1. Software Company Typical Structure
Departments, Occupations and Stakeholders
Business
Developers IT
Product
Margarita Antonova
Business System Analyst
Telerik Corporation
Volunteer Telerik Academy
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2. Table of Contents Company Structure Software Corporations Stakeholders
Vertical
Horizontal
Software Corporations
Departments
Management and Positions
Stakeholders
Group Project

3. Review
Who do we code for?
What do we code for?
B2B vs. B2C

4. Vertical vs. Horizontal Company Structure
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Approaches to Structure an Organization

5. Horizontal Structure Definition:
less-defined chain of command – employees may report to several supervisors, rather than a single boss
no clearly defined duties – employees may work in teams with everyone on the team having input
no middle managers – high-level managers handle day-to-day tasks and usually interact with customers and employees personally
typically found in small and medium sized companies

6. Horizontal Structure

7. Horizontal Structure Advantages: Disadvantages
flexibility for limited resources & cross-functional cooperation
responsibility and decision-making powers lead to employee satisfaction
allows for easy product/project orientation
Disadvantages
many leaders, little authority
risk to productivity and efficiency

8. Vertical Structure Definition:
well defined chain of command - a president or chief executive officer who oversee heads of departments
clearly defined duties – vice presidents who oversee specific functional areas such as marketing, finance and manufacturing
typically found in large and multinational companies

9. Vertical Structure

10. Vertical Structure Advantages: Disadvantages
close monitoring and control of the processes
concentrated authority and clearly defined functions increase efficiency
clearly defined career ladder to motivate employees
Disadvantages
can hinder communication and flexibility
weak leadership is felt
someone has to be at the bottom

11. Effects & Examples Production Project Management Style
The Entrepreneur
The Salesman
Example – Meltwater Group vs. Step-Soft

12. Corporate Departments
How are functions defined in a vertical company and what are people in charge of each function called?
Business
Developers IT
Product

13. Why Know This? Coding and selling Coding for internal department
Know what people’s jobs entail
Know their professional pains and problems
Provide solutions
Take their money
Coding for internal department
Help our company make money

14. General Structure

15. Management and Board Private vs. Public company Management
Stockholders
Board of Directors
Management
CEO/GM
CTO
COO
CFO
CMO

16. Problems & Solutions

17. Legal General Counsel or CLO In charge of law compliance
Uphold business ethics
Reports to the Board
Internal and external contracts
Intellectual Property
Challenges to multinational companies
Close coordination with Accounting & HR

18. Problems & Solutions

19. Finance & Accounting Accounting = 40% math + 60% art
Chief Financial Officer
Financial advisers and accountants
The Budget
The Payroll and Taxes
Cost-Benefit analysis, ROI and time value of money
Financial documents – purchase order, invoice, refund
Report to Board, management and investors
Close coordination with Legal, HR, Sales and other department heads

20. Problems & Solutions

21. Human Resources
Chief human resources officer, HR associates, trainers, talent scouts
Hiring, firing, benefits and payroll
In sync with corporate strategy and corporate culture
Multicultural challenges – Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions
Career planning and development
Personality tests – Myers Briggs, DISC assessment
Skills, qualifications and training
Coordination with Legal, Accounting, management and all departments

22. Problems & Solutions

23. Marketing
Chief marketing officer, brand managers, product managers, marketing tools specialists
Closely related strategically to Sales and Production
Coordinate with Accounting, Legal and now – Support

24. Problems & Solutions

25. Sales Sales people, sales managers Customer service not just sales
Flexibility is key
Sales tools – numbers game
Payment structure
Coordinate heavily with Marketing, Accounting, Legal, and Production
Importance of coordination with Support

26. Problems & Solutions

27. Business Development Director of Business Development & Associates
Work in the abstract, provide practical solutions
Functions:
New ideas generation – new ways of doing business
Cather capital
Manage relationships – manage client problems
Find partnerships and joint ventures
Coordinate with Sales, Support, Legal, Finance & Production

28. Problems & Solutions

29. Project Management
Project Management Office (PMO) – all the project managers in an organization
Functions:
defines & maintains standards for project management
source of documentation, guidance and metrics on project management and execution
Strategic PM and managing the portfolio
Work with every department or across departments whenever there is a project to be managed
Popularity

30. Problems & Solutions

31. Production
Software Engineers, Architects, Quality Assurance Officers, Designers, UX experts, Business Analysts
Production Managers, Unit Managers, Technical Leads
Split in divisions, units, products or product lines
Functions:
Plan and organize production
Design, create and test the shippable software product
Coordinate with Sales, Marketing, PMO, Legal, Finance and Management
Production in other corporations

32. Software Production

33. Problems & Solutions

34. Research & Development
Developers, Architects, Market Experts and PM, manager of the division
Crucial to a software business survival
Rarely affordable – top R&D spenders
Large corporations Microsoft, IBM and Intel = 38%
R&D departments spend more than $1 billion
Usually part of production
Developers in charge of staying in the know for new technologies: research, try, suggest
Engineers cooperate with the business oriented departments and HR in creating and testing new ideas

35. Problems & Solutions

36. Customer Support
Support officers or engineers and their managers, manager of the unit or division
Commonly involved pre-sales and post-sales
Not functions (generally)
Training
Customization
Functions:
Diagnose the problem
Help solve a specific problem
Sales & Marketing aspects

37. Customer Support Types: Levels of support Methods
Block Hours – prepay hours for support
Services – flat fee for predefined support services
One time – pay only for the diagnosis and resolution of specific problem; usually hourly or fees for each
Levels of support
Split issues into common and complex
Charge differently for each level
Methods
Remotely vs. Onsite
The Outsourcing issue

38. Problems & Solutions

39. Information Technology
Chief Information Officer, system administrators, communication specialists, Help Desk
In charge of finding and adopting the most effective means of electronic communication:
Internal Network &Internet
Computer & Servers & Phones
Video & Audio
Coordinate with all departments
Cooperation with Sales and Support

40. Problems & Solutions

41. Other Departments Facilities Management Dining Services Social Events
Security

42. Problems & Solutions

43. Stakeholders

44. Who Are the Stakeholders?
Entities that affect or can be affected by the actions of a company:
Employees
Suppliers & Retailers
Clients
Creditors
Unions
The Community
Stakeholders vs. Shareholders

45. Software Company Typical Structure

46. Your Company, Your Dream Team
Workshop
Your Company, Your Dream Team
4-5 people
People signed up for the class – stick together
Vertical or Horizontal

47. Homework Assignment Company Name Team members names Company Vision
Company Mission Statement

48. Free Trainings @ Telerik Academy
Business Skills for Telerik Academy
business-skills/business-skills-for-developers/about
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