Watson Wyatt LLP to Standardize on iRise Application Simulation; European-Based Consulting Firm Taps iRise to Lower Costs and Improve Delivery

Business Wire, Feb 28, 2005

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- iRise(R), the world's leading application definition software and services company, today announced that Watson Wyatt LLP, a European-based consulting firm focusing on human capital and financial management, has selected the iRise application simulation platform to visually validate requirements and "test market" applications prior to investing time and money in development. By making iRise its new standard for application definition, Watson Wyatt LLP aims to cut rework costs, more accurately estimate project costs, ensure high quality delivery and visually explore new business opportunities.

With more than 2,000 associates, Watson Wyatt LLP is a consulting firm focused on improving business performance through human capital and financial management. Watson Wyatt LLP adopted iRise to visually validate increasingly complex business applications -- both internal and customer facing. By rapidly gathering, analyzing and simulating application requirements prior to development, Watson Wyatt LLP plans to effectively eliminate "scope creep" and the associated late cycle rework costs, as well as ensure business requirements are met. Once the iRise simulations are approved by the business stakeholders, Watson Wyatt LLP will be able to use the simulations to more accurately estimate project costs in order to better evaluate outsourcing options. Additionally, Watson Wyatt LLP will apply application simulation to ideation enabling business and IT to collaboratively explore new business opportunities and sell them up the chain to management.

"Text-based requirements gathering and validation is no longer viable for complex business systems," said Melvin Brandman, chief technology officer at Watson Wyatt, LLP. "By using iRise simulations, we can dramatically improve the process of defining software applications. Visual simulations are more engaging for the stakeholders and far superior to static, text based descriptions in communicating business needs. The result should be less rework and reduced project risk."

Today's competitive and dynamic business climate calls for software applications that are highly customized and flexible, as well as extremely user-friendly and intuitive. However, software applications have grown so complex, and business requirements have become so interdependent, that this balancing act can no longer be accomplished by relying on current manual, text-based methods. By using iRise simulations for the ideation and definition of business applications, Watson Wyatt LLP can engage their business stakeholders early in the process to visually identify missing system requirements, eliminate unnecessary functionality and discuss important process and policy issues.

"Watson Wyatt LLP's selection of iRise is another validation that visual simulation is fundamentally changing the way businesses build software," said Mitch Bishop, chief marketing officer at iRise. "As customized business applications continue to become more complex, organizations are turning to application simulation as way to mitigate risk, cut costs and deliver on time, with all the features demanded by the business."

About Watson Wyatt LLP

Watson Wyatt LLP is a privately-held limited liability partnership based in Reigate, UK. The firm has a global alliance with US-based Watson Wyatt & Company, a publicly traded company (NYSE:WW). Together they operate as Watson Wyatt Worldwide, one of the world's leading human capital consulting firms, providing services in the areas of employee benefits, investment consulting, human capital consulting and related technology solutions, and insurance and financial services consulting. They have more than 6,000 associates in 88 offices in 30 countries.

About iRise

iRise(R) is dedicated to bridging the communication gap between business and IT by improving the process of defining business applications. Focused on Fortune 1000 companies, its innovative iRise Application Simulator enterprise software product recently received eWEEK magazine's Analyst's Choice award. It allows an organization to "test market" applications with customers, partners and employees before making funding decisions and validate business requirements with stakeholders during the definition process. The result is investments in business applications that actually meet the needs of the business. With the same focus, its services group has successfully translated the needs of business users to deliver mission-critical business applications for more than 100 customers on 300 engagements. The company is based in El Segundo, Calif., with regional offices in New York and San Francisco, and sales offices covering the continental US.