October 03, 2007 12:26 ET

Four Key Capabilities of Best-in-Class Change Management Identified

Strategic Top-Line Improvements and Increased Efficiency Derived Through Intelligent Change Management

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - October 3, 2007) - Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), released a new benchmark report titled, "Engineering Change Management 2.0: Better Business Decisions from Intelligent Change Management." This report finds that Best-in-Class performers do more than just improve on the inefficiency of their change programs; they also focus on ways to make better business decisions in the change process.

Jim Brown, Vice President of Product Innovation and Engineering Research for Aberdeen, notes that, "While companies of all kinds are removing inefficiencies in their change processes, the Best-in-Class stand apart by improving change management decision-making processes. These companies recognize the fact that even a small change can have a large 'ripple effect' on downstream processes and the supply chain at large. Industry leaders are adopting intelligent change management approaches and realizing significant improvements in the metrics that drive product profitability."

The report analyzes the change management approaches employed by over one hundred companies, and identifies four key components common across the Best-in-Class performers. The report goes on to offer actionable recommendations for companies that seek to adopt approaches that drive more successful change. The research identified that these Best-in-Class companies also enjoyed significant performance advantages over their peers, including:

--  Best-in-Class companies are 2.8 times more likely than Laggards to hit
    target deadlines for implementing changes, helping them address their top
    pressure -- shorter product development lead-times.
--  The Best-in-Class are 3.1 times as likely as Laggards to meet their
    project budgets -- helping them meet tighter budgets.
    

The report is made available through the underwriting of Agile, IHS, PTC, and Tandberg. To download a complimentary copy of the report, please visit http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=4212.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

© 2007 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
260 Franklin Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-3112
Telephone: (617) 723-7890
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com