I learned about these updates to Compuware's enterprise quality management products last week, but Compuware didn't want me to talk about them until the officiallaunch date on the 13th (I hate embargoes - you often end up so confused about what you may, or may not write about that you often write nothing; and, of course, if the news is really world-shattering, you'll probably break the embargo anyway <grin>).

But I like Compuware's offerings and Sarah Saltzman, who often briefs me on them, stikes me as speaking from real experience. I like Compuware's risk-based testing approach, and I like the newly announced tight integration of CARS (Computer Application Reliability Solution - I'd have left off "solution", myself) 5.1 with Compuware's Changepoint IT Governance tool. You can't have good IT governance if the underlying applications aren't reliable

It's all about, according to Compuware, aligning QA with business goals so as to deliver business value - rather than quality for its own sake. And the Changepoint dashboard, now shipped with CARS, makes the application delivery process more transparent to senior management, so perhaps everyone can start pulling in the same direction. Now, there's innovcation...

More on QA with Compuware at http://www.compuware.com/solutions/3592_ENG_HTML.htm