FOR RELEASE 1st
MAY
One of
the most innovative project management and process improvement solutions to
emerge in recent years, xProcess, has today been officially
released under open source license. xProcess
allows users to define project management processes (for example task patterns,
artifacts, gateways and workflows) and then run live projects while monitoring
targets, deliveries and process compliance. Agile methods for software
development such as Scrum, FDD and variants of Unified Process
are particularly well supported by the technology, which provides priority-driven
ordering of activities and resource balancing. The free download of the product
includes pre-configured processes for Scrum and other methods.
Ivis
Technologies, the Colorado-based company that developed xProcess, and xProcess
Europe Ltd, their European marketing arm, also announced today the formation of
a new company, OpenXprocess Ltd. OpenXprocess now owns the technology and
will support, train and consult with project teams using the product. OpenXprocess
simultaneously announced the full release of version 3 which incorporates many
usability enhancements over previous versions, as well as implementing a fully
scalable and distributable data architecture based on the popular Subversion
configuration management repository. Client access to xProcess is either
through a web interface (for project participants) or the Eclipse based desktop
application (RCP), which as well as supporting project participants, provides full
facilities for project managers and for process engineers defining new or
tailored processes.
Ivis CEO
Christopher Lank said, “We believe today’s announcement is great news for
project teams in the current market. xProcess is one
of the most advanced agile planning tools available and its process definition
facilities – including its graphical process modeling and built-in workflow –
are second to none. We estimate there are currently over 10,000 users of
xProcess worldwide, but making this product available to the open source community
will mean many more teams can benefit from the technology at minimal cost,
while OpenXprocess’s services arm can grow with the
user base and continue to offer excellence in training, mentoring and support.”
Andy
Carmichael, OpenXprocess’s CEO commented, “Agile
methods for managing projects are crucial for business success in the current
climate. We’re delighted that this move to open source will make configurable
agile processes available to a much wider community – a community that this
company is well placed to serve. Our training products, support packages and
consultancy services help teams get the most from agile methods and from
xProcess. Succeeding with agile has just got simpler with this release, and the
OpenXprocess team is here to ensure teams get the best possible support along
the way.”
The xProcess
product has been widely praised for its simplicity and its innovation, with
both SD Times and the Eclipse Foundation giving it prestigious
awards in recent years. Project managers simply choose (or configure) their
process, then enter tasks, targets, priorities and resource profiles. The
resulting schedules (displayed in Gantt, burndown or other charts) are
dynamically updated as team members execute the plans and complete or
re-estimate tasks. Clients in Europe, Asia and the USA are using xProcess to improve
the agility and speed of execution as well as the auditability and compliance
of their processes.
xProcess can be downloaded and evaluated from www.openxprocess.com or via SourceForge at http://sourceforge.net/projects/xprocess/.
Screenshots:
http://sourceforge.net/project/screenshots.php?group_id=251380
For
further information, please contact:
Andy
Carmichael
CEO:
OpenXprocess Ltd
Tel: +44
77 7573 5120