# Software as a Partner (SaaP)

> Software as a Partner (SaaP, pronounced “sap”) is software that works on a person’s behalf instead of waiting to be operated. A SaaP product remembers the context of your work, acts between your visits, and is accountable for outcomes, while you stay in charge by approving, delegating and directing.

Definition v1.0 (2026-11-02), maintained by The SaaP Standards Committee. Licensed CC BY 4.0.

Software as a Partner (SaaP) is software that takes ownership of work on a person’s behalf, carries the context of that work forward over time, and answers for the outcome, while the person keeps authority through approval, delegation and direction.

## Pages

- [What is Software as a Partner?](https://softwareasapartner.com/what-is-software-as-a-partner): the definition, SaaS vs SaaP, Approve/Delegate/Direct, the SaaP Test, the SaaP levels and FAQ
- [SaaP Certified](https://softwareasapartner.com/certified): products certified against the SaaP Test, each with its level, dates and evidence
- [Blog](https://softwareasapartner.com/blog): essays on AI as a partner rather than a replacement, and spotlights on certified products
- [About the SaaP Standards Committee](https://softwareasapartner.com/about): what the committee publishes, its principles and its conflict-of-interest disclosure

## The SaaP Test

A product qualifies as Software as a Partner when all five answers are yes:
1. Does it remember? Context carries from one session, and one channel, to the next.
2. Does it act without being opened? Work happens between your visits, and it brings proposals, not a blank prompt.
3. Does it own an outcome? It is judged on whether the job got done, not whether a feature ran.
4. Are you still in charge? You can approve, redirect or stop it, and see what it did and why.
5. Does it add capacity, not work? You spend less time operating software because of it.

## Blog posts

- [Will AI replace me? Why Software as a Partner keeps people in charge](https://softwareasapartner.com/blog/will-ai-replace-me): The fear that AI will replace people is reasonable, but replacement is a design choice. Software as a Partner is AI that adds capacity and keeps you in charge.

## SaaP Certified products

- None yet.

## Disclosure

Software as a Partner was first described by CoFounder.AI, and the SaaP Standards Committee’s founding members are affiliated with it. CoFounder.AI is held to the same SaaP Test as every other product, and wherever it is named, that connection applies.