IBM DOORS Reviews

We use IBM Rational DOORS to migrate from DOORS to other systems like MagicDraw. Additionally, we can accept data from these systems and migrate it for storage. This process involves syncing data between various applications.

IBM Rational DOORS is quite stable and useful, especially regarding gathering requirements, addressing them, and linking them. The user interface (UI) is simpler, cleaner, and stable.

One of the most valuable aspects of IBM Rational DOORS is how it structures data. When working on multiple projects, you'll find that each project contains various models. These models are akin to Word but offer additional functionalities. DOORS Security provides capabilities that Word lacks.

Under each module, you can organize requirements hierarchically and trace the requirements via internal and external links. Unlike Microsoft Word, DOORS enables versioning, allowing you to baseline your requirements and effectively freeze them when necessary. These functionalities make the tool highly useful and stand out among similar tools.

When the requirements increase within a single model in IBM Rational DOORS, it takes time to save. The requirements are associated with an absolute number in DOORS. For instance, they possess creation dates, modification dates, and information about the creator of each requirement. One specific attribute is absolute number.'The DOORS database automatically generates this absolute number and remains unmodifiable through the API. Therefore, it is not feasible when migrating data from one DOORS system to another or attempting to alter the absolute number through the API. The database generates this absolute number, which is unchangeable. DOORS cannot control or modify these auto-generated absolute numbers.

I have been using IBM Rational DOORS for a couple of years. We are using both V9.5 and V9.7 of the solution.

The product is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

10-15 users are using this solution. Four to five users are using this solution every day.

I rate the solution’s scalability a seven to eight out of ten.

Both technical support and documentation are really helpful.

Neutral

The initial setup is simple and takes only half an hour to complete. For deployment, you need to click, provide some inputs, and execute fairly simple actions.

I rate the initial setup a seven to eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

We did the installation by ourselves. One person is enough to do the deployment, depending on the knowledge of software and administration.

There is no maintenance required until your license needs fixing. However, it is entirely maintainable. You don't have to handle any maintenance until you upgrade to the next version of DOORS, and even then, the process remains straightforward.

IBM Rational DOORS is highly useful for project requirement management. I strongly recommend utilizing DOORS for requirement management and offer flexibility.

DOORS is a valuable tool, and it has attracted numerous customers. Many organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, use DOORS for their operations.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

• Centralised location for better team collaboration
• Scalable access control
• Traceability by linking items on the global requirement life cycle
• Integrations (modelling tools)
• Full customization using DXL
• Wide user community
• Available as a web based solution

We used it to implement a requirement management process in a CMMI evaluation. DOORS improved the way requirements were shared across the organization, and helped implement reuse strategy. It also improved the way the requirements concept was perceived in the organization, in that way it had also an impact on validation activities.

DOORS weakness is in the interface with the outside world, as the database is not standard, data cannot be easily managed by other tools. Import/export capabilities have huge room for improvement though importing a Word or Excel document is simple. There are no simple extensions available to generate good synthetic documents (RPE not being user friendly). Another item that is needed in any requirements management tool is the capability to manage the requirements data model at project/database level, attributes/types definitions in particular.

I've been using it for around 10 years since 2006. I was responsible for deploying it, including defining data models, training teams, and administrating the database for two different organisations. Both organisations are worldwide, and In the second, the user community was over 400 people worldwide.

As stated earlier, the missing ability of the tool to globally manage data model often leads to inconsistencies in the deployment phase, as processes are often being defined while deploying the tool. It's difficult to retrofit an incorrect implementation once started.

It's low. Since IBM acquired Rational. The support is basic and limited to the tools usage which is not what experienced users need. Experienced users need support for advanced features and DXL usage, which is somehow mandatory for any organization who wants to take full advantage of the tools capabilities.

No other solution was used before. Some other departments in the company were using a custom system based on MS Word with macros and reqtif.

We used Telelogic support to train the teams and initiate the datamodel construction

We used a benchmark study in which 10 other tools were rated, including Reqtify (which is not a real REQM tool), Requisite Pro, Caliber, and Cradle.

The DXL Library DXL script routines/algorithms and the DOORS importer.

It's saved us time, as much as 35% when compared to v9.3.03.

None as IBM have left v9.5 as the extant version and now moved it into DOORS Next Generation.

I've used Rational DOORS since 2009, and v9.56 for 18 months.

No issues encountered.

It is the most stable platform, and did not crash once unlike v9.3.03 version that we had previously.

We used it on one programme to start with, but when I left the company, we were using it on five separate programmes.

We were using IBM directly, and they were 10/10.

10/10 - IBM take real pride in their technical support activity with customers.

No we didn't, as we were under contract to use DOORS.

It installed really well, and it has a straightforward license key operation.

It was done in-house, but our engineers had guidance and support from IBM, which was excellent.

It's massive, as it's a contract requirement. DOORS v9.5 enabled us to satisfy all our customer demands with relative ease. Can't quantify the ROI in financial terms though.

DOORS rules are that you have licences per company which give access to the software according to the users who need access at a particular time. Most businesses would probably find it too expensive to have a single licence per every DOORS user.

No other solutions were looked at due to contractual requirements.

Use DOORS Next Generation or later versions of DOORS v9.X

We are mainly using IBM Rational DOORS for managing requirements.

IBM Rational DOORS keeps everything organized.

The most valuable feature is the verification requirements for peer reviews.

It has a user-friendly interface.

Some of the search queries could be improved. The interface needs an area to be able to type your query and actually be able to find them.

It could be more stable.

In the next release, they could scale it down a little bit and make it more stable.

I used this product up until three months ago. I have been with this company since February.

If I have left it open for too long, there are times where we experience a session timeout, and we have to stop or force-close it to restart the application.

From the time that I have been using it, it's been pretty good. Like anything that has been left open, you will experience a timeout.

IBM Rational DOORS is scalable.

We have approximately 300 users within the region.

I have not contacted technical support.

The initial setup was straightforward.

We have our computer management who instructed me to download IBM Rational DOORS.

It was simple to download and get started.

We may have used a retailer to help us with the deployment.

We are currently using IBM Rational DOORS on-premises but we are trying to migrate everything over to a Cloud service.

IBM Rational DOORS is good for privacy, it's good for the management of software requirements, and also for keeping everything organized. It does a pretty good job.

I would rate IBM Rational DOORS an eight out of ten.

We capture the requirements of the clients and gain acceptance. We can also review the requirements and adjust further developments as necessary. 

The data logs are ver conveneint. 

The setup is very easy.

It is user-friendly. 

The speed lags based on the server and the remote connection.

They need to provide users with information on what options would be best for their setup. 

The export of the requirements does not allow me to see the linking of the requirements. I'd like to see some sort of visualization or flow chart so we would have an overview from a system perspective.

I've been using the solution for four years. 

You can request licenses if you need more access from more users. 

I've never contacted technical support. The setup is done, and we have cleared the requirements. We've never had any technical difficulties that needed us to reach out.

You can create a whole server inside the project. It's easy to set up. 

I wasn't directly involved with the deployment and do not know how long it takes. 

You do have to pay for a license per person. 

It is worth the money given the market options. There's good compatibility between you and your clients that makes it valuable. 

We are a customer and end-user. 

We have a server-based deployment. 

The solution has some of the most advanced features on offer, which is why we chose the solution.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It can meet the needs of any developer. However, it does lag a bit. 

IBM Rational DOORS is used as a requirements management tool. It enables you to do full requirements development and testing.

The most valuable feature of IBM Rational DOORS is the full requirements development and testing.

It would be helpful if Microsoft provided a more user-friendly interface for updating and querying updates. Additionally, if there was a way for users to notify developers of any changes in requirements, it would allow for faster and more efficient updates to the solution's architecture. This could be in the form of a notification system that alerts developers of any changes that need to be made. Additionally, the solution is document-driven and it should be more digital.

I have used IBM Rational DOORS for approximately 20 years.

I rate the stability of IBM Rational DOORS a ten out of ten.

We have two people in the company that uses the solution.

We do not have plans to increase usage. We are moving towards a more digital environment where we are using SysML and UML to write requirements instead of text-based messages. IBM Rational DOORS should have the capability to model these requirements, but currently, the add-on they have is not effective.

While a large number of requirements may be present, managing them effectively is a separate challenge. There are various tools available for managing requirements, such as IBM Rational DOORS, but they may not always be sufficient. Effective requirements management is crucial in this field.

The field of engineering is evolving, moving away from traditional methods of management, such as using tools, such as  IBM Rational DOORS to organize and allocate textual requirements. The 2018 DOD strategy for digital engineering highlights this shift towards utilizing models rather than documents in the digital environment. However, many people are still stuck in the old ways and unaware of this change. It is important to keep in mind that the new way of doing things also involves developing architectures using the modeled requirements.

I rate the scalability of IBM Rational DOORS a ten out of ten.

I rate the support of IBM Rational DOORS a ten out of ten.

I have used Excel spreadsheets prior to using IBM Rational DOORS.

The return on investment in system engineering is difficult to quantify as it primarily involves writing clear and comprehensive requirements. While a team may be dedicated to this task, measuring the return on investment can be challenging.

IBM Rational DOORS is highly expensive.

I rate IBM Rational DOORS a nine out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for giving requirements, both mechanical and electric.

The shell scripting is the solution's most valuable aspect.

The strict requirements for synchronization of the data could be relaxed. It requires a permanent connection with good bandwidth. This means that in an environment with remote networking that you need to go through a VPN or use some kind of virtual machine in the middle. We had some issues with the disconnection of desktop software and so on. The strict requirements of time synchronization between the DOS server and the client that request you to have a permanent good connection are difficult now that we are working more remotely due to COVID.

The solution has some scalability issues.

The performance could be improved. It doesn't run as smoothly as it could.

The usability when you're doing writing tends to be similar to Windows. It's a rational style. It needs to be able to do drafting with drag and drop, copy and paste, etc. There needs to be more usability in order to help people move data, create drawings, etc. 

The solution should be able to support different formats and texts.

I have been working with this solution for seven or eight years at this point. It's been a while.

The stability of the solution was okay, aside for the disconnection issues we faced, it was largely fine.

The original version has some scalability problems. In some specific cases, we had some problems managing all of the client's licenses and digital locks. 

We currently have about 25 to 30 licenses and that covers 50 to 70 users.

We've dealt with technical support in the past, especially at the beginning. We're mostly satisfied with the level of support we've been given. Sometimes it would take a while for them to get back to us, however, the support we received always helped and we were able to resolve any issues we had.

We worked together with one of our dealers in order to handle the initial implementation. We were handling a complex environment in order to fit our requirements. Due to our needs, the implementation and initial setup was more complex than straightforward.

Deployment took us a couple of months, including having time to review everything.

We have our own internal team that handles ongoing maintenance.

We used some FirePop Integrators to assist us with the implementation.

Our organization does have some commercial agreements with IBM. We're more of a customer, however. We arent an IBM partner.

Whether this would be the correct solution for a company depends on the installation and requirements. You'll need to prepare a specific environment for the company according to how it works. Therefore, it depends on the customization requirements. If they want it related to the environment itself or not, there may be some complexity in the setup that needs to be planned for. That said, I would recommend the solution overall.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. It's pretty good, however, it could improve its overall performance.

The most valuable feature for me is the ability to enter data into one table, or context, and link it across modules.

The GUI needs improvement in the following ways:

• The OLE embedding is not very user-friendly.
• The whole concept of having to lock and unlock, in order to switch the edit mode, is not user-friendly.

In the next release of this solution, I would like to see integration with other tools. For example, for change management, and with tools like IBM Rational ClearCase. I know that IBM has now linked ClearCase, ClearQuest, and DOORS, but we have an older version so I do not know how good the integration is.

This is a stable solution, although it depends on the network connection. It runs poorly on a slow network connection, so you need a fast connection.

In my opinion, the solution is scalable, but it is limited because you have to stay within one location. You cannot scale it across the whole world because of the dependency on network performance.

For this solution, we have several hundred users across several databases. In addition to the end-users, we have a system architect, system engineers who put in the requirements, functionality developers who break it down to the system requirements, software developers, and testers.

We have our own in-house experts who are quite helpful and responsive. I do not know if they have any experience dealing with the IBM technical support team.

We have used this same solution from the start.

We use predefined templates, so the setup for us was more or less straightforward.

Our in-house IT department handled the implementation of this solution.

My advice for anybody looking to implement this solution is to first get the processes right, and then look for the tools.

The whole idea behind this solution is great but, the execution and the handling is old fashioned. It would have been ok ten years ago, but we are used to having better tools now.

I would rate this solution a six out of ten.