SaaO / Open documentation
Resources
The framework's canonical material, the articles that originated it, a reference glossary and the rules for citing it.
Canonical document
SaaO Paper v0.9
The framework's canonical document: definition, principles, cycle, maturity model and reference architecture, with a numbered changelog in the style of a specification. Version 0.9 is in preparation, built on the founding articles. Subscribe to The Operations Log to receive it on publication.
Founding articles
The text that originated the framework, in two languages.
- ● coming soon
Software as an Operation: the gap in the stack now has a name
English
- ● coming soon
Software as an Operation: el agujero en el stack ahora tiene nombre
Spanish
Frequently asked questions
An agency delivers projects with an end date. A SaaO provider takes on an operation with no end date, with continuous responsibility and verifiable evidence. The contract is not signed for construction hours but for working software.
Brand kit
Always write SaaO: capital S, double lowercase a, capital O.
On first mention in any text, use the full name: Software as an Operation (SaaO).
Framework content is published under CC BY-SA 4.0. Attribute to softwareasanoperation.com.
You may teach the framework, adapt it and offer commercial services on top of it. Attribution keeps the ecosystem connected.
Glossary
Reference definitions from the framework.
- SaaO (Software as an Operation)
- Delivery model where custom software is built, operated and governed on the client's behalf; the client interacts only with the working product.
- Blueprint
- A complete application, proven in production, refined with every deployment and parameterizable. The construction unit of the SaaO model.
- Blueprint library
- A provider's set of blueprints. Its core asset: it grows and improves with every consolidation.
- SaaO Cycle
- The model's four phases: Blueprint, Adapt, Operate, Consolidate.
- Consolidation
- The phase of the cycle that returns operational learnings to the blueprint library.
- Software Passport
- Verifiable evidence accompanying a system: identity of those who build and operate it, declared intent of every action and an immutable audit trail.
- The three autonomies
- Autonomous construction, operation and governance. They define Level 3 of the maturity model.
- Autonomous construction
- Specialized agents build production software from blueprints, without human intervention in execution.
- Autonomous operation
- Monitoring, security, backups, incidents and scaling without humans in the operational loop.
- Autonomous governance
- Verifiable identity, intent declaration and immutable audit of every action by every agent.
- Human gate
- A fixed, auditable point in the pipeline where a person approves before work continues. Characteristic of Level 2.
- Maturity level
- A provider's position on the framework's ladder, from 0 (traditional delivery) to 3 (governed autonomous operation).
- Handoff
- Delivery of code and responsibility to the client at the end of a project. What SaaO eliminates.
- Deploy as an event
- The idea that deployment is the final goal of the work. SaaO treats it as the start of the operation.
- Specialized agent
- An AI agent with a single software lifecycle role: architect, QA, security, release, among others.
- Orchestrator
- A meta-agent that coordinates specialized agents through defined workflows.
- DCP-AI
- Digital Citizenship Protocol for AI Agents. An open protocol (Apache 2.0) for agent identity, intent and audit. Reference implementation of the governance layer.