Project Management Tool Opens Door to Efficiency and Organization for HyperWorks Users Through Altair Partner Alliance

TROY, Mich., Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Altair Partner Alliance today announced its extension into the project management domain with the addition of the Project Team Builder (PTB) software from SandboxModel LTD. PTB helps managers organize and optimize plans to help ensure that project tasks progress as smoothly as possible, from start to finish. With virtually every industry requiring some extent of project planning, PTB is extremely versatile and can be applied almost anywhere.

"The PTB is an excellent tool for developing project alternatives and testing these alternatives in a real-world dynamic environment," said Dr. Yael Dubinsky from IBM Research. "It is a powerful tool for Agile Project Management as it helps team leaders understand the consequences of different decisions. Working with the PTB, the team leader can link the project's objectives and requirements to the schedule, analyze different tradeoffs, test the plan's success probability and mitigate project risks."

The PTB Analytics tool is designed to assist project managers in significantly reducing the risk of planning and executing their projects. It uses simulation technology to predict the project outcome resulting in better decision making, more accurate forecasts and ultimately better project results. PTB is comprised of two modules, the Scenario Builder module and the Simulator Module. The Scenario Builder allows users to define the problem space by creating the project model, while the Simulator Module takes a predefined project and runs simulations on it.

"We are looking forward to the opportunity to expand our user base to include current members of the Altair Partner Alliance. This partnership will help nurture and develop adoption of Project Team Builder and its project management philosophy throughout the engineering industries," said Guy Shtub, CEO of SandboxModel LTD. "PTB is the first product of its kind to be available in the APA, and we believe that HyperWorks users will quickly recognize its value and implement it within their current processes. This management tool will help promote organization and efficiency within their departments and for CAE organizations as a whole."

The power of adding variability and interdependency to projects lies in improved decision-making, which the process creates. In the initial phase, the PTB Analytics approach allows the user to build a project team. Subsequently, it then allows those involved to achieve a better understanding of the scope and significance of uncertain parameters in a project, such as duration, available resources and overall quality, all before the project even begins. The software provides the insight to recognize issues at the planning stage that usually are unknown until the end of the project. It also allows for users to create a controlled environment to better execute the project by linking objectives and requirements to the schedule and analyzing all available alternatives for the project's execution.

"Any company managing tasks and resources can undoubtedly benefit from Project Team Builder, making it a great addition to the APA," said Mike Heskitt, Chief Operating Officer for Altair Product Design. "Organization, process tracking and the ability to deliver projects efficiently and on-time are just some of the advantages that will be easily recognized by the HyperWorks community, among others."

Available for the last 12 years, Altair's innovative unit-based licensing system allows HyperWorks users customizable access to a growing portfolio of applications, optimizing their return on investment (ROI) by making more than 28 in-house developed applications available by use of a single pool of recyclable HyperWorks units (HWUs).

After experiencing this original licensing model's success, Altair has offered the opportunity for third-party companies to run their own applications under this unit-based system, a collaboration now known as the Altair Partner Alliance. The overall flexibility of these HWUs empowers users and allows them access to the largest and most complete suite of CAE applications available, making the benefits to participating HyperWorks customers infinite. The ROI increases for users each time a new application is added to the offering, since any of the partner programs can be accessed using the same leased HWUs they are already using to run HyperWorks. This makes more than 55 additional applications available at no incremental cost or long-term commitment.

HyperWorks users can download Project Team Builder at www.altairalliance.com/sandboxmodel. To learn more about SandboxModel and PTB please attend one of the introductory webinars, being held on September 25, 2013, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EDT. These webinars will be hosted by Altair and presented by Sandbox.

SandboxModel LTD

SandboxModel provides cutting edge project management simulation solutions to help companies make better project related decisions. SandboxModel's products are based on technology developed at the Technion Institute of Technology and have won the PMI International Product of the Year Award. The company is privately held and is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. To learn more, please visit http://www.sandboxmodel.com.

About Altair  

Altair empowers client innovation and decision-making through technology that optimizes the analysis, management and visualization of business and engineering information. Privately held, with 1,800 employees, Altair has offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. With a 27-year track record for high-end software for engineering and computing, enterprise analytics solutions, and innovative product design and development, Altair consistently delivers a competitive advantage to customers in a broad range of industries. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com or www.simulatetoinnovate.com.

About the Altair Partner Alliance 

Altair's HyperWorks platform applies a revolutionary subscription-based licensing model in which customers use floating licenses to access a broad suite of Altair-developed, as well as third-party, software applications on demand. The Altair Partner Alliance effectively extends the HyperWorks Platform from 28 internally developed solutions to more than 50 applications with the addition of new

partner applications. Customers can invoke these third-party applications at no incremental cost using their existing HyperWorks licenses. Customers benefit from unmatched flexibility and access, resulting in maximum software utilization, productivity and ROI. For more information about the Altair Partner Alliance, visit www.altairalliance.com.

SOURCE Altair