The Process Practice

I created a 48 min. demo video based on a client request that shows how teams can get started collaboratively developing their method plug-ins in Rational Method Composer using Rational ClearCase. It is intended for advanced RMC users and shows how to

• mix content from various sources in Method Composer by utilizing workspace libraries (local IBM content and shared plug-ins in ClearCase)

• manage versions of Method Composer plug-ins in ClearCase

• perform parallel method development work with ClearCase

The demo shown comprises of the following steps:

1. Create a VOB (versioned object base) on the ClearCase server
2. Convert the out-of-the-box method library to a workspace library
3. Create your own method plug-in
4. Create a ClearCase view from within in Method Composer
5. Share your method plug-in in ClearCase
6. How team members check-out and work with method plug-ins and method element

Click here to start the video. It requires that you have the Adobe Flash Player installed for your browser.

We released the first bug fix release for IBM Rational Method Composer 7.5 last night. Go and get it by running IBM Installation Manager and clicking the Update button. After the install you can find a list with all the issues addressed in the Readme file inside the installation directory. This ifix does not only fix the tool, but also a few issues in the Practices method library and published configurations. Therefore, the download is a bit larger than normal.

Key changes are:

• Converting the practice library to a workspace library now also converts tags and process builder definition files
• We improved the presentation of Practice guidance pages in both skins (updated the Relationships table, cleaned up the string resources used)
• Added a few more string resources in the skins files (such as the types of elements used in rich text hyperlinks or the relationship sub-folder in the navigation tree)
• Some fixes for the ClearCase integration (renaming plug-ins in workspace libraries, fixed new Clean Resources function when using CC)
• Work product descriptor pages now show sub-artifacts when including their method content
• Method content element guidance is not replicated to its descriptors anymore: RMC now enforces that a descriptor only lists additional guidance references in respect to the linked method element and does not duplicate such guidance entries during synchronization anymore
• Refined our double-byte character support in URLs (RMC now distinguishes signs like spaces and plus signs from double-byte codes in urls that start with %20)
• Added the missing “supporting plug-in” flags in Practice library and republished all out-of-the-box Practices configurations
• Spell checker fixed for RMC on Linux operation systems

Note, that we also made fixes and improvements for both skins. So if you have your own skins defined make sure you merge in all our changes into your skin files using a compare-merge tool.

IBM’s DeveloperWorks now features a landing page that introduces IBM’s Development Practices at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/practices/.

This page provides an overview  to practices and links to one page summaries for 14 practices with links to resources and references. Needless to say that all of these practices are available as fully modeled, documented, and reusable practices in IBM Rational Method Composer 7.5, which currently ships with altogether 21 practices. You can use Method Composer to assemble and publish the right set of practices that you would like to implement as well as use the tool to customize and extend each practice to represent your exact way of working.