We run a traditional engineering consulting firm but we have recently launched a highly profitable software product. Our leadership team is trying to manage both business models under a single Accountability Chart, which is causing massive resource conflicts and confusion. Do we need one chart or two?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Trying to run two completely different business models under a single Accountability Chart is a recipe for operational chaos. A traditional consulting firm relies on billable hours and human-centric delivery, while a software product relies on recurring revenue, product development, and customer support scale. They have different drivers, different metrics, and different operational tempos.

You should still have one master Accountability Chart for the overall enterprise, but you need to structurally separate these two business units below your Integrator. The best way to handle this is to create two distinct division seats on your chart, each with its own dedicated operational leader. One leader will own the professional services division, and the other will own the software product division.

Each of these division leaders will have their own sub-Accountability Chart with dedicated seats for sales, delivery, and support. Shared functions like finance, legal, and HR can remain as centralized services supporting both divisions from the main corporate level. This structure allows your product team to focus entirely on software metrics without being distracted by consulting projects, and vice versa. It also gives you maximum flexibility and clarity if you decide to spin off or sell the software division as part of your clean exit strategy.