainable at no cost to your company.


OSRMT is free project management software, which comes with additional specialized tools for optional download. These include the most popular additional download known as an Auto Typer And Auto Clicker, along with Mercury TestDirector for Quality center, Patch Maker and mIRC Script Setup Creator. A spell check is also a popular option for professional presentation within business ventures.


OSRMT is free project management software that is compatible with many Windows versions, including 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista. It is also suitable for nix, Linux, and Win2K. OSRMT can be downloaded from Source Forge and is available under the license of GNU General Public License (GPL). It runs on the Java programming language, with Java Swing and Web-based user interface. The project administrators are known as Aron Smith' and Paul 'Sp'.


There are a few requirements for download and installation of OSRMT. You will need to be connected to the internet to obtain the download and for infrastructure support. You will also need Java 5.0 or superior to have been installed on your server or workstation. Additionally, you require a useable JDBC driver and DBMS such as Oracle, MySQL, or Postgres.


If you should encounter an unsolvable problem or have either general or specific feedback, OSRMT offers many places to take your query. There are public forums at their website, enabling users to discuss bugs, installation and usage problems, etc, and there is a bug report feature if nobody can assist via the forum.  Additionally, there is a place to load requests for future features. This may appeal to the long term corporate user encountering a few minor difficulties that their web development staff finally fixed, or to the enthusiast overflowing with wonderful ideas for possible improvements. A report submission area and an SVN repository are additionally available online. Since 2006, OSRMT has offered several upgrades; the latest update having been administered in late March of 2007.


Quality Engineers, Advanced End Users and Software Developers may all have an interest in obtaining and updating this free project management software. Various updates have been added to the later released versions in order to improve the OSMRT features available and also to deal with problems that have arisen in previous versions. Versions 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 1.5 all have important reported updated features.


For example, in version 1.2 a web client supplements the swing/J2ee. This enables the tool to browse and edit artifacts of various origin including features, design, and the tree of requirements. Also in this version, PostgresSQL has been added to the supported databases. Custom reports can be created by the bundled open source report writer, and new methods for ease of customization based on user position have been included.


In version 1.3, there is an updated feature called a traceability tree. This permits you to run assessments and operate bidirectional tracing. Many of the former bugs have also been eradicated in this version. In the 1.4 version, performance improvement in relation to large artifact collectives and direct from business XML custom reports are listed amongst the most important updates, along with a change control module. In OSRMT's 1.5 release, the web client was enhanced. User defined fields were added, in addition to customization tools for data entry relative to features, design, requirements and test cases.


The OSRMT project management tool has been created to attain complete SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) traceability in relation to implementation, testing, features, requirements and design. Many items are supported by the user interface. These include test cases, use cases, constraints, S/W design and various regular or customized attributes; these may comprise of such as risk, effort, source and rationale. Two more matters supported by the user interface are version control and requirements derivation.  

 

Whether the project is a one-man plan or a multi-person corporate venture, OSRMT features should cover its development. Professional teamwork is supported by the OSRMT software. There may be multiple partners involved in the mission. This might entail such as product managers and administrators on the managerial level, with experts on subject matter, analysts, programmers and developers on the intermediate level, thus leaving the bottom to be worked on by an authority on security and testers.


If you do have a multi-peopled project on hand, OSRMT can make your venture easy to handle by the multitude. You can control the level of access given to the various levels of worker at your will. OSRMT is operable on a two or three tier client system to enable tailoring to specific staff administrations and usage. It is platform independent with five databases supported.


You may wish to operate OSRMT as a two or three tier application. The two tier option allows for a client application to connect to the database and you can choose for either a central database accessed by multiple users or the database to be retained on the same workstation with access via such as MySQL. The three tier alternative offers a system connected to a J2ee server, which in turn connects to the database. This would allow access to clients either through web browsing or a central database accessed by numerous clients and many servers.


In the later versions, which are now available for download, the web interface is fairly simplistic. However, OSRMT interface is fully customizable should you desire to go beyond their basic interface and tailor it to suit your specific project or company needs. If you have knowledgeable web development staff at hand, you may tailor it to perform precisely as you direct. OSRMT are more than happy to receive your company feedback concerning any presentation alterations that have been administered and subsequently admired.


There are three manuals for download along with the free project management
software that is involved with OSMRT. These will help you to install the management tool, as well as to customize it and deal with many of the possible problems that may arise. Sometimes staff are unfamiliar with the software, or perhaps a mistake has led to a problem that you need to deal with. These are mostly covered in the three downloadable manuals, which are easily obtainable from the SourceForge.net website if you omitted to collect them previously.


In order to install OSRMT, you first need to ensure that you have the required level of Java. If not, this should be downloaded beforehand, to ensure you do not waste your time attempting to set up OSRMT without the given ability. Full instruction on locating your current Java compatibility and downloading the required version if you do not have it are included in the downloadable installation manual.


Installation of your free project management software can then begin. The OSRMT software is available for free download from http://www.osrmt.com. Once you have unzipped the file, follow the given instructions. You can refer to the free downloadable manual in case of query or concern.


The first task many will wish to perform on a project management tool once it has been successfully downloaded and then installed is to open a database ready to create or import the basic structure for the initial project. In order to enable you to open a database, you will need to follow instructions specific to the type you wish to use - MySQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, or alternate SQL server. You may then decide to install further software, network parameters, or start the server.


If you need to install a MySQL database, instructions to do so are given in the installation manual also, which is freely downloadable along with the base OSRMT software. Likewise, an Oracle express database may be required, or a SQL server express database, or a PostgreSQL database. All of these may also be set up following the simple instructions given in the free installation manual.


For those interested in considering a requirement management tool, but perhaps still a little unsure about the usability factor with OSRMT, there is a screenshot available to ease your mind. OSRMT come in a really simple interface that the majority of computer literate staff could manage. It even looks easier to work with than some basic office and antivirus programs. It appears suitable for use for the home based business, especially with the features of its easy to read and understand interface, availability at no cost, and downloadable manuals for guidance midst any insecurity. There are additionally online forums suitable for bringing up any unanswered questions or concerns.


From the basic program folder, you can access all OSRMT features including such necessities as system data entry, manual data entry, system navigation, import requirements, externally linked documents and version artifacts. Requirements, design, implementation and test case are all easily accessible from the base page as well. The screen will portray a systematic list on your click of command. With every feature easily accessible, downloadable manuals for the problems and beginner staff tutorial, and ease of customization, OSRMT is a project management tool suitable for most projects.  

 

There are many reasons to consider installation of free project management software such as OSRMT. You can assemble, express and distribute requirement data more efficiently, for one. Secondly, with OSRMT you have the ability to interact with both clients and staff quickly and accurately. You can register every change for future handling, maintaining records within the database. You can provide the correct level of access to each individual user, whether these are fellow staff members who are also working on your project or clients accessing the venture via an external web connection.


OSRMT offers a project management tool that can provide easy access to the needs of your varying staff. The system data entry files - with an optional spell check facility - are ready to open and work on just two clicks into the OSRMT program. System navigation offers ease of access to such as traceability, configuration management, system output, customization and security.  


The simple interface makes it easy for newcomers to the system to comprehend the basics of use almost instantly. Everything is listed systematically with full details of each matter accounted for. This adds to the ease of function as well as sharing of documentation and data between various staff on site or in different locations via the web.


Matters referent to usage of OSRMT are conversed over in the discussion forum at SourceForge. The topics include the benefits and additions involved with newly released versions, questions from people having difficulties with downloading and installation or not sure regarding the system requirements, new releases of relevant related matter such as plugins, SQL, Oracle and Java, and comparison of similar products.


Another place to locate further information, advice, and ask any questions that might be bothering you would be at an online forum designed for use by one of the database options. Several such boards exist. If you have a problem specifically involving the set up of a database in conjunction with OSRMT, you may wish to try such a destination for solution. It is also a good place to locate opinions by current and former users, who can give feedback in advance on any upcoming concerns or problems you might run into with your specific management requirement.




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