A predictive function in EidosMedia's Smart update creates a 'what if' modelling scenario to assess the impact of changes in newsroom resources and processes.

While previous releases enable analysis and monitoring of current operations such as video preparation, Smart 3.0 adds the ability to make hypothetical changes and see what the result would be - how performance would change if three new video editors were appointed, for example.

Alternative workflow scenarios can be explored quickly and without disrupting the newsroom organization. A new interface takes a step towards 'self-service analytics', enabling non-technical users to generate the charts and displays, without requiring technical staff.

Access is through dashboards made up of widgets, with each widget displaying one or more parameters of the publishing operation. Users can configure their dashboards by adding or removing widgets and changing their data source or display mode. A library of ready-made widgets are configured to display the kind of data existing users have found useful.

"Every publishing operation is different, of course," says chief information officer Ismail Gazarin. "Giving new users a selection of widget types that have worked well for other customers, means they get a head start in developing a set of tools."

As well as analyses and predictions, widgets can also provide 'early warnings' -email alerts when a production parameter reaches a certain value, such as flagging the duty attorney when there are more than three articles awaiting legal review, when an event - such as all stories in the finance section having been approved and ready to go - occurs.

As well as working on data from the editorial environment, Smart can also import data from accounting and HR systems, generating profitability and ROI reports to provide insights into the use of resources and ways of maximizing productivity.