IBM Rational has announced software tools that apply the new Change Management services developed by the Open Services for Lifecycle Collaboration (OSLC) initiative.

The OSLC specification on Change Management defines a common set of services and formats for interacting with change management systems. Tools that use the new Change Management specification can more easily maintain tool integrations from different vendors and better manage the information contained within their change management systems. For example, a quality management tool can better integrate with a change management system to log and track software defects.

IBM is the first industry vendor to deliver products that implement the OSLC Change Management services. The interfaces are supported by the latest versions of IBM Rational Team Concert and IBM Rational ClearQuest software. A version for Rational (formerly Telelogic) Change is also due out in September. Additionally, IBM Rational Quality Manager and IBM Business Partner Tasktop Technologies use OSLC interfaces for integrations with Rational Team Concert, Rational ClearQuest and Rational Change.

OSLC represents a way for software vendors and the open source community to join together to answer industry demand for greater tool flexibility across the development lifecycle. Developers from more than 20 organizations have joined the effort, which became operational in late 2008. Members are involved in workgroups focused on developing specifications for all areas of development lifecycle including requirements management, quality management, software project management, architecture management and reporting.

"OSLC is breaking down barriers and easing the pain and cost associated with ALM tool integration. Its open community and common integration approach is very appealing for a company like Tasktop that supports integrations with nearly three dozen change and task management systems," said Mik Kersten, CEO, Tasktop and leader of the Eclipse Mylyn Project. "OSLC helped us accomplish the integrations our customers demand for products such as IBM Rational ClearQuest, and we will continue to benefit from integrations with future OSLC-based services."