Technology is all around us. It affects how people live, work, and play. It affects how organizations conduct business and how their customers or constituents interact with them. Technology has become the differentiator between organizations that grow and thrive and those that decline and eventually disappear.
In almost every organization, IT is the steward of technology; it has a responsibility – really a mandate – to provide forward-thinking leadership in this space. Gone are the days of reactive, transactionally focused IT organizations. For organizations to succeed, they need a proactive, business-focused, innovative, and strategically oriented IT organization.
Regrettably, many IT organizations are not able to make this transition. They remain too self-focused and reliant on thinking that was applicable years ago but is no longer relevant now. They have many technology experts but lack the ability to think and act like their business partners. Therefore, their plans, investments, and actions don’t necessarily align with their business partner’s goals.
For IT to make this transformation to be a forward-thinking, strategic leader in its organization, it must think and act differently, and it must change its focus.
Enter BRM.
Sadly, many in the IT industry still don’t understand what BRM is, and they label it as simply a liaison between IT and its business partners – a group that takes requests and passes them on to IT. Or, even worse, a group that deals with service tickets or just provides customer service on behalf of IT. In other words, a tactical – almost clerical – group.
BRM is none of those things. BRM is a business-focused arm of IT that combines an in-depth knowledge of business and technology to impact strategies, investments, and organizational capabilities – for both business partners and IT. It is a forward-thinking organization that utilizes its unique positioning to drive growth, increase effectiveness, and identify efficiencies that no one else can see. It complements its sister groups in IT to help them use their insight and expertise to employ technology to move the organization forward and make IT more effective.
When done right, BRM transforms IT organizations.
Yet, there is a constant struggle for BRMs to prove their worth and justify their existence. Many IT organizations resist BRM for some reason. Why is that? If BRM can make such a positive impact on an organization, why hasn’t it become more entrenched in IT?
When I am asked to deliver an Executive Briefing on BRM to IT management, I always ask the BRM team what issues they face. I hear, “The IT Leadership Team doesn’t think we need BRM,” or “The CIO tried it in their last job, and it didn’t work.” Add in “We have no budget or headcount,” “BRM isn’t positioned properly in my organization,” or “We are just asked to do operational work” – and you get the picture.
There is a great saying that “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” When BRM teams hear this, instead of retreating, it is an opportunity to position this forward. It is unfair to expect others to understand the power of BRM without understanding what it really is and the impact it makes.
We must tell the BRM story.
To make others genuinely understand what BRM is and its potential, we must define its impact – the “WIIFM” or “What’s In It For Me?” If others don’t know what BRM really is; if they don’t understand how it fits into the IT ecosystem; and if they don’t understand the ways it impacts the organization, how can we expect to be given the runway to deliver on its promise?
We need to look in the mirror. We need to be better marketers, better strategists, better communicators. We need to tell our story better. We need to take action.
Here are some critical parts of the message to be delivered:
It still baffles me why I still hear BRM talked about in such an understated way. Worse, the understatement comes from people in the BRM industry! There is so much to BRM – influencing strategies, finding opportunities to improve business performance, driving growth and innovation, and more. Focus on outcomes.
BRM is not a traditional IT construct. As such, many misunderstandings exist about what it is and how it should be used. We need to be clear on those things and leave no doubt about what BRM is, how it works, and what it will do for your organization. Focus on differentiation.
We are NOT only about relationships. We are about impact. Relationships are essential, without a doubt. But they are a means to an end – not an end. We need to start talking about why IT is different with BRM and the return the organization will see because of its existence. Focus on impact.
Don’t wait for approval to propose a plan forward for BRM. Make the pitch and explain BRM in such a way that your audience will wonder why they hadn’t done that before! Then, immediately show them the plan for moving forward and how you will make BRM a reality in your organization. Don’t wait for another round of discussions. When people see a plan of action associated with an idea, they are much more open to moving forward. Focus on the plan forward.
Conduct “Launch Announcements” for your business partners so they know what is coming, why, and how they can participate. Collaborate with your IT colleagues on the best way to integrate BRM into your IT operating model and how to work together to help each other succeed. Get the right talent in the right numbers, develop them, and coordinate as a team. Focus on execution.
As stated earlier, IT organizations have a mandate to provide forward-thinking leadership to help business partners utilize technology to deliver on their goals and improve the bottom line. To do that, they must have a business-focused capability to drive growth, increase effectiveness, and improve business performance.
They need BRM to do that. We just need to make that clear to the decision-makers.
About the Author
Jeff Warren is the President of Barkley Consulting Group, a leading BRM consulting firm that helps organizations develop top BRM talent and create impactful BRM programs. Jeff has over 35 years of leadership and innovation experience as an IT executive, with a focus on business and technology.
