Rational Method Composer

Best practices

• Rational Method Composer ships with two libraries: IBM Rational Unified Process (RUP) and IBM Practice Library, based on the Unified Method Framework (UMF).
• Rational Method Composer features over 100 customizable process plug-ins and practices, including RUP, for solving common business, management, or systems and software development problems.
• This software includes predefined tool configuration assets, such as process templates, artifact templates, and report templates for Rational tools.
• It provides recommended metrics and guidance for setting up a system to support measured improvement.

Process configuration

• With Rational Method Composer, you can combine multiple plug-ins to create a process configuration for your project's environment.
• Process Builder lets you create a method configuration based on operational objectives. You can browse, preview, and select without knowing the details of the design and structure of the method library and its content.
• The Configuration editor helps you select a base method configuration; apply plug-ins, practices, and other process components; configure process views; and publish your customized process.

Process authoring

• Rational Method Composer provides forms-based editors for creating content that conforms to the OMG Systems and Software Process Meta-mode (SPEM 2.0).
• These editors process pasted HTML and Microsoft® Word documentation to ensure consistent formatting of the end product.

Process tailoring

• Rational Method Composer ships with a predefined set of questions for selecting from the practices content based on operational objectives.
• The Authoring perspective provides re-use mechanisms to help you tailor content without changing the original content. It supports multiple variants of a process with common content automatically synchronized across all variants to simplify maintenance of your methods.
• The Tailoring perspective provides project managers and team leads the views and functions required to customize a process, while hiding information only required for authoring.

Process delivery

• Rational Method Composer lets you use RSS feeds to generate process information for subscribers in multiple standard formats, such as Atom and RSS 2.0 from a Lucene search index.
• You can export IBM Rational Team Concert™ work item templates based on Rational Method Composer work breakdown structures. The templates can be instantiated in Rational Team Concert to create release plans, iterations plans, or ad hoc set of tasks that are repeated frequently. These work items include links to relevant process guidance to simplify enactment and compliance to the process.
• You can export Microsoft Project templates based on Rational Method Composer work breakdown structures to simplify creation of Microsoft Project Plans. Each plan item includes links to role descriptions, input and output work products, and tasks and activities from Rational Method Composer.