Building Organisations for Software-Defined Products
Software is becoming the defining factor of modern products. In industries such as automotive, manufacturing and mobility, functionality, user experience and product value are increasingly determined by software.
This shift fundamentally changes how products are developed and maintained. Software-defined products evolve throughout their lifecycle, integrate with digital ecosystems and require continuous responsibility beyond Start of Production.
For many organisations, this creates a structural challenge. Strategies, development processes and organisational structures were originally designed for hardware-centric products and project-based delivery.
q.sphere supports organisations in transforming their development structures for software-defined products. Our Software-Defined Advisory combines strategic guidance, development process design and organisational transformation, using ASQMS as the structural operating system for software quality.
Our advisory services follow a clear principle: understand, focus, embed. We start by assessing your current situation – we analyze how your organization compares to the ASQMS standard. This gives us a precise picture of where you stand today. Which structures are already in place? Where are there gaps or untapped potential?
Based on this, we work with you to identify the key areas for action – realistically prioritized and aligned with your goals, your culture, and your existing systems.
The final step is implementation: we help you not only to understand ASQMS, but also to effectively embed it in your organization – with appropriate roles, processes, and responsibilities. Always on an equal footing, always with an eye on what is feasible.
Strategy
Strategic Orientation for Software-Defined Products
The transition to software-defined products requires more than new development methods or tools. It requires a strategic reorientation of the entire R&D organisation.
Software becomes a central element of the product promise. Development shifts from project delivery to lifecycle responsibility. And value creation increasingly depends on software platforms, cloud services and ecosystem integration.
We support organisations in defining the functional strategy for R&D in a software-defined world.
Our work focuses on topics such as:
- strategic positioning of software within the product portfolio
- capability development for software engineering and systems integration
- governance structures for software quality across the lifecycle
- global development network design for software-centric development
integration of ASQMS within the overall R&D strategy
The goal is not simply a software strategy.
The goal is a coherent R&D strategy that enables organisations to deliver and operate software-defined products.
Processes
Development Processes for Continuous Software Evolution
Traditional development processes were designed for products that were largely defined at the start of production.
Software-defined products require a different development logic. Functionality evolves continuously through updates, new features and digital services. This requires development processes that support continuous integration, lifecycle governance and cross-domain collaboration.
q.sphere supports organizations in designing development processes that combine systems engineering, software engineering and structured quality governance.
Our Software-Defined Advisory include:
- Integration of ASPICE, systems engineering and DevOps practices
- Life-cycle governance for software quality and product responsibility
- Implementation of processes in projects and organizations
- Supplier integration within software ecosystems
- Implementation and alignment of ASQMS processes
The objective is to create development processes that enable both speed and reliability in software-driven environments.
Organization
Strategic Orientation for Software-Defined Products
The transition to software-defined products requires more than new development methods or tools. It requires a strategic reorientation of the entire R&D organisation.
Software becomes a central element of the product promise. Development shifts from project delivery to lifecycle responsibility. And value creation increasingly depends on software platforms, cloud services and ecosystem integration.
We support organisations in defining the functional strategy for R&D in a software-defined world with our Software-Defined Advisory.
Our work focuses on topics such as:
- strategic positioning of software within the product portfolio
- capability development for software engineering and systems integration
- governance structures for software quality across the lifecycle
- global development network design for software-centric development
integration of ASQMS within the overall R&D strategy
The goal is not simply a software strategy.
The goal is a coherent R&D strategy that enables organisations to deliver and operate software-defined products.
ASQMS as the Structural Foundation for Software-Defined Advisory
ASQMS provides the structural framework that connects strategy, processes and organization in software-defined development environments.
As the first industry-wide framework dedicated to software quality management across systems, organisations and ecosystems, ASQMS enables companies to manage software quality consistently across the entire lifecycle.
q.sphere supports organisations in applying ASQMS as a practical operating system for software-defined products by integrating existing standards such as ISO 9001, IATF 16949 and ASPICE into a coherent governance structure.
This ensures that software quality becomes an organisational capability rather than a project attribute.
As co-creators of the standard, we not only know the requirements in detail, but also understand what they mean in practice. Our advisors come from engineering, complex organizations, and transformation projects. We combine a deep understanding of the standard with methodological strength and industry knowledge.
And because we are actively members of the ASQMS continuous improvement team (CIP Team) and working groups, we always advise with an eye to the future.
Our Advisory strategy covers 3 steps towards your success
Analysis of the initial situation based on a gap analysis or our Self Evaluation Workshop
Based on the Status Quo and your requirements we support you in your:
SDx Strategy
Process definition and implementation
Transformation towards a Software-Defined Organization
We perform a 1st or 2nd Party audit according to ASQMS to prove the implementation of the Quality Management System