1. IBM Software Software Design and Development
IBM Rational solution for
systems and software
engineering
An end-to-end solution for creating smarter products

2. 2 IBM Rational solution for systems and software engineering
Highlights Products and systems can no longer be developed the way they
● Implement a unified lifecycle approach to build and validate used to be. Complexity is rising, and late changes are common.
complex products, systems and the software that powers them Global competition and increasing compliance requirements
● Adopt integrated tools and process support to reduce the time demand that products be delivered faster, with greater proof of
to market quality and more functionality. They have to be smarter, safer
● Apply best practices for safety-critical development to help and connected—yet more secure. Increased functionality and
reduce the cost of compliance rapid differentiation are achieved through a significant increase
● Enhance cross-team collaboration in systems and software in software and electronics. Simply put, how companies design
engineering to help improve quality and speed innovation and develop products must change if they want to win in this
new environment.
Introduction
Smarter products are all around us: More fuel-efficient cars. Traditional product development took place in a siloed fashion,
Safer planes. Life-saving implanted medical devices. with each team handing off its work to the next stage in the
Smartphones. development lifecycle. Building smarter products requires a
smarter environment. New development approaches must unify
Customers now expect products to be smart. disparate contributors such as:
● Developers distributed across different geographical locations
and time zones
Managing complexity ● Lifecycle teams (requirements, design, development, test)
IBM clients are spending more than 40 percent of their that must break down complexity together and deliver proven,
engineering efforts on electronics and software. IBM is helping incremental results
them take on the challenge of the complexity this creates in ● Cross-discipline teams (mechanical, electrical, software)
the product development lifecycle. One client, an automotive that must respond in unison to changes for impact analysis and
manufacturer, uses the Rational solution for systems and rapid course correction
software engineering to simplify the complex design process. ● Ecosystem partners for connecting products with other sys-
They break the process into smaller, manageable pieces and
tems for data, remote monitoring or function control
distribute them to an engineering team that is located all
● Key stakeholders needing visibility to manage customer
around the world. Real-time auditing and information tracing
expectations, timelines, budgets and partner activity
helps the client keep track of each part of the process as it
moves through their complex systems. For more information,
view this video As a result, companies around the world that are producing
smart products have identified five major challenges:
Complexity, quality, compliance, competition and predictability.

3. IBM Software 3
IBM® Rational® software is helping companies meet these
challenges of effective product and systems delivery by providing IBM Rational solutions help a railway signaling systems
a smarter approach to describing, building and validating company develop smarter products
complex systems and the software that powers them. The
With the advent of high-speed trains, the margin of error for
IBM Rational solution for systems and software engineering
railway operators is akin to that of air traffic controllers, and
provides collaborative, integrated systems engineering and the stakes are just as high: Provide virtually 100 percent
embedded software development capabilities on an open reliability or risk loss of life. Invensys Rail Dimetronic develops
platform that enables companies to compete in our new world signaling systems used by railway operators throughout
and overcome the five major challenges of developing smart Europe. These systems must meet a single set of railway
products (Figure 1). signaling system standards and those standards are
continually evolving. Modernized development processes
are necessary to keep pace with the standards, meet the
unique needs of their railway operator customers and
integrate systems with other railway technologies.
Invensys Rail Dimetronic deployed an automated application
development platform to achieve this modernization.
Developers from numerous autonomous teams, who share
code management responsibilities, use automated require-
ments management capabilities and a web-based interface
to track changes and generate reports. As standards or
customer needs change, developers analyze those changes to
form a plan of attack, quickly modeling, configuring, validating
and demonstrating the integration of components in the
signaling systems software—and even isolating errors early
in the design process.
To learn more, visit:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/rational/info/dimetronic/
Figure 1: A railway systems developer speeds innovation and solution
deployment with a unified IBM Rational platform for modeling, testing, tracking
and documenting highly iterative, multistage development processes.

4. 4 IBM Rational solution for systems and software engineering
Unify the development lifecycle Provide collaboration guidance
The Rational solution breaks down silos and enables stakehold- It is not enough to have documented best practices in papers
ers and contributors to collaborate closely and effectively. All and procedure manuals today. Distributed development
major lifecycle disciplines are integrated: Requirements manage- organizations and suppliers need just-in-time, accessible and
ment, architecture and design, development, collaboration and automated process guidance to make cross-lifecycle and
change management, and quality management. This helps cross-discipline collaboration happen.
ensure, for example, that:
Customizable practices and workflows with automated execution
● Requirements are validated in designs and proven in tests. templates are offered to improve collaboration:
● Designs are shared for more effective communication.
● All lifecycle artifacts are linked in work items, including ● Tool mentors show how to apply tool integrations that facili-
requirements, designs, development artifacts, changes tate communication in the day-to-day activities of individuals.
and tests. ● Traceability is built into the workflows and tools.
● Changes can be tracked and managed effectively—from pro- ● Metrics, real-time dashboards and 24×7 communication are
posal and impact analysis to decision sign-off and execution. automatically enabled in the processes and tools.
● Complexity can be peeled away with an integrated, iterative ● Security is maintained when and where it is needed.
lifecycle that enables greater agility, faster impact analysis and ● An on-demand practice library contains both systems
effective response to change at any point. engineering and embedded software practices.
Improving predictability
Best Practices and Integrated Process Guidance
Between 20 - 60 percent of the time, companies miss the
REQUIREMENTS QUALITY deadline for their products.1 An IBM client in the aerospace
MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT and defense industry uses the Rational solution to define the
scope and the content of products and then measure the
ARCHITECTURE progress of product development through the lifecycle with a
& DESIGN
set of metrics and dashboards. This methodology helps them
deliver products on time, time after time. Getting the products
COLLABORATION, PLANNING
& CHANGE MANAGEMENT to market on schedule creates excitement for the customers,
Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration
increases the credibility for the investors and adds significant
business value. For more information, view this video
Figure 2: Rational solution for systems and software engineering: Best
practices, tools and services on an open platform.

5. IBM Software 5
Comply with standards and regulations lifecycle data and processes. This makes it possible to incorpo-
Compliance is always a concern for companies that develop rate legacy databases and existing applications in systems
products for regulated industries. Meeting compliance require- development environments.
ments can raise costs, lengthen schedules and consume resources
unless more efficient processes and tool automations are applied. To apply this approach to a broad ecosystem of tools and data, it
The Rational solution offers industry-specific support for relies on an open community for defining integration specifica-
safety-critical standards, including ISO 26262 for automotive, tions. Called Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC),
DO-178B for aerospace and defense and more. this community consists of vendors who develop tools and the
companies who use them.
Streamlining compliance Open Services for
Lifecycle Collaboration
IBM works very closely with clients to find out what data they Lifecycle integration inspired by the web
need to satisfy an audit and uses that information to make it
possible for engineers to virtually press a button and get a
compliance report. Recently, IBM helped a client in the
medical devices industry reduce the time it took them provide Enabling innovation for competitive advantage
compliance information from 3 - 4 weeks to a matter of
minutes. For more information, view this video Innovation is the lifeblood for surviving in today’s tough
competitive market. IBM is really focused on knocking down
the barriers to innovation by helping our clients transform how
they work with standardized tools, processes and more. One
client was using a thousand different tools in their develop-
Open access to data across the lifecycle
ment process. IBM reduced that number to a standard set
No one vendor, tool set or monolithic database can serve all of
of a handful and they were able to develop an innovative
your needs in complex systems development and delivery. technology product in half the time. Getting to market faster
Closed tools and platforms and disjointed processes can result than they ever had before has translated into more choices
in development silos and a lack of access to critical data and for their customers and direct market share for them.
information. For more information, view this video
IBM’s solution takes a different approach. Inspired by the
Internet, the solution integration platform enables a loosely cou-
pled “web” of engineering data. This web is achieved by apply-
ing an open-standards-based, federated approach to managing

6. 6 IBM Rational solution for systems and software engineering
What makes this solution different?
The Rational solution supports systems engineering approaches A leading medical device provider enhances collaboration
to unify software engineering and other disciplines such as for significant results
electrical and mechanical engineering. Delivered on an open Diagnostic Grifols is a leading medical device provider. The
integration platform, it uses an end-to-end approach to building international scale of this company’s business calls for strict
and validating complex products, systems and the software that compliance of the software it uses to manage and control
powers them. In addition, it provides: the development of its products. And, the complexity of its
development cycle requires software that can enhance team
● Support for the entire lifecycle from requirements through collaboration to deliver products faster. So, the company
delivery implemented a Rational solution to enhance collaboration
● Industry-leading requirements management and design throughout its product development cycle.
applied in both systems-level and software-level development
The solution connects all stages of the development cycle, so
● A leading Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) solution
different developers working on the same project can build
● Web-based sharing (view, markup) of designs for cross-
and share all regulated product data in a controlled environ-
discipline and cross-team collaboration
ment. Teams use collaboration features to adapt to changes
● Best practices developed and refined through years of working in regulations and take action on potential conflict. By better
with product development companies anticipating schedules, teams keep investment and profitabil-
● Systems engineering and software engineering implementation ity on track. Automation of operations documentation enables
and consulting services based on process improvement and the company to support compliance audits better.
best practices
The result? Companies like yours can deliver higher quality,
smarter products on time with reduced risk.
But you don’t have to take our word for it.
Figure 3: Apply the Rational solution to help achieve compliance by efficiently
capturing regulated product data in a controlled environment.

7. IBM Software 7
Real companies. Real results
Companies that are already using the Rational solution for
systems and software have seen significant results:
● Railway signal systems developer Invensys Rail Dimetronic
reduced time to market for signaling systems products by
40 percent and facilitated a 100 percent compliance rate with
standards for code traceability and safety.
● Diagnostic Grifols, a medical device provider, decreased
product time-to-market by 20 percent.
● One major aerospace and defense company reduced typical
system design time by 70 percent, and another reduced scope
creep from 98 percent to 16 percent.
To learn about other successful applications, visit:
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/rational/workbench/systems
or view the solution video
Figure 4: Products of all types are becoming more instrumented, intercon-
nected and intelligent.
Improving quality
Conclusion
Product defects risk your brand, revenues and profits. The
To succeed in today’s fast-paced, competitive marketplace,
Rational solution emphasizes quality management throughout
companies that manufacture smart products must cultivate
the product development lifecycle to reduce risk. A multina-
efficient and effective communication and collaboration. The
tional IBM client using the Rational solution reduced defects
by 75 percent early enough in the design cycle to maintain an IBM Rational solution for systems and software engineering
aggressive six-week development cycle. This resulted in prod- integrates a set of practices and tools for systems and software
ucts with a higher level of quality that met time to market development, helping everyone in the product development
requirements. For more information, view this video lifecycle collaborate to deliver smart products and systems.

8. For more information
To learn more about how Rational solution for systems and
software engineering delivers the tools, best practices, services
and a platform to manage the product and systems development
lifecycle, contact your IBM representative or IBM Business
Partner, or visit the following website: © Copyright IBM Corporation 2012
ibm.com/software/rational/workbench/systems IBM Corporation
Software Group
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This document is current as of the initial date of publication and may be
changed by IBM at any time. Not all offerings are available in every country
in which IBM operates.
The client examples cited are presented for illustrative purposes only. Actual
performance results may vary depending on specific configurations and
operating conditions.
THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED
“AS IS” WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE AND ANY WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF NON-
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The client is responsible for ensuring compliance with laws and regulations
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1
Matt Asay, “62 Percent of IT Projects Fail? Why?” CNet News.
21 Mar. 2008. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9900455-16.html
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