IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs Inflectra SpiraTeam comparison

IBM and Inflectra are both solutions in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category. IBM is ranked #12 with an average rating of 7.5, while Inflectra is ranked #20. IBM holds a 3.5% mindshare in ALM, compared to Inflectra’s 0.2% mindshare. Additionally, 76% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Inflectra users who would recommend it.

IBM Engineering Lifecycle M...

Read 19 IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) reviews

1,447 Views
1,003 Comparison Views

76% willing to recommend

Inflectra SpiraTeam

Read 2 Inflectra SpiraTeam reviews

249 Views
68 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM Engineering Lifecycle M...

Inflectra SpiraTeam

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 30, 2025

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management ELM and Inflectra SpiraTeam are comprehensive project management solutions. ELM has the edge with its robust integration capabilities across engineering processes, making it suitable for large enterprises with complex project requirements. SpiraTeam is advantageous for smaller teams due to its flexibility and ease of use.

Features: ELM provides comprehensive requirements management, deep integration with IBM tools, and enhanced collaboration for large teams. SpiraTeam offers a flexible architecture, built-in project management functionalities, and task tracking with real-time dashboards.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ELM provides extensive support for deployment in complex IT environments with detailed documentation and dedicated customer service. SpiraTeam offers a straightforward deployment process, requiring less IT involvement, ideal for quick implementation.

Pricing and ROI: ELM involves significant initial setup costs but offers high ROI in large-scale implementations with its in-depth engineering applications. SpiraTeam is a cost-effective solution with lower upfront investment, providing substantial ROI for companies maximizing flexibility across varied projects.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. Inflectra SpiraTeam Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. Inflectra SpiraTeam

June 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Engineering Lifecycle M...

Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

12th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Inflectra SpiraTeam

Ranking in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

20th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites category, the mindshare of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) is 3.5%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Inflectra SpiraTeam is 0.2%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

Featured Reviews

Juergen Albrecht

Managing Director at CCC Systems Engineering Suisse GmbH

Combining tools for effective data analysis while customization and integration need improvement

The most valuable feature is how IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) ( /products/ibm-engineering-lifecycle-management-elm-reviews ) allows me to present to the customer what the actual software, even hardware, will do. It helps them gain an impression of the complexity of the functionality and find an easier way to decide whether to implement it. A picture says more than one thousand words, which is why I work with the combination of ELM and the specification of DOORS. The automation capabilities I built use column-based scripts for analysis to search, fetch, and transfer information. When I open modules, it automatically analyzes the changes since the last opening by me.

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Jorge Ambrosio

Quality Management Office (QMO) Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees

Flexible and stable with excellent technical support

I am the end user. I have a contract to provide testing for customers, however, ultimately the owner of the tool is the customer. For this reason, we're not direct customers. I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. I don't like to put 10 due to the fact that I'm sure that something can be improved. That said, if the customer gave me the option to select a product, I'd select SpiraTeam over other tools. The facilities of the tool are more or less the same as the facilities of the ALM or other tools that are in the market. However, the customer support from Inflectra makes you feel like they are working with you. That is the gap in the quality that other options lack. They fix any issue very quickly.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The cataloging is a very valuable feature. For a lot of enterprises, they end up not knowing which applications do specific features. The cataloging helps with this. It's not that verbose, but it still gives you allowances to put in more detail."

"The transition to a SaaS-based solution is a distinct advantage."

"It helped us contain critical things, like source code and several documents, which is very important to us."

"It's easy to use."

"One of the key advantages of IBM Rational ALM is its workflow capabilities, which enable seamless collaboration between development and production teams and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the progress and readiness of the solution. Additionally, the solution is good for integration."

"The integration with Git works well."

"It is relatively easy to use and user-friendly once the setup is complete."

"The tools for requirement capture we have found very useful."

More IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) pros

"The solution is fast and very accessible."

"The initial setup and configuration are straightforward and relatively simple."

Cons

"The reporting functionality needs to be improved."

"One of the complaints from users is that they have to click buttons too many times for just a simple task. Changing this would lead to a better user experience."

"The GUI is a little bit outdated."

"The directory designer manager is uncivil. The design manager is clearly really unstable."

"Some improvements to the user interface (UI) would be helpful, such as exposing more services to make it easier to customize to the needs of each customer."

"I would like to see better reporting features. The out-of-box reporting is - I don't want to say limited - but the focus is on the Scrum and Sprint reports. We need more reporting features regarding the history of the work, tracking it more deeply."

"The interconnectivity between packages is a major support problem and can be improved."

"The stability of this solution can be improved."

More IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) cons

"They need to continue improving the interface with the third-party options."

"It would be great if they worked more closely with other solutions. There needs to be better integration with the platform for development purposes."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM Rational ALM has both monthly and yearly licensing options."

"The solution is not cheap."

"This product is a little expensive and we had to pay extra to have them set it up for us."

"We have a contract, but I am not aware of the details."

"The price of the solution could be reduced. Many of our customers are not using all the features and this could be why our clients feel the price is too high."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

24%

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

11%

Transportation Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Rational ALM?

The solution is customizable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Rational ALM?

Improvement is needed in bridging DNG and Rhapsody and vice versa for better data exchange from both sides with some trigger technologies. This would provide a visual reminder of changes in a modul...

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What is your primary use case for IBM Rational ALM?

Most of my primary use cases involve the combination of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) ( /products/ibm-engineering-lifecycle-management-elm-reviews ) and DOORS, including both Classic D...

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Compared 100% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM)

June 2025

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) report

Download IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) product report

Buyer's Guide

Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) Suites

May 2025

Download Inflectra SpiraTeam product report

Also Known As

IBM Engineering Rhapsody, Rational ALM, MKS

SpiraTeam

Overview

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management stands out for its robust Agile Scrum planning, lifecycle traceability, and tool management, offering cloud-based configurability and strong collaboration features.

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management provides rich capabilities for Agile project management, facilitating requirements and test management, configuration management, and version control. Its integration with IBM Doors supports comprehensive requirements handling, and the cloud-based platform enhances collaborative efficiency across teams. Despite needing advances in user-friendliness and reporting, ELM's global configuration and compliance features make it invaluable in demanding environments.

What are the key features of IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management?

Scrum-based planning: Supports Agile methodologies with rich planning tools.
Lifecycle traceability: Offers complete traceability across development stages.
Customizable workflows: Adaptable workflows with Kanban for flexibility.
Git integration: Supports efficient version control and collaboration.
Global Configuration: Manages complex configurations globally.
Compliance and reporting: Ensures robust auditing and comprehensive reporting capabilities.

What benefits should be evaluated in reviews?

Collaboration: Enhanced sharing across platforms for seamless teamwork.
Cost-effectiveness: Delivers efficient tools that optimize project spend.
Comprehensive requirement handling: Facilitates detailed requirement management through IBM Doors integration.

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management is vital in sectors like automotive and manufacturing, where it implements Agile frameworks to manage requirements, conduct testing, and handle defects. It integrates into development pipelines ensuring live traceability and visibility, supporting critical engineering processes efficiently.

IBM

Need to manage your entire project lifecycle? From requirements and test cases, to tasks and code SpiraTeam has you covered. Powerful, straightforward, and flexible, SpiraTeam helps you get started fast. With SpiraTeam, manage your tasks and bugs quickly and easily, sync them with your team, and get back to developing. Integrated version control, testing (manual and automated), and customizable reporting, help you track it all.

Inflectra

Sample Customers

Tennis Australia, WeCloud AB, Port Otago Limited, Logicalis US, Valmer, The Chevrolet Volt, Ashurst

Cenduit, Maas Database Applications, DHHS Tasmania, Rota Yokogawa, ASI Business Solutions, ComputaCenter

Buyer's Guide

IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. Inflectra SpiraTeam

June 2025

Free Report: IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM) vs. Inflectra SpiraTeam

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