Compuware eases IT - business alignment

OptimalTrace 5.0 promotes more efficient requirements management

Software and IT services provider Compuware has launched a major new version of its OptimalTrace requirements management product, designed to help firms balance IT requirements with business goals and objectives for new applications.

Version five of the product includes functionality which allows teams to visualise business and IT requirements at the same time so that the resulting application will meet the needs of both, according to Compuware's Fergal McGovern.

OptimalTrace 5.0 also allows staff to customise the structure and definitions around requirements to make them more relevant to project teams, he added.

"The visibility the business needs from IT is still not quite there yet," explained McGovern. "We're really focused on providing traceability and ease of use, so that IT and the business can get on the same page."

The vendor has also included functionality to simplify the importing of Microsoft Word documents, which could help to speed up the deployment of the product and ensure consistency across large teams, he added.