Customization, SOAP API are featured Speedev this week upgraded its application development lifecycle offering that is geared toward managing software products and projects.The Web-based Speedev 4.5 package features custom common entity definition, a SOAP-based API, and custom cross-project reporting. It comprises a suite of products for application lifecycle management.By using entities, users can track tasks such as help desk or workflow. “You can visually design or define a workflow on how a particular entity will flow through a workflow,” said Sky Basu, CTO of Speedev. The Web services-based SOAP API allows for integration with legacy systems or third-party tools. Users may want to link the Speedev repository or workflow engine to a legacy application, for example. Alternatively, information in Speedev can be linked to a company portal.Through custom cross-project reporting, information from different projects can be viewed in a consolidated manner. “In the past, all these projects were invisible to each other,” Basu said. This is done in Release 4.5 through a bundled version of Custom Crystal Reports from Business Objects, which accesses a read-only, cross-project view of the Speedev database.Also included in Release 4.5 are performance improvements and enhancements to existing features such as Linked Custom Fields, Advanced Search, and Configurable Home Page. Available now, the Speedev 4.5 enterprise suite starts at $13,000 for a five-user version dubbed the Small Group Gold Package, which features a Speedev server and support for one administrative user and four named users. Software Development