Becton, Dickinson and Company
Tim Sullivan, R&D Manager / Systems Engineering
We have on the order of 20 projects using Cognition Cockpit with anywhere from 5 to 50 people on any particular project.
We looked at other requirements management packages and chose Cockpit because it was web based, easy to use and provided a broader set of capabilities than other packages - especially critical parameter management.
We have had extremely good support from the people at Cognition - [support person] in particular has been tireless in making sure we are satisfied with the product and getting value from it.
There have been challenges getting some people up to speed with the software, but that will be true no matter what package you choose. One of our divisions is using DOORS® and has commented that they would have chosen Cockpit had they know about it at the time they started with DOORS. We also have experience using ReqPro [RequisitePro®] for the past 10 years for software requirements and are looking forward to fully transitioning over to Cockpit.
In addition to VOC, requirements, specifications, tests, V&V plans, and risks, I use the software all the time to manage meetings and to archive shared files including vendor and competitor information. Being able to attach notes and documents that relate to specific requirements has been extremely helpful. For example, when we come across information relevant to a project requirement and do not have time to fully comprehend it at the time it is received, we attach information to the requirement or specification that it impacts and mark it as needing to be reviewed.
We have complex projects that include the development of reagents, consumables, hardware (medical diagnostic instrumentation,) software and algorithms and have found that we need a tool to help manage the wide range of requirements, facilitate collaboration, manage change control and document traceability for the FDA. I have not come across a tool that does this better than Cockpit. The key advantages for us are the ability to access it from anywhere (web based), ease of use (you don't have to be an expert to find your way around it), and the wide breadth of features that facilitate product development consistent with design for six sigma and facilitate collaboration. We have found that people tend to move from one project to another and with this tool the time and effort necessary to come up to speed on a new project is greatly reduced.