Product Description

The Software Company Capabilities Model is a customizable, comprehensive, and in-depth set of business capabilities that capture the essence of what a Software company does. It will help companies gain a holistic perspective of their business at a foundational level and provide a business blueprint for many valuable purposes.

The Software Company Capabilities Model comprises about 370 capabilities across three levels.

(Note: As the Software Company Capabilities Model is a digital deliverable, we do not accept returns or issue refunds. So, please read the product description and the terms carefully before purchasing.)

Watch a Product Video

The  Software industry capability straw model is a set of multilevel and granular business capabilities primarily focusing on the core industry-specific value chain but also decomposes the horizontal shared services.

A capabilities model is a must-have tool for business architects, enterprise architects, business and technology leaders, and project teams to fathom the nuances of the industry’s core, context, and commodity capabilities.

Software Industry Transformation:

The software industry is undergoing rapid changes, driven by various factors that necessitate constant innovation and transformation. One of the primary drivers is the ever-evolving technology landscape. The advent of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT) has created new opportunities and challenges for software development. These technologies enable businesses to enhance their processes and deliver more personalized and efficient customer services.

Another significant factor is the increasing emphasis on cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models. Businesses increasingly adopt cloud-based solutions to reduce infrastructure costs and achieve scalability, leading to a growing demand for cloud-native applications and SaaS offerings. In addition, the shift towards a subscription-based business model has compelled software companies to focus on providing continuous value and seamless user experiences to retain customers.

Low code and no code platforms and the rise of citizen developers are other trends revolutionizing the software development industry.

The rise of open-source Software has also profoundly impacted the software industry, promoting collaboration, innovation, and the rapid adoption of new technologies. This has created a competitive environment where software companies must constantly improve and differentiate their offerings to stay relevant.

Cybersecurity threats are another concern driving transformation in the software industry. As cyberattacks become more sophisticated and frequent, software companies must prioritize security measures and develop more robust, secure solutions to protect businesses and their data.

Lastly, the increasing importance of user experience (UX) design is shaping the software industry. To meet the demands of a diverse user base, software companies focus on providing intuitive, accessible, and engaging interfaces, catering to the unique needs of different user segments. This requires ongoing innovation and the incorporation of emerging design trends and best practices.

Business Capabilities are a Foundation for Transformation

For a Software company to transform successfully, it is essential to establish a structurally strong foundation to support change and innovation over time. This is where business architecture and business capabilities come into play. Business architecture is creating a structured model, including an abstraction of its operations, functions, systems, and resources. This model can help enterprises understand how their business operates, identify inefficiencies, and develop a plan to optimize and streamline operations. In addition, by creating a clear picture of their business architecture, companies can better understand how different business units and functions interact and how changes in one business area can impact other areas.

Business capabilities encapsulate and abstract the functions, skills, and resources a company needs to execute its business strategy successfully. By defining and organizing their business capabilities, companies can identify gaps and redundancies and develop a roadmap to address them. This helps ensure the firm has the necessary resources to execute its strategy and drive innovation over time.

Business architecture and capabilities provide firms with a framework to assess and optimize their operations, reduce costs, and drive innovation. By taking a structured approach to transformation, enterprises can build a foundation capable of supporting ongoing change and adaptation and position themselves for success in a rapidly evolving industry.

(NOTE: The current product provides a comprehensive business capability model. It does not include other business architecture artifacts.)

Software Company Capabilities Model Deliverables:

The Software Company Capabilities Model comprises ~370 capabilities across three levels and includes the following editable artifacts:

• An Excel spreadsheet with the grouping of capabilities.
• A PowerPoint format with the top three levels presented in a nested visualization.
• A Word document with capabilities in a multilevel list format.
• High Tech Capability Definitions (at Level 3)
• Capability KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) (at Level 2)

How to Use the Software Company Capabilities Model?

A business capabilities map is a fundamental and foundational deliverable in the business architecture continuum. For example, the Software capabilities model encapsulates end-to-end aspects of the business with a detailed, multilevel capabilities list.

There are several benefits from business capabilities, including, among others:

• Foster alignment between business and IT using capabilities as an everyday language.
• Capabilities are a structurally sound and internally coherent abstraction of business functions.
• A capability-based roadmap eliminates redundancy and replication and focuses on capability evolution.
• Juxtaposing capabilities and systems/applications provide a footprint analysis and can lead to better application portfolio rationalization decisions.

The Software Company Capabilities Model decomposes components up to three levels. Created by business architects and industry domain experts, the capabilities list is detailed, in-depth, and conforms to the construct of MECE (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive).

Who should use the Software Map?

The Software business capabilities matrix is a generic model; hence, it is a starting point, not the final product. (Please note that a generic map covering multiple areas will not be specific to your specific company or business model; that is where our Software can help customize and detail the capability model. Or you can modify and tailor it to your needs internally.) The primary users encompass:

• Business architects and enterprise architects.
• Leaders focused on business transformation.
• Product and program managers enabling capabilities.

The software industry is diverse and encompasses various subsectors. Consequently, the core capabilities in the Software company business capability matrix can be customized to the following subsectors:

1. Enterprise Software: Solutions that cater to the needs of businesses and organizations, including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Human Resource Management (HRM) systems.
2. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): Cloud-based software solutions delivered on a subscription basis, allowing users to access applications through the internet without needing installation or maintenance.
3. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: Software that enables systems to learn from data, recognize patterns, and make decisions or predictions, applied in various domains such as natural language processing, computer vision, and recommendation engines.
4. Cybersecurity Software: Solutions designed to protect digital systems and networks from threats, including antivirus, firewall, encryption, and intrusion detection software.
5. Customer Support and Help Desk Software: Applications designed to manage and streamline customer support processes, ticketing systems, and communication channels.
6. Gaming Software: Solutions that enable the development, distribution, and monetization of video games across different platforms, including mobile, console, and PC gaming.
7. Content Management Systems (CMS): Software that facilitates the creation, management, and publishing of digital content, typically for websites and online platforms.
8. Database Management Systems (DBMS): Software solutions used to create, manage, and interact with databases for data storage, retrieval, and manipulation.
9. Mobile Applications: Software designed specifically for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, catering to a wide range of user needs and functionalities.
10. Web Development Tools and Frameworks: Software and libraries that assist in the creation and management of websites and web applications, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript frameworks, as well as backend development tools and platforms.
11. Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Software: Solutions that help organizations collect, analyze, and visualize data to gain insights, make informed decisions, and optimize business processes.
12. Collaboration and Communication Software: Tools that facilitate team collaboration, communication, and project management, including messaging, file sharing, and video conferencing applications.

Why Purchase a Business Capabilities Map?

Defining business capabilities from a blank slate takes time and effort and delays time to value. Instead, a pre-built and customizable business capability map helps provide 60-80% of capabilities allowing internal teams to focus on what is missing or unique to their companies.

And the cost is less than an inexpensive team dinner or the loaded cost of 4-5 team members brainstorming for an hour.

And far less than the deliverables consulting firms produce at over $100,000 or more, and compared to that number, the cost of our capabilities models is a fraction (a rounding error.)

Even if you already have a capability map, you could use our version to compare, validate, and potentially include missing capabilities.

A Note About the Artifacts:

• Business Capabilities Matrix: A functional area occupies one box in many business capability maps. Some may wonder why we decomposed the capabilities into 100X or more capabilities. We humbly submit that one box or entry in a one-page diagram is Wall Art, not an implementation tool. Decomposing capabilities into a nested list of granular items will help understand a capability’s depth, breadth, scope, and importance. It is also possible that some capabilities in our matrix may not be relevant to you. Similarly, we may have captured and documented some relevant and essential capabilities of your firm.
• Capability Definitions: We include capability definitions at Level 3. Please feel free to modify it to your company’s needs.
• Capability KPIs (Key Performance Indicators): We added a few KPIs for capabilities (mostly at Level 2) to get you started. You may not measure these KPIs in your company and have an entirely different set of metrics. Again, use them as a springboard, and not debate the applicability to your firm.

Fine Print:

• We sell digital products, so there are no returns, refunds, or replacements. Therefore, please read the product description carefully before making a purchasing decision.
• A generic set of deliverables and templates may or may not fit your needs, or the content relevance will vary substantially.
• Sold on an as-is basis and without any implied or explicit warranties
• Consultants and firms wanting to use it for their clients have a different pricing model.
• The sale is for digital products only and does not include customization or implementation help.
• Please review our standard terms of service.