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IBM Engineering Workflow Management vs Visual Studio Team System comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 Workflow Ma...
Ranking in Software Configuration Management
4th
Average Rating
6.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Agile Planning Tools (10th)
Visual Studio Team System
Ranking in Software Configuration Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Software Configuration Management category, the mindshare of IBM Engineering Workflow Management is 3.5%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Visual Studio Team System is 2.2%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Software Configuration Management
 

Featured Reviews

Suvajit Chakraborty - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good traceability elements but UI needs improvement
There is room for improvement in the UI. The UI has to improve a lot compared to the competitive tools, like Atlassian Jira, for example. It's very easy to use. It is easy to manage and easy to use. Anybody can learn it right quickly and start with it. But IBM ELM is something where somebody has to have good knowledge, training, and understanding and then only start using it. But there's a big known knowledge curve for IBM ELM. But once that is there, it's normally; organizations do have their own internal team to basically manage it IBM ELM portfolio, the tool chain. So if they have internal teams who are doing it for quite some time, not something new, then it is definitely better. But if there's if somebody is starting new, definitely there is a knowledge curve time it can take at least a year or maybe a couple of years before they can start realizing the benefits.
Mustapha Sedki Ben Romdhane - PeerSpot reviewer
A scalable and efficient solution that can be used to perform tasks involved in developing information systems
We can use the tool to perform limited tasks in developing information systems The product is efficient. It is an accepted tool globally. The product must improve its stability. It must do more innovations. It could be made more efficient to provide the best responses. It will help us with…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Traceability reporting is inbuilt and includes all your requirements."
"It was an all-in-one solution for source code, integrated source control, defect tracking, and project planning."
"Agile templates give us a standard methodology for every Agile project. Also, the ability to create our own object types and linkages to features/epics allows us to enhance the verification of feature readiness."
"All of the features work together to provide a powerful holistic solution - from the dashboard all the way through to security."
"We can track the status of test cases (passed or saved) in a single view. Based on releases and other attributes, we generate various reports and extract metrics from the data."
"The tool provides traceability and reporting, which are important for compliance and measuring progress."
"Work distribution among team members and accountability for completion with a clearer picture."
"Good for managing stories, sprints, hydration and releases."
"Visual Studio Team System is the most powerful IDE available in the market."
"The product helps with version control. I can build, develop, test and deploy applications from a single platform."
"The product is efficient."
"The most valuable feature is the code management, where there is sharing of code for developers and it is distributed within the organization."
"The solution is scalable, stable and has allowed us to upgrade our frameworks."
"Microsoft makes great products. They are quite robust."
"The solution is pretty stable."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Every month there is an increase in the number of users. It is a scalable solution."
 

Cons

"The solution is very heavily vendor dependent."
"We have encountered issues with stability. We have seen where the entire system kind of goes for a toss when certain people use certain types of queries, which are very costly. Then the system kind of slows down a bit, and we have to monitor it."
"I would rate the IBM Engineering Workflow Management a seven or an eight. I am leaning closer to seven based on a couple of items I mentioned that I would like to see or know more about, such as improved reporting."
"Teams need clearer pictures of resource availability in charts and dashboards along with plans."
"Lacks ability to customize and reporting can be slow."
"Some administrative tasks are difficult to perform. These could be simplified."
"Improved graphics in terms of metrics and connectivity to SharePoint from Microsoft products would be beneficial."
"It's becoming less relevant. For example, Maven has evolved, and in its later versions, there are plugins for integrating with source control systems, such as Git-based systems. Support for these plugins is diminishing."
"When you go into the front-end, the web portal, if, for example, you pick up an issue, it would be ideal if the branch was automatically created in the repository. Right now, this isn't the case."
"Accessibility switches available on the desktop should also be available on mobile devices for coding or developing on the go."
"I have seen customizations with Team System that allowed it to integrate into other ticketing systems like Jira, which would be a really nice feature to see."
"The product should be priced better."
"I would say compared to some more modern tools which are made to work offline, with this solution you have to be connected all of the time and with a central server. In our case, it's not a big problem because we all work on-premises, but it can be an issue if you have teams in different locations."
"The product must improve its stability."
"The technical support could be better."
"The overall customer support needs to improve."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing: The solution cost is high and should be brought down to increase competition."
"It is not a free tool. We use a token-based licensing model, which is specific to IBM. The cost per token is around $115-$120."
"I've heard IBM Engineering Workflow Management is more expensive than other tools."
"It's an expensive investment to make, so the decision should be driven on individual requirements."
"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"It is an open-source product from Microsoft."
"There is no fee for the solution's community version."
"The price could be better."
"You can choose pricing from a variety of options. I would rate the product's pricing a six out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
19%
Government
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Healthcare Company
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Engineering Workflow Management?
We can track the status of test cases (passed or saved) in a single view. Based on releases and other attributes, we generate various reports and extract metrics from the data.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Engineering Workflow Management?
I've heard IBM Engineering Workflow Management is more expensive than other tools. On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten.
What needs improvement with IBM Engineering Workflow Management?
Improved graphics in terms of metrics and connectivity to SharePoint from Microsoft products would be beneficial.
What needs improvement with Visual Studio Team System?
The product must improve its stability. It must do more innovations. It could be made more efficient to provide the best responses. It will help us with internal and external processes.
What is your primary use case for Visual Studio Team System?
We can use the tool to perform limited tasks in developing information systems.
 

Also Known As

IBM Rational Team Concert (IBM ALM), IBM RTC
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Telstra Corporation, Visteon, Atos SE, Panasonic Automotive Systems, IBM Global Technology Services, CareCore National, JTEKT Corp., ItaÒ BBA, Avea, CACEIS, Danske Bank Group, APIS IT
Bluegarden A/S, Tracasa, Rabobank Group, Borusan Otomotiv, Arelik, Alfa Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Engineering Workflow Management vs. Visual Studio Team System and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.