Application lifecycle management (ALM) software provides an integrated framework for governing the lifespan of software products—from initial concept and requirements gathering through design, development, testing, deployment, maintenance, and eventual retirement.
These solutions unify people, processes, and tools within a single ecosystem, enabling cross-functional teams to collaborate effectively throughout the entire lifecycle. ALM suites define, standardize, and often automate workflows, ensuring each stage of the software’s evolution is traceable, well-documented, and aligned with business objectives.
By offering features such as requirements management, version control integration, test management, project planning, and release orchestration, ALM tools streamline communication and transparency among all participants. These tools integrate seamlessly with existing development software, such as integrated development environments (IDE), application development platforms, and DevOps platforms, and frequently share functionalities or data with product management software and other enterprise software solutions. The result is a continuous, governed feedback loop that improves software quality, shortens delivery cycles, and aligns product outcomes with organizational goals.
To qualify for inclusion in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) category, a product must:
Integrate with users’ existing development platform
Be platform and tech stack agnostic
Possess tools for requirements management and traceability
Provide team collaboration features, including role-based access
Provide test management
Provide tools for governance, compliance, and maintenance
