We compared IBM Rational DOORS and Polarion Requirements based on our user's reviews in several parameters.
IBM Rational DOORS is praised for its robust requirements management capabilities, helpful customer service, reasonable pricing, and positive ROI. Users note varying times for setup and deployment. In contrast, Polarion Requirements is highlighted for its comprehensive traceability, advanced collaboration features, responsive customer support, flexible pricing, and impactful ROI. Users mention areas for improvement in user interface, performance, customization, and integration.
Features: IBM Rational DOORS offers robust requirements management capabilities and seamless integration with other tools and systems, enhancing collaboration and communication within teams. On the other hand, Polarion Requirements provides seamless integration, comprehensive traceability, and advanced collaboration capabilities. Users appreciate how easily it connects with various software and development tools, allowing for efficient data exchange and streamlined workflows. Moreover, its robust traceability functionality ensures transparency and accountability, while advanced collaboration features facilitate effective teamwork and communication among stakeholders.
Pricing and ROI: The setup cost for IBM Rational DOORS is straightforward and hassle-free, with flexible licensing options. On the other hand, Polarion Requirements offers a relatively easy setup process, benefiting from various budget-friendly options and customizable licensing plans., IBM Rational DOORS has proven to deliver a positive ROI with improved efficiency, productivity, collaboration, requirements management, and cost savings. Polarion Requirements offers similar benefits with additional customization options for tailored ROI optimization.
Room for Improvement: Users have pointed out several areas for improvement in both IBM Rational DOORS and Polarion Requirements. For IBM Rational DOORS, users suggest enhanced user interface customization options, better data management, and improved integration capabilities. On the other hand, users of Polarion Requirements recommend a more intuitive user interface, improved performance and speed, increased customization options, better integration with other tools, and better documentation and training resources.
Deployment and customer support: The feedback regarding the duration to establish a new tech solution with IBM Rational DOORS varies, with some users completing deployment in three months and setup in a week. In comparison, for Polarion Requirements, some users took three months for deployment and an additional week for setup, but these terms likely refer to the same period., IBM Rational DOORS demonstrates exceptional customer service with professional and knowledgeable support staff, while Polarion Requirements provides top-notch and highly responsive assistance. Both products ensure a smooth and satisfactory experience for customers.
The summary above is based on 17 interviews we conducted recently with IBM Rational DOORS and Polarion Requirements users. To access the review's full transcripts, download our report.
"Very customizable and can be as powerful as you want it to be."
"We have different generations of all products. It lets us select and see unique attributes for each release or generation. You can use attributes to define a selection area to see which equipments are for the old versions and which ones are for the new versions. This inbuilt view is what I like in IBM Rational DOORS. So, for a database and a set of requirements, it will select and show unique attributes for a release or a generation."
"It's a very interesting tool. I like that it's simple. You have to create your document, add your templates, and have your headings and definitions, and it's done. You must attribute the discipline and fill out the comment field for requirements. It also provides you with unique IDs for each requirement. I like that it never duplicates IDs."
"It is a mature product that is stable."
"The most valuable feature is the management verification and login."
"The solution is stable."
"I really like the customization that can be done using the DOORS Extension Language (DXL)."
"The most valuable feature of IBM Rational DOORS is the full requirements development and testing."
"The biggest improvement would be in the transparency we have now. We have very complex products. We make whole systems with difficult and diverse areas such as hardware, software, mechanical and printing, etc. To get the overview of all the requirements into a system, at that sizing, is the main advantage we have in the organization now."
"I like the way this solution is structured."
"We can easily customize it because of the web services and open APIs. Also, the APIs are available. We integrated Polarion with one of Siemens' products, Teamcenter, which is especially useful for automotive industries. There is an open API for integration with Jira as well, so for me, customization is a strong point."
"Its flexibility and APIs are the most valuable."
"In my opinion, Polarion Requirements' most beneficial feature is the ability to manage specifications within a work-like document that functions as a work item. Its collaboration features have worked very well and have been very useful. We can easily exchange information with the testing team, the business, and with DevOps."
"We worked with the web interface."
"Polarion Requirements' most valuable features are link tracing, book entry, and sequence training features."
"My company mainly utilizes the product for documenting internal standards, guidelines, and requirements. Currently, we're focusing on using it for internal purposes, but the vision is to expand its usage to include contract requirements and tracking functionalities. While we're not there yet, it has proven effective for managing our internal documentation needs."
"The interface is not very user-friendly and has not evolved in a long time."
"The web application DOORS Web Access doesn't have the same functionality as the standard client, so it's not a real substitute. For example, web Access only provides writing requirements, but you can't do much more with it."
"I think there is probably room to improve by offering free training."
"One thing that I would like to see is a lower-cost version of it that we could use for smaller projects. Sometimes, we do projects for commercial customers who would benefit from something like DOORS, but it's just so expensive. It's just a monster, so a lower-cost version would be the thing that we'd like to see."
"It would have been ok ten years ago, but we are used to having better tools now."
"It could be more user-friendly. It's not a beautiful tool. The user interface is gray. It has only lists inside, and it's horrible when you want to add tables. It's tough to add tables and manage them. It also becomes difficult when you want to add images."
"The performance could be improved. It doesn't run as smoothly as it could."
"Not all Rational Team Concert operations are available from the web client. Certain operations, like creating streams or components, still require using the desktop application. They're not accessible through the web interface. And in my opinion, this limitation should be removed."
"The one thing I would mention is the license policy is a little bit difficult. For different roles, you will need different license models. That seems a little bit difficult for us. Especially when you introduce such a complex system, you want to know the right way is to do licensing. It's not clear what that best way would be. The solution will be here for a long time, and I just think it could be more clear."
"Its user interface could be more user friendly. In addition, a lot of features are missing for test management. It should have the test case ordering feature."
"Polarion Requirement needs to have a feature where we can track changes and compare documents. Currently, we do it manually."
"One thing to consider is increased flexibility in terms of workflow configuration."
"The platform's review process for the documents could be better."
"It is stable enough but if you would like to work with more requirement objects, then you will get timeouts."
"We encountered numerous challenges, such as issues with requirements, project management, timing, and planning. The main problem with Polarion at the outset, I believe, was our limited understanding of the planning phase. During that time, we were more focused on change management related to requirements. Recognizing the importance of planning has been a key realization for us. Another mistake we made was not comprehending the need to document these requirements to manage all the work items effectively. Now, we understand the significance of this documentation. As a result of these insights, we have started to see a growing number of competitors from Polarion in this field. One potential improvement could be enabling Polarion to export work items not just to Microsoft Office but also to other office tools."
"In my opinion, the main area for improvement in Polarion Requirements is its user interface. It should be easier for engineers to understand how it works, as many features are not very easily understandable for end-users."
IBM Rational DOORS is ranked 1st in Application Requirements Management with 51 reviews while Polarion Requirements is ranked 3rd in Application Requirements Management with 13 reviews. IBM Rational DOORS is rated 8.0, while Polarion Requirements is rated 7.4. The top reviewer of IBM Rational DOORS writes " Offers ability to automate tasks and to track changes within documents and compare different versions of requirements but modeling capabilities could benefit from a web-based tool ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Polarion Requirements writes "Defines, builds, tests and manages complex software systems". IBM Rational DOORS is most compared with Jira, Jama Connect, Helix ALM, IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation and PTC Integrity Requirements Connector, whereas Polarion Requirements is most compared with Jama Connect, Jira, IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation and Helix ALM. See our IBM Rational DOORS vs. Polarion Requirements report.
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