---
sourceType: paper
title: "Shift to Digital Product: A Full Lifecycle Perspective (W205)"
authors:
  - Bodman, Mark
  - Warfield, Dan
publishedAt: 2020-12-01
url: https://publications.opengroup.org/white-papers/w205
license: third-party
abstract: |
  Open Group white paper. Foundational position paper: Digital Product is "the
  single, simple, unifying element to manage IT and smart products and
  services." Reframes IT4IT's Service Model Backbone as the Digital Product
  Backbone — the conceptual move that landed in IT4IT v3 as a full refactor.
  The Open Group publication W205; abstract + locator per
  RAW-SOURCES-LICENSE.md.
---

## Why it's cited

The published-paper anchor for the **Digital Product as the unit of organization** stance. Earliest formal statement of the unification thesis that drives both IT4IT v3 and DPROM.

## Key claims

- Digital Product is the single unifying element across IT, smart products, and services.
- The IT4IT Service Model Backbone should be reframed as a Digital Product Backbone.
- A full-lifecycle perspective replaces the project-bounded model.

## See also

- Stance: `[[stances/digital-product-is-the-unit-of-organization]]`
- Entity: `[[entities/digital-product]]`
- Entity: `[[entities/it4it]]`
