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Thank you for your interest in Business Relationship Management Institute (BRMI) and all things BRM. This is our monthly newsletter, BRM Compass, which contains tips and useful articles for Business Relationship Managers or anyone interested in the field of BRM.
Now, why is it called the BRM Compass? One of the metaphors for Business Relationship Management is that of a navigator (read on to learn more). The BRM needs to navigate a challenging path between business partner and the service provider. One can liken it to a sailor who needs to navigate a vast ocean to get to the intended destination. In the days before GPS, what was the one thing that sailors needed to cross oceans? A compass. So it seemed fitting to name our publication, BRM Compass -- it is intended to help BRMs in their role. At BRMI, it is our goal to serve the needs of professional BRMs and the global BRM community.
Therefore, if you have any particular topic or interest (such as your own "Ask the Expert" question) that you want us to discuss in this newsletter, please do not hesitate to send us an email at info@brministitute.org and we will be happy to accommodate your request.
In this issue:
- BRMI - APMG-International partnership agreement
- Resolving conflict in defining the role of the BRM in projects
- Process of achieving role clarity
- Upcoming webinar on the BRM Maturity Model
- Online BRMP Course next month
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We value information sharing so please feel free to forward our newsletter to your colleague and friends who share the same interest in Business Relationship Management. If you have received a forwarded copy of this issue and would like to sign up for your own, just click here.
Stay up-to-date about the field of BRM and follow us on our blog and on our social media networks. (See links below.) You can also follow our discussion group for Professional Business Relationship Managers on LinkedIn here.
If you are not yet a member of BRMI, we invite you to join today. Learn more about the many benefits of your membership on our website. For questions, requests for topics, comments or just to say hello, send us an email at info@brminstitute.org or visit us at www.brminstitute.org.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Your BRMI Team
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BRMI - APMG-International partnership agreement
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We are pleased to announce that BRMI has recently signed a partnership agreement with APMG- International, a world's leading professional training accreditation and professional certification exam provider organization. Under this arrangement, BRMI courses will be made available through APMG-International's extensive global network of 270 Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs). APMG-International, whose extensive portfolio of professional qualifications includes COBIT� 5, CESG's Information Assurance Scheme, ITIL, and PRINCE2�, will also handle the design, delivery, and administration of our Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP�) and Certified Business Relationship Manager (CBRM�) professional certification examinations eventually making them available through the traditional onsite, testing center-based as well as online proctored delivery options.
This important step forward would not be possible without the BRM community's support. The main purpose of this agreement is to increase the value you receive from BRMI professional development programs and certifications. To learn more about this, go to our website. For any questions or clarifications, you can email us at info@brminstitute.org or call us at +1.888.848.3012.
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| BRM Featured Question:
In the organization I work for, there is always confusion in defining the role of the BRM in projects. How do you resolve this conflict?
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This was a question originally posted by one of our members on the "Ask a BRM Expert" section on the BRMI wiki. This area is specifically designed for BRMs (from novices to experts) to ask their colleagues for their opinions, share previous experience and offer advice. Two of our resident BRM experts (who also happen to be two of BRMI's founders), Aaron Barnes and Vaughan Merlyn, addressed the question below:
Vaughan Merlyn:
It really is a matter of business demand and IT supply maturity. At low maturity, the BRM is going to be focused on supply-side issues -- IT service management and solution delivery. As maturity increases, the BRM role shifts to demand-side focus -- shaping demand for the highest business value.
So, there is no "right answer" -- it all depends upon your context and the way your BRM role is defined. However, what is important is that the BRM role -- and all key roles in your IT Operating Model -- be clearly defined. In other words, you really can't define the BRM role in isolation -- it has to engage with and orchestrate other key roles including Project Manager, Program Manager, Business Analyst, Enterprise Architect. So, each of these roles must be defined. Then interaction models should be developed showing how these roles interact. Finally, RACI charts should be developed showing which roles have what Responsibilities, Accountabilities and which roles are Consulted or Informed as you move through the end-to-end cycle from an Idea to a retired solution.
We will be developing examples of Interaction Models, Role Descriptions (you will already find some of these in the BRMiBOK), RACI charts and more over time.
Again, there is no right answer -- you have to work with the Project Managers and collaboratively define who does what, when. But do so with an eye to the real goal of your role. I don't think you want to get stuck too deeply in the supply side -- otherwise you become another supply resource, and that opens up the BRM role to the challenge: "Where is the value? Is this role just another name for a Project Manager?" Let the Project Managers manage projects, while you help the business decide what projects are needed, how they will lead to measurable value, and then help orchestrate the supply side roles to deliver the solutions needed.
Aaron Barnes:
This is a good question and a typical challenge that many will have, when defining the BRM role and the role's interactions with various teams inside the organization. If your BRM role is focused on shaping demand for the highest value adding projects, the involvement in projects should look like the following:
- Ideation (pre-project) -- The BRM is fully accountable for this phase -- working with the business to define and refine the scope, prioritization, and the value of an idea. The BRM will define how the idea fits into the short or long term three-year business capabilities roadmap.
- Project -- Once an idea becomes an approved project and a PM begins moving the project forward, the BRM shifts to a key stakeholder role and is involved in all steering committee meetings. The BRM is involved in any meeting where the project scope is being discussed or issues are being escalated. The BRM will focus on overall delivery assisting the PM as needed, clearing roadblocks, to keep the project moving forward and on value.
- Value Optimization (post-project) -- Working with the business and VMO (Value Management Office) to ensure projects deliver the value defined up front. Tracking and reporting against defined value KPIs and the adjusting/optimizing the business to get back on value or greater value where needed/possible.
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Who's On First? Playing Together Within the Provider Organization
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by Sheila Smith
This article is the first in a series of two about clarifying the interactions of the BRM with other roles in the provider organization. In this post, Part 1 provides an example of how one company reached role clarity across the intersecting roles. Part 2 will explore areas where there is typically contention or confusion about specific roles.
Part 1: The Process of Achieving Role Clarity
Picture this: your IT organization just introduced a new BRM role and you are the first person placed in that role! Terrific news, right? You get to shape the role and be a pioneer for something you believe in deeply. As I always say to one of my long-time colleagues, "You go first." Going first is often overrated!
You are probably expecting your greatest challenge to be building a strong relationship with your business partner. Though this is indeed a big challenge, you might be surprised to find that the greater challenge lies within the provider (IT) organization!
It all starts with your CIO's innocent statement that the BRM will be a business partner's "single point of contact." Yikes... really? In one fell swoop, the CIO just set you up for a flurry of very interesting dynamics among your peers and partners within the provider organization. Who could possibly fill the role of a 'single' point of contact? Then again, who would want to? Also, it puts you at odds with everyone else who not only wants business partner interaction but also actually needs it to do their work. And so the dynamics begin... (Read more.)
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Business Relationship Maturity Model
BRMI Webinar: December 13, 2013 at 10am - 11am ET
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The maturity of the relationship between a provider and the business units it serves may be the best possible indicator of both the health of that relationship and the business value realized from investments in the provider's capabilities and assets.
So, how do you gauge the health and quality of the business-provider relationship? How can you determine the best next steps to take to increase relationship maturity? How can you monitor progress towards higher maturity levels?
Please join us for this 60-minute review and discussion of Release 1.0 of the Business Relationship Maturity Model. We will examine:
- Business Maturity Model Concepts -- Background and Rationale for the new Model
- Why 5 levels?
- Why the levels carry the labels we've assigned
- Why we've constructed Business and Provider Perspectives for each level
- The key Dimensions by which each Perspective is characterized
- The Business Maturity Model
- A walk-through of the Model, its rationale and implications
- Next Steps
- A review and discussion of BRMI plans to finalize the Model and build out the assessment tools.
The Webinar is free for BRMI members and US$95 for non-members. Go to the events section of our website to register and save your spot. We welcome any questions, so please send us an email at info@brminstitute.org or call us at +1.888.848.3012.
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Online BRMP Course next month
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Due to the success of our previous course and in response to numerous requests to provide quality BRM training, while we transition to the new training model, we are offering another fully interactive online Business Relationship Management Professional™ (BRMP™) course next month. It will be delivered in three full-day Monday sessions, over three weeks. These sessions will be held from 9:00AM to 4:30PM EST, on December 2, 9 and 16. Participants are required to attend all three full-day sessions.
This course will be conducted by Vaughan Merlyn, a world-renowned pioneer in the field of Business Relationship Management. The program is designed for entry-level to intermediate BRMs and intends to provide a solid baseline level of knowledge. Therefore, if you just stepped into your BRM role or would like to learn more about BRM, this is a great course for you. This BRMP course is also a perfect fit for those who are considering taking on a BRM role or are setting up a BRM team in their organization and require a better understanding of the necessary BRM skills.
To learn more about the course outline, check out our Professional Development page. You can also contact us at info@brminstitute.org or call us at +1.888.848.3012 for more information. To register, click here.
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Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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