In his bestselling book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell, citing latest research, suggested that it takes roughly 10,000 hours, or about 5 years at 40 hours a week pace, to achieve true mastery of a subject. Creating a world-class professional development offering requires top-notch expertise in a variety of subjects ranging from curriculum design to publishing in addition to the mastery of the subject being taught. We are very pleased to report that our Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP^�) professional development and certification program, the result of a year of dedicated hard work of our star team of experts, whose collective expertise in the BRM and adjacent disciplines adds up to a few centuries, is soon to be released to the general public (we will make another official announcement, when this happens).

 

While it may take a few more weeks before the corresponding BRMP^� exams are available through APMG-International's online exam option, the course contents and the exam materials have been finalized and, in addition to several sold-out BRMP^� courses, our very first paper-based BRMP^� exam was completed successfully about a week ago through Service Management Art, one of our Accredited Training Organizations (ATOs). We thank Peter Lijnse, a member of BRMI Leadership Team and one of our expert contributors and authorized trainers, for helping us successfully host BRMP^� course and exam and congratulate the exam candidates, who successfully passed the test!

 

For those of you, who have not heard about the Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP^�) professional development program before, it is a world-class professional development and certification offering designed to provide a solid foundation-level knowledge of Business Relationship Management. The BRMP^� certification signifies the candidate has passed a rigorous examination, demonstrating their knowledge of Business Relationship Management. To be eligible to take the BRMP^� exam, successful completion of BRMP^� course held by an Accredited Training Organization (ATO) is required. Graduates of our pilot intermediate-to-advanced level Certified Business Relationship Manager (CBRM^�) course are also eligible. To maximize the value of your training dollars and to make it more convenient for our course attendees, a course-end paper-based exam or/and a voucher for online exam option will now be included in all BRMP^� training programs at no extra charge.

 

To make this possible and to promote wider adoption of world-class Business Relationship Management training and facilitate widespread availability of BRMI professional certifications, BRMI has partnered with APMG-International, a global leader in accreditation and certification services. APMG-International, which is responsible for facilitating the delivery of Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP^�) training and certification, works in partnership with over 250 training companies worldwide. Its Accredited Training Organizations have undergone the most rigorous assessment process in the industry. Initially, BRMP^� exams will be available in English only, but APMG-International has the capability and proven expertise to deliver examinations globally in 21 languages.

 

Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP^�) training and certification program is intended for the aspiring to intermediate-level Business Relationship Managers and designed to provide a solid foundation-level knowledge of Business Relationship Management. Holders of BRMI Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP^�) credentials will be able to demonstrate their understanding of:

• The characteristics of the BRM role.
• What it means to perform as a strategic partner, contributing to business strategy formulation and shaping business demand for the service provider's services.
• The use of Portfolio Management disciplines and techniques to maximize realized business value.
• Business Transition Management and the conditions for successful change programs to minimize value leakage.
• The BRM role in Service Management and alignment of services and service levels with business needs.
• The principles of effective and persuasive communication.

 

To learn more about BRMP^� training and certification, please click here, email or call us at +1.888.848.3012.

 

Capability Roadmapping

Friday, April 25 at 11:00am EST

 

Please join us for this 60-minute webinar with Steve Plante, Business Transformation Consultant and BRMI Leader, who will discuss what Capability Roadmapping is, how it is done, and its pivotal role in:

• The Value Management Cycle from ideation to value harvesting while minimizing "value leakage"
• Shaping high value demand and building Provider supply capabilities
• Building BRM business IQ and Business Partner understanding (savvy) of Provider capabilities
• Advancing relationship quality with Business Partners

Click the title to register or learn more.  

The Laws of Power Relationships: 

Seven Strategies for Building Trusted Relationships with your Key Stakeholders

Friday, May 2 at 11:00am EST

 

The right relationship--with a key executive in your company, an important client, or perhaps with a colleague--can make or break a mission-critical project or initiative. Yet, it's harder than ever to even get the face time you need with time-starved executives, let alone to build a long-term, trusted relationship that you can rely on year after year.

 

In this webinar, bestselling author Andrew Sobel will discuss his new book, Power Relationships, and share the relationship building strategies that will help you connect more deeply with others. His premise is powerful: there are unseen but fundamental laws that determine the success or failure of your most important professional relationships. Just as an airplane must respect the laws of physics in order to fly, your strategies and behaviors must align with these relationship laws if you want develop a supportive network of essential stakeholders.

 

Click the title to learn more or register.

 

In our BRMI Webinar, "Strategic Planning Tools for the BRM" (January 31, 2014) we were mainly focused on Strategic Planning Tools and Techniques, so I wanted to lead into that webinar with a few "tips and traps from the field." These are drawn from some 30 years of strategic planning experience, mostly in developing what I like to call "business-IT strategies".

"Everything you suggest about aligning IT strategy with the business strategy makes sense--except that in our company there is no business strategy!  What am I to do?"

 

This month's featured question originally appeared in the "BRM Collaboration" area of our members-only wiki. This and other spaces such as "Ask an Expert" were specifically designed to empower our members to ask questions and collaborate with peers and experts about the field of Business Relationship Management. If you are a member, you can check out the BRM Collaboration space (log-in required). Interested in becoming a member? Click here.

BRMI's Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Aaron Barnes, responded to the question as follows:

"In my experience, where the BRM reports into, is usually in alignment with the maturity stage of the BRM role and the willingness of the CIO to accept and promote the position for what it is." Here are the stages and his experience:

Incubation

 

If in the early stages of BRM deployment, the role often reports into a single Senior BRM, or middle person between the BRMs and the CIO. This middle person is more of a mentor or coach, focused on building the BRM methodologies, assisting the BRMs in being successful getting started in their roles, and ensuring conformity of the BRM role across the organization. This middle person focuses on building acceptance in the company for the BRM role. Everyone needs to understand the role and the value of the role in the phase, or else the initiative of creating BRMs will often fail.  

 

Execution

 

Coming out of incubation, the BRM usually focuses on execution for a brief period (a year or shorter). As a BRM, how do I assist my provider (IT usually) to deliver on the short term wins and start moving projects forward? In this role, the BRM typically still reports to a middle person between the CIO and the BRM. In this stage, the BRM begins to build real trust and starts to take control of their area from a leadership perspective.

 

Strategic Delivery

 

Once the BRM is accepted as a strategic partner or peer of the business, the BRM role will end up reporting directly to the CIO and be accountable for overall delivery by LOB (Line of Business) through three year capability roadmaps, value delivered, relationship management, etc. In this stage, the BRM role often moves to directly reporting to the CIO, or in many cases as business and IT start to converge, the BRM will report directly to the EVP of a specific LOB. I have also seen the BRMs report to a strategic arm of the company, responsible for business strategy and delivery through the strategic services group. 

 

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Business Relationship Management Institute | (888) 848-3012 | info@brminstitute.org |

Business Relationship Management Institute | 888-848-3012 | info@brminstitute.org | http://brminstitute.org/
211 East 43rd Street, Suite 1606
New York, NY 10017