Dave Shackleton — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:49:07 GMT

I head up product management for iRise, and Scott has hit the mark here on how the products emerged and their value to the definition process as fast and easy methods of visualization.

One thing to consider though, is that in addition to replacing Visio, definition products that include simulation are truly changing the nature of the communication that occurs between various participants. For example, we discovered early in our evolution that a) high-fidelity simulations with data-interactivity created a different dialog than mid-fidelity simulations, and b) creating a simulation was only half the battle—it turned out that the process of reviewing the simulation with stakeholders and making sure both upstream and downstream participants understood the details had as large an impact on success as the simulation itself. Both should be taken into account when considering the jump into simulation.

Although iRise has its roots in helping large companies, the next year will see our expansion into products focused on smaller teams and individuals, so we’re keen on improving our understanding of the associated needs. We’ll be keeping a close eye on discussions like these. dshackleton@irise.com

Dave Shackleton — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:16:14 GMT

As a vendor of visualization software I can’t commit on this discussion from a disinterested perspective, but I am a big fan of trying out all of the different methods and figuring out which works best for each situation. Unfortunately, in the past it has been difficult to experience our software unless you were part of a very large company, and for small and medium sized businesses Todd’s comment about “iRise – cost prohibitive” was highly accurate. Last year we started testing options at a lower price point, and although it isn’t mentioned on our website, we now have solutions starting at $5,000. The process is still intentionally high touch in the sense that you will need to contact info@irise.com and talk to someone first, but there is now a sizeable group of people in small companies who have done this successfully and are using it for the things discussed here. Great topic!

Boxes and Arrows: Comments by Dave Shackleton