VersionOne will bolster its application lifecycle management platform for users of agile development methodologies on Thursday, adding customization and simplification.

The Winter 2007 edition of the company's V1: Agile Enterprise system adds custom fields, enabling customers to define their own unique fields for data capture.

"They may want to capture a [software] build number or a specific ID number that we don't necessarily capture as one of our primary attributes," said Robert Holler, president and CEO of VersionOne. Customers could add fields to represent elements such as a customer name or a document.

Windows security is leveraged in the Winter 2007 edition as well. Users can enter their Windows domain username and password for authentication to V1: Agile Enterprise.

An acceptance test framework in the new release integrates external test suites. Results of those tests can be fed into VersionOne's system.

Also new in the upgrade is a templates feature that can generate task and test lists. A feature planner capability provides a single page for editing and viewing tasks, tests, and estimates for a software feature.

"I think I can use most of those [new features], the added fields especially," said V1 user Jim Comparin, software systems engineer at defense contractor TYBRIN. The company could create, for example, a field for paired programmers. Pairing of programmers is part of the extreme programming methodology used by TYBRIN.

The Windows security feature, meanwhile, eliminates the need for dual logins, Comparin said.

Agile programming methods leverage short, iterative software development cycles as opposed to traditional, long processes. The methodology is on the uptake, Holler said.

"It's kind of transitioned from small teams into much larger teams," and is moving from early adoption to mainstream adoption, said Holler.

V1: Agile Enterprise is available as a Web-based hosted offering or for behind-the-firewall installation at user sites. The platform is being used by 2,000 developer teams worldwide, including at 20 companies on the Fortune 100, Holler said.

The hosted product is available for a monthly subscription priced at $30 per user. The behind-the-firewall licensed product costs $500 per user plus support and maintenance.

VersionOne competes with Rally Software Development. But Holler said VersionOne has advantages in that it offers more than 50 pre-written agile metrics as well as broader options for hosted and local deployments.