Compuware Study Finds Slow Development Cycles Are the No. 1 Application Development Challenge

Compuware Survey of IT Professionals Uncovers New and Surprising Application Development Trends

JAVAONE™ / SAN FRANCISCO--June 10, 2003--Compuware Corporation (NASDAQ: CPWR) today unveiled the results of its 2003 IT Professionals Survey on Application Development. The study surveyed 200 IT professionals to gauge their opinions about the application development challenges they face, the types of application development initiatives they undertake and the role of outside organizations in their efforts. Overall, the study found that slow development cycles were the No. 1 application development challenge, and nearly half of respondents agreed that adopting model- and pattern-based development provides companies with competitive development advantages.

Over 72 percent of respondents believed that speeding the application development process was important or critical to their organization. Nearly half of them felt this could be accomplished by adopting model- and pattern-based development, techniques that are underway or under review in over 76 percent of organizations. Underscoring the need to improve development cycle time, over half of those surveyed reported that their organization now includes the role of software architect, an emerging software management position that provides an over-arching and strategic business view of software development efforts.

When it comes to industry standards, 43 percent of IT professionals report that it is mandatory that they adhere to such standards in their software development processes. What may be surprising, however, is that over half of respondents rely on vendor websites to learn about industry standards, followed by more traditional standards bodies, including the Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Object Management Group (OMG).

"This research confirms that companies are still required to do more with less," said Dan Schoenbaum, Compuware Vice President, Strategy. "However, it also shows that development teams have an opportunity to make a significant difference by delivering solutions that provide a competitive advantage. To do this, leading solutions like Compuware OptimalJ help developers reduce the time, cost, risk and complexity of enterprise application development."

IT Professionals Provide Glimpse Into the Application Development World

The 2003 IT Professionals Survey on Application Development questioned information technology professionals, including CIOs, Vice Presidents of Development, Software Architects, Project Managers and Programmers. Other notable findings from the study include:

"Applications are too costly to build and maintain" was identified as the second biggest application development challenge.
Nearly half of those surveyed say their company’s development costs are in line with competitors, while 23 percent believe their company’s development costs are lower than competitors.
Respondents report that they are implementing web services, .NET and J2EE initiatives today.
J2EE adoption is already underway in 28 percent of organizations, and under review at another 52 percent of them.

Study Availability and Background

The results of the 2003 IT Professionals Survey on Application Development are available at http://www.evanspartners.com/compuware/compuwareITSURVEY.pdf and in the Compuware Booth, #819, at JavaOne in San Francisco (June 10-13). It is based on responses from 200 information technology professionals. The self-administered survey was completed over a two-week period in May 2003 and delivered via mobile devices through the My AvantGo service. Respondents were self-selecting.

Compuware Corporation

Compuware Corporation, a multi-billion dollar company, provides business value through software and professional services that optimize productivity and reduce costs across the application life cycle. Meeting the rapidly changing needs of businesses of all sizes, Compuware’s market-leading solutions improve the quality, ease the integration and enhance the performance of distributed, e-business and enterprise software. For more information about Compuware, please contact the corporate offices at 800-521-9353. You may also visit Compuware on the World Wide Web at http://www.compuware.com/.