The effective management of stakeholder expectations is central to maintaining business – IT alignment. Throughout the decision process, the constraints of time, cost, scope and quality must be addressed.

However, as complexity increases, it becomes difficult to convincingly juggle the numerous factors that must be considered using ad-hoc Excel-based models. The number of application features that are often under consideration may be significant, as today's vendors present us with an overwhelming array of features that our users want us to consider. At the same time, project sponsors expect to be convinced that project constraints are being faithfully factored into the analysis. The complexity of the planning exercise may therefore overwhelm even our most proficient Excel expert.

Software engineering researchers at the University of Calgary have developed an offering called, ReleasePlanner® – a product that blends the best of human intelligence, human collaboration and proven computational techniques. Potential uses for ReleasePlanner® include not only product release planning, but also, project portfolio management – deciding what projects to fund and in what sequence.