One of the first key mileposts on the journey to solutions mastery is the creation of a common taxonomy of solutions and services. Without a universally shared nomenclature for the solutions business, solutions transformation initiatives are likely to fail.

A common taxonomy replaces multiple definitions housed in each of the various operating units (OUs), such as sales, manufacturing, and service and support, and business units (BUs), including geographies, horizontals, verticals, and product brands. A solutions taxonomy is a tool that not only creates a common language across BUs but also helps the BUs see how to integrate their individual contributions into the solutions whole. Further, a solutions taxonomy is vital for facilitating alignment with external business partners.

This ITSMA Marketing Tool presents ITSMA’s Solutions Taxonomy, including the industry-standard definition of solutions and the solutions offering model.