5. Razor (Commercial Problem Management Tools)
Description
This article is from the Problem Management Tools FAQ, by Dave Eaton dwe@arde.com with numerous contributions by others.
5. Razor (Commercial Problem Management Tools)
Razor, from Visible Systems Corporation (formerly from Tower Concepts)
is a highly configurable problem tracking system, which comes complete
with an integrated file version control package.
Issue form templates are defined and tailored by each work group to
contain information that will meet their needs. These forms present
themselves on screen as Motif windows, employing text fields, check
boxes, choices etc, for such information as...
* The estimated effort/cost involved
* Whether the issue is approved for resolution
* The systems to be affected by the proposed change
* Which product release it relates to
* Its priority and phase in schedule
* None, all, others, or variations of the above
Each new form is automatically numbered and entered into the Razor
database. These forms can then be edited and routed to team members
electronically, avoiding the clumsy paper and homegrown systems that
have become the norm in many companies. Every change to the form is
recorded and time stamped with the user's login name, providing
complete accountability for changes. Approval and signature lists can
be configured into the system to make the package as open or
restrictive as each site deems necessary for their process.
The product is also takes advantage of email connectivity. Users are
able to submit new issues to the database through email messages, and
to use email to configure queries and reports which are generated and
returned by email. Their database synchronization capability provides
automatic coordination of multiple databases at remote sites. Razor's
easily parsed ASCII database allows users to generate their own
scripts for report generation and process control.
A company representative stressed that it is extremely easy to try out
their product. Both documentation and a full copy of the product for
evaluation are available by FTP. New releases and patches are handled
in the same manner. A supplier WWW site is available at
http://www.razor.visible.com
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