The Business of Software: What Every Manager, Programmer, and Entrepreneur Must Know to Thrive and Survive in Good Times and Bad (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "If the software business were like other businesses, there would be no need for this book..." (more)
Key Phrases: software products companies, software product sales, software entrepreneurship, Business Objects, United States, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cusumano, a professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management and coauthor of Microsoft Secrets, offers a comprehensive overview of the software business and how the right approach is key to the success of technology companies. Cusumano first identifies the key distinction between software and other businesses. In fact, he believes it is unlike every other business because software doesn't have one purpose but becomes whatever function it is handling for a particular customer or company. As a result, software companies must sell both products and services, according to the author. The two typical ways software companies operate is by getting the lion's share of revenues from new product sales or via IT consulting. The third way is what the author calls "hybrid solutions companies—software firms that have some new product sales, but derive as much as 80% of their revenues from services and "maintenance." However, what's essential for company success in today's rapidly changing technological marketplace is having sufficient flexibility to change to meet customer needs. Citing both real companies including IBM, Netscape, etc., along with academic studies, Cusumano describes the changing face of the software industry over the past two decades. The writing is coherent and, given the somewhat technical subject matter, surprisingly graspable even for technophobes. Still, this is a niche book, apt to appeal to people involved in the world of software, rather than a general business audience.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

The world's leading expert on the global software industry and coauthor of the bestseller Microsoft Secrets reveals the inner workings of software giants like IBM, Microsoft, and Netscape and shows what it takes to create, develop, and manage a successful company -- in good times and bad -- in the most fiercely competitive business in the world.

In the $600 billion software industry it is the business, not the technology, that determines success or failure. This fact -- one that thousands of once glamorous start-ups have unhappily discovered for themselves -- is the well-documented conclusion of this enormously readable and revealing new book by Michael Cusumano, based on nearly twenty years of research and consulting with software producers around the world.

Cusumano builds on dozens of personal experiences and case studies to show how issues of strategy and organization are irrevocably linked with those of managing the technology and demonstrates that a thorough understanding of these issues is vital to success. At the heart of the book Cusumano poses seven questions that underpin a three-pronged management framework. He argues that companies must adopt one of three basic business models: become a products company at one end of the strategic spectrum, a services company at the other end, or a hybrid solutions company in between. The author describes the characteristics of the different models, evaluates their strengths and weaknesses, and shows how each is more or less appropriate for different stages in the evolution of a business as well as in good versus bad economic times. Readers will also find invaluable Cusumano's treatment of software development issues ranging from architecture and teams to project management and testing, as well as two chapters devoted to what it takes to create a successful software start-up. Highlights include eight fundamental guidelines for evaluating potential software winners and Cusumano's probing analysis, based on firsthand knowledge, of ten start-ups that have met with varying degrees of success.

The Business of Software is timely essential reading for managers, programmers, entrepreneurs, and others who follow the global software industry.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074321580X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743215800
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,736 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Software Entrepreneurs - Don't reinvent the wheel., April 4, 2005

By	Michael Davis "www.byvation.com" (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

---> To swing for the fence, entrepreneurs must avoid the shark-infested red water and sail into the deep blue sea.

If you're even thinking of creating a software startup, I highly recommend you read The Business of Software as soon as possible. Doing so will save you much pain and suffering from senseless mistakes. When there is such a large body of existing knowledge, there is no cause for trial and error mentality. There's plenty of other opportunities for trailblazing. Read this book as a bare minimum before starting your venture.

Cusumano, offers an in depth study of what it takes to succeed in software. Of particular value are critical questions to contemplate:

1) Do you want to be mainly a Products company, or a Services company?
2) Do you want to sell to Individuals, or Enterprises | Mass market, or Niche market?
3) How horizontal (broad) or vertical (specialized)is your product or service?
4) Can you generate a recurring revenue stream that will endure both good and bad times?
5) Will you target mainstream customers, or do you have a plan to avoid the chasm?
6) Do you plan on being a Leader, Follower, or Complementor?
7) What kind of character do you want your company to have?

Cusumano also offers eight Critical Success Factors that are necessary for Software Start-ups to succeed as a business and raise investor money:

1) Strong Management Team
2) An Attractive Market
3) A Compelling New Product, Service, or Hybrid Solution
4) Strong evidence of Customer Interest
5) A Plan to Overcome the "Credibility Gap"
6) A Business Model Showing Early Growth and Profit Potential
7) Flexibility in Strategy and Product Offerings
8) The Potential for Large Payoff to Investors

Don't reinvent the wheel. Read this book as soon as possible, preferably "before" you create that software venture you so boldly dreamed.

Michael Davis, Byvation

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Overview of the Software business, July 4, 2004

By	William McMichael (Audubon, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cusumano presents a solid overview of selected topics relevant to the software business. He focuses on the following topics: strategy for software companies, best practices in software development, and software entrepreneurship. He makes use of case studies and provides insight on the inner workings of Microsoft, IBM, Netscape, Business Objects, and i2. In the chapters discussing strategy, he analyzes product versus service focused organizations. He also discusses market segmentation and whole product solutions as described in Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm." With regards to best practices in software development, much of the material is from "Microsoft's Secrets." Cusumano describes the pitfalls of waterfall development and describes the key concepts of Microsoft's synch and stabilize technique. A few pages are devoted to outsourcing and specifically the rise of the Indian software business. I would have expected more analysis on some of the newer agile development methods -- such as XP. Lastly , Cusumano covers software entrepreneurship. He provides an eight point framework to evaluate a software start up. Does it have the following characterisitcs ?
1. Strong management team
2. Compelling new product, service, or hybrid solution.
3. Strong evidence of customer interest
4. An attractive market
5. A plan to overcome the credibility gap.
6. Business model showing early growth and profit potential
7. Flexibility in strategy and product offerings
8. Potential for large payoff to investors.
The text also has a useful appendix with income statement analysis of Business Objects and i2 , and growth comparisons between various organizations. There is nothing in the text I would consider groundbreaking, but it is a solid overview of the software business appropriate for software managers and entrepreneurs.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good foundation for understanding how the SW biz works, March 20, 2004

By	Jim (Portland) - See all my reviews

Cusumano's book is a clear and straighforward read into the basic issues that any software company should consider at their inception and as they mature.

Cusumano lays out the basic relationships between products and service very clearly - and he explores the pitfalls involved with good detail from the companies that he has advised. In this early portion of the book he also offers some very useful metrics to help provide financial sanity checks. There's an interesting "historical" chapter that follows the development of the industry, and then he delves into SW development best practices - which appears to be his particular forte. There's also a good chapter on the start-up phase sprinkled with sage advise.

My copy is full of margin notes and has already been transformed into a powerpoint presentation to share with our team.

All in all I found the book gave me a solid foundation from which to consider the SW biz. It's too easy to lose your sense of direction in this industry. Cusumano's book is like a glowing compass that illuminates the common sense dynamics driving this business. Enlightening, useful, well grounded in examples - and well written.