Question: Alternatives for documenting a SDLC?

gage — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 10:27:44 -0800

I'm looking for a way to help document our software development lifecycle, preferably in a way that will allow easy web-based access.

My company has about 300 developers who will be accessing this at some point or other. We're adopting a (very heaviliy modified) RUP-styled SDLC, and I'd like to make it easy for folks to see templates, read activity descriptions, link between them, et cetera. I have a few constraints and requirements, though.

Constraints:
1. No linux (sorry, but we're definitely a MS shop, Sharepoint and the like readily available)
2. No (big) cash outlay - don't want to pay for something like the Rational Process Workbench

Requirements
1. We do like, however, the documentation style carried in the Rational Unified Process CD, though. Ideally, we'd be very close to this.
2. Good 'searchability' is a must
3. Cross-linking a la Wiki would be great, so that a lot of effort doesn't have to go into maintaining links within the content.
4. Easy editing whether on the site or with some other program.
5. Need to have some sort of security so that we can limit who can modify these pages.
6. Some sort of discussion / commenting feature would be nice

If there's nothing you know of off-hand that fits this already, then suggestions for a base I could send a developer off with would be great.

Thanks to all in advance!

By: paulsc

paulsc — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:20:47 -0800

Not to snark, but: free, good, Windows. Pick two.

That said, not long ago, IBM announced a partial donation of RUP code to the open source Eclipse project. There may be some bits there you could start with. The per user cost of $395 quoted in that article for Rational Method Composer is a fraction of what RUP has run, and might be affordable to your organization, particularly if you don't need the full toolset of RUP, and use Eclipse.

If that gives you no starting point, you might look into something as general purpose as Drupal, if you are willing to do some work developing your tool. Drupal has a lot of functionality you could quickly build on, including roles, a pretty powerful taxonomy system, modular design, and a decent security model. It's most often deployed over Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP base, but Drupal itself is PHP, and there is nothing I know about that would prevent it from running over Windows with Apache/MySQL/PHP installed and appropriately configured.

Comments on: Alternatives for documenting a SDLC?

Question: Alternatives for documenting a SDLC?

By: paulsc