Information Builders Adds Collaboration Tools for Operational Performance Management

Market Wire, October, 2007

Information Builders, the leader in production business intelligence ( BI ) systems, today announced the availability of WebFOCUS Performance Management Framework (PMF) Release 4. This operational performance management solution provides organizations with the communications, collaboration, analysis, and strategy tools necessary to gain complete visibility into their business and actively achieve better performance.

In this release Information Builders builds upon its expertise in implementing performance management solutions. One enhanced feature is the ability to easily organize metrics for both better communication and to facilitate rational alignment with financial, operational, risk, compliance, and governance objectives. PMF can now also be purchased as modules that businesses can add as their needs grow.

Leveraging the latest industry trends, customer feedback, and Information Builders' heritage of innovation, PMF Release 4 provides the means for pervasive operational performance management. Built on Information Builders' proven BI and integration platforms, WebFOCUS PMF represents a purpose-built, open solution that can integrate directly with other operational systems and adapt to meet changing demands. Recognizing Information Builders' expertise in performance management, Ventana Research recently ranked Information Builders as one of the leading vendors in its 2007 Midyear BI and Performance Management Vendor and Product Scorecard.

"Advancing the potential of performance in organizations requires technology that can adapt to how you operate," said Mark Smith, CEO and EVP Research, Ventana Research. "Information Builders has advanced performance management in WebFOCUS Performance Management Framework Release 4 by integrating collaboration and analytics with goals and metrics that can be driven by business to be effective."

The new release offers infinitely personalized end-user dashboards , metric blogging, print-quality publishing, mobile alerts, deep analytics, strategy authoring, and easy-to-use wizards. New tools and functionality make it possible to manage and communicate strategies to all employees, partners, or executives without ever leaving the browser. An easy-to-manage solution, PMF allows businesses to rapidly deploy performance management without lengthy IT projects and all users contribute to the system's management. Further extension and customization of PMF occurs organically using the same WebFOCUS components that it is built with.

"In a commodity business like generic drugs, any edge you can gain in your operations is extremely valuable," said David Lavallée, CIO, Pharmascience. "WebFOCUS PMF provides us with the edge in operational performance we need: a single version of the truth for decision-making and better insight into actual sales and manufacturing processes. We can quickly generate corporate scorecards, see results linked to objectives, and take action accordingly."

Enhanced Communications Across the Organization

PMF 4 enhances communications by providing more ways to summarize metrics, communicate performance trends, distribute information to constituents, as well as show and track related projects and processes. The updated PMF dashboard includes information gadgets, pre-built grids, graphs, and tools that allow users to gauge the status of key performance indicators (KPIs) and strategies in one glance. The gadgets simplify the creation of complex dashboard pages that show multiple metrics at the same time. Users' attention is easily guided by icons that show when a project is aligned, a fundamental metric is underperforming, or someone has entered a comment. One click on any dashboard gadget serves up a switchboard of answers or actions to take.

Web 2.0 Functionality Enables Dynamic Collaboration

Adapting Web 2.0 trends in collaboration, PMF 4 enables users to mesh their work with that of colleagues to discover, analyze, inform, document, and act. For example, any KPI can be blogged so users throughout the accountability chain can understand what is being done, why, and how to achieve the desired result. PMF also offers threading and forwarding of alerts so users can take action and engage others to change operational outcomes. Alerts can be set up to run automatically, and when received, can be commented on and forwarded for action.

Predictive Tools for Timely Analysis

New analytic and discovery tools in Release 4 enable users to trend, track, and discover the "why" behind an organization's performance. Designed for business users focused on their operational job, PMF includes customized trend analysis, what-ifs, traditional OLAP, and predictive analytics that produce a reliable view of the future. In addition to more than 100 pre-built dashboards, PMF provides Analysis Designer, an easy way to create customized queries, reports, and graphs.

"Business leaders are looking for a holistic way to create and manage a culture of performance in their organizations that goes well beyond the financial data," said David Cook, director of Performance Management Solutions for Information Builders. "The ease, flexibility, and rich analysis offered in our Performance Management Framework provide all the stakeholders in an organization the insight and control they need to remain accountable and drive toward success."