In today’s world, software has become the backbone of nearly every industry. It’s a reality that “software has eaten the world,” leading many IT departments to face the challenge of shrinking budgets while striving to reduce spend, achieve desired states, and maximize business value. To achieve this, organizations often turn to strategies like Software Portfolio Management—a key approach for ensuring that the software landscape remains optimized, efficient, and relevant to business goals.
One of the most well-known frameworks in Software Portfolio Management is Gartner’s TIME Model. This model—Tolerate, Invest, Migrate, and Eliminate—serves as a guide for categorizing applications based on their strategic value and necessary action plans. It offers a clear roadmap to organizations looking to streamline their application portfolios while making cost-effective, future-proof decisions.
Triage: Identifying and Assessing Applications
The first step in applying the TIME Model is triaging the current software landscape. IT leaders need to ask key questions:
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- What are the key applications used by the organization?
- How are they performing?
- Are there opportunities to simplify or modernize the technology stack?
This process should also include a survey of the organization’s appetite for change—whether incremental improvements or larger overhauls are necessary. Once the applications are identified and assessed, they can be categorized into one of the four TIME model quadrants.
Breaking Down the TIME Model
Each phase of the TIME model relates directly to how Unstoppable Software can support organizations in their journey.
1. Tolerate (Low Value, Low Cost/Risk)
Applications in the Tolerate category are not mission-critical but still serve a function, often with low costs and minimal risks. These applications can be kept as they are, with occasional monitoring for increased security risk or obsolescence.
Unstoppable Software Solution: This is where our Legacy Maintenance services come into play. We help clients maintain these low-priority applications with minimal investment, ensuring they continue to serve their purpose without creating additional overhead.
2. Invest (High Value, High Priority)
The Invest category is where organizations should focus significant resources. These applications are critical to business operations and align with long-term strategic goals. Investing in these systems—whether through modernization, enhanced features, or greater integration—can drive growth and competitive advantage.
In fact, companies that prioritize innovation through technology are 50% more likely to be market leaders in their industry (PwC), emphasizing the need for ongoing investment in high-value applications.
Unstoppable Software Solution: This directly relates to our Custom Software Development services. By investing in these high-priority applications, businesses can leverage our development expertise to build resilient, scalable systems that align with their evolving needs.
3. Migrate (Potential Value, Require Updating)
Applications in the Migrate category hold potential but may be outdated or not fully optimized for current business requirements. Rather than eliminate them, organizations can migrate these applications to newer platforms or transform them to increase value.
Businesses who are diligent about digital transformation receive direct returns and intangible benefits. Employees at digitally mature companies are 2.1 times more likely to report high job satisfaction (MIT Sloan Management Review), which can directly impact productivity and retention rates.
Unstoppable Software Solution: Our Custom Software Development also supports this phase. We specialize in migrating legacy systems to more efficient technologies, ensuring they are future-proof and aligned with business objectives.
4. Eliminate (Low Value, High Cost/Risk)
Applications that fall into the Eliminate category are those that no longer offer value and may even create risk or excessive costs. These systems can be retired, simplifying the technology landscape and reducing overhead.
In 70% of surveyed organizations, using tech to simplify workflows and manual processes to cut costs was a top priority (OpenText), highlighting the importance of eliminating outdated applications to maintain a streamlined and efficient IT environment.
Unstoppable Software Solution: Here, our Strategic Implementation Approach comes into play. We help organizations identify which systems to eliminate, manage dependencies, and create a roadmap for their decommissioning. This ensures a smooth transition without disruption to critical operations.
Revisit Regularly
The TIME model is not a one-time exercise; it’s important to revisit the categorization regularly as business goals, technology, and external factors evolve. This allows IT departments to stay agile and ensure continuous alignment between their software portfolio and organizational needs.
Preparing for the Future: Integrating AI
A final consideration as we move into the future is how AI will shape software portfolios in the coming years. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into business processes, it will be essential to evaluate how applications can harness its capabilities. Can AI automation improve efficiency? Will machine learning add predictive power to legacy systems?
By integrating AI into your application strategy, your business can further optimize decision-making, reduce manual tasks, and drive innovation.
Final Thoughts: Driving Efficiency and Value with the TIME Model
Gartner’s TIME Model is a powerful tool for organizations looking to streamline their software portfolios and maximize value. By categorizing applications based on their strategic importance and future potential, companies can focus resources on areas that offer the greatest return on investment.
At Unstoppable Software, we provide tailored solutions across all phases of the TIME model, helping our clients modernize, maintain, or migrate applications as needed. Whether you are looking to invest in mission-critical software, eliminate outdated systems, or explore AI-driven innovation, we can support your efforts to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.
