When it comes to engineering projects, choosing the right project management tool can be a deciding factor for success. Valispace and Polarion are tools that have marked their presence in the industry. This blog post aims to comprehensively compare Valispace and Polarion to help you determine the best fit for your needs.
Overview
Valispace is a browser-based tool designed for hardware engineers to collaboratively develop and track their project data, like requirements and system models in real-time. It was designed from the ground up to support complex engineering projects, particularly in the aerospace, defense, automotive, and robotics industries. Valispace also enables the calculation of parameters across disciplines, reducing errors and increasing efficiency.
Polarion, on the other hand, is a unified Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) tool. It has a broad set of features that handle requirements, risk, and test management. Its strength lies in its traceability, collaboration features.
Requirements Management
Valispace‘s approach to requirements management is integrated within its system engineering methodology. It allows engineers to link requirements directly to component or system data, allowing real-time calculations of parameters. Changes in data or requirements are automatically propagated throughout the system, helping reduce errors caused by outdated information.
One of the unique features of Valisapce is an AI assistant, the ValiAssistant. Powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, ValiAssistant assists in requirements engineering by generating requirements, breaking them down, and even identifying inconsistencies.
In contrast, Polarion provides a requirements management system that caters to projects involving multiple interconnected elements. Polarion’s requirements management features include live reporting, electronic signatures, versioning and baselining.
Collaboration and Integration
Both Valispace and Polarion prioritize collaboration. Valispace’s browser-based interface enables real-time collaboration and instant updates, which foster effective teamwork. The tool also provides a notification system that alerts everyone about significant changes and has a commenting feature facilitating project iterations. Discussions, tasks and timelines are also some features present in the tool to ensure full collaboration and traceability.
Polarion, meanwhile, offers features like live planning, document sharing, and task management that are beneficial for collaboration across large teams. Its interface supports custom workflows and allows project information to be easily accessed and shared among team members.
Integration is another critical aspect to consider when choosing a project management tool. Valispace supports integrations with popular tools like MATLAB, Excel, JIRA, and offers an open REST API for custom integrations. Polarion, in comparison, provides pre-built integrations with a broader range of tools and supports custom integrations via its REST API.
Combining Valispace and Polarion for a Comprehensive Solution
Despite the unique strengths of Valispace and Polarion, these tools can be combined for a comprehensive engineering project management solution. Polarion’s ALM capabilities can complement Valispace’s strength in real-time calculation of engineering data and requirements management.
Valispace could be used for detailed technical work, with its real-time updates of linked requirements following parameter changes ensuring efficient workflows. Polarion, with its traceability and compliance features, could be employed for broader project management.
Conclusion
The choice between Valispace and Polarion largely depends on your specific project needs. Valispace is a more modern and hardware-centric tool that focuses on engineering data and real-time calculations, and can provide a significant efficiency boost if your team is specifically dealing with complex hardware systems.
Meanwhile, Polarion provides a comprehensive ALM solution.
Understanding the unique strengths of each tool is crucial in determining the right solution for your team and project. The dual use of Valispace and Polarion could provide an even more comprehensive solution for complex engineering projects.