IT management software specialist Compuware will tomorrow launch a new version of its Changepoint project portfolio management suite.

The update features enhanced modelling capabilities and functionality designed to improve communication between business managers and the IT department, the vendor said.

Lori Elsworth, product director for Changepoint, said the aim of the new suite is to ensure business managers stay “in the loop” as IT projects progress.

“A lot of firms struggle to keep business informed as [an] IT project evolves,” Elsworth said. “You need to enable on-going decision-making throughout a project.”

Changepoint 12 features an extended web-based client portal that allows business managers to gain real-time information on IT projects and engage in the decision-making process. It also offers an audit trail that means firms can see who approved what at what stage, Elsworth added.

The new suite also features enhanced “what if” modelling capabilities and a new graphical interface that allows managers to easily assess the effect changes made to one IT project have on the rest of the project portfolio.

The new modelling functionality could also help empower IT chiefs in their engagements with business managers, according to Ovum analyst Bola Rotibi. “It means that when the business says ‘do this’ IT can say ‘we can do it, but this is what will happen to other projects’,” she said.