Business Strategy replaced by Business Purpose

There is a new wave of thinking washing over Business Strategy and that is one of Business Purpose, but what is it and how does it affect the BRM function?

After years of trying to align IT Strategy to Business Strategy we realised that the true value was actually in convergence rather than alignment. Don’t have a Business Strategy and a IT Strategy have a single Business Strategy after all there is no such thing as Information Technology just Business Technology, remember its all about the business its goals and strategy to meet those goals, well it was until now....

Now there is a new thinking staying that Business Strategy is too confined and we should rather be thinking of Business Purpose, this white paper outlines it brilliantly well worth the time out to read through it:

https://www.managers.org.uk/~/media/Files/Reports/Guide-for-Leaders-White-Paper.pdf

These three points succinctly cover what is Business Purpose:

1) Purpose is a core and enduring motivation in the company

2) Purpose focuses on the ultimate means provided by the emotional capital to serve others and achieve long-term well being

3) Purpose is the fundamental motivation for the company which inspires the vision and guides the mission and resulting strategy

There are five points as to why you should become Business Purpose driven including increasing business performance. Most interestingly there is a section on how to implement Business Purpose including:

• Engaging Stakeholders to enrich your perspective
• Showing benefits through stories and proof points
• Enabling transparency
• Incentivise purposeful outcomes

Sound familiar? Yes the move to becoming a more Business Purpose driven organisation has many similar steps to becoming a successful Business Relationship Management function. So if you see this movement happening in your organisation or if you propose it, be sure to put BRM in the heart of it to work with the business converged into this new way of thinking.

First Annual UK BRM Community Event

Wow what a week, last week comprised of working through the first ever UK Strategic Partnering Approach Workshop, followed by hosting the first annual UK BRM Community Event. Both of which were hugely beneficial, let’s start with the Community Event.

UK BRM Community Event

Firstly I have a new found respect for Marleen Lundy who organises the global BRM events, it is hard work and stressful! We had fluctuating numbers in the run up to the event but it was looking like we had around 50 - 60 people and then at the last minute we had a few drop out and a few add ons., In the end we had a really nice sized group with a good mix of people. As always we had a mix of job titles from Business Partners to Business Relationship Managers from a variety of industries but we all had similar stories.

We started the day with a few presentations setting the scene of why we were all there and who the professional bodies were in attendance. Gary Hardy from ITWinners who helped pull it all together told everyone who ITWinners were and what they do as well as making it clear that they wanted to set this up but it isn't their event but a BRM event ran by BRMs for BRMs.  More on that later. He also told his story of 'finding' BRM and why he thinks it’s the most powerful needed shift in mindset in current times.

Marleen Lundy then presented about the BRM institute, the delegates in attendance were a mix of active members, members but not that active to not knowing about the Institute at all. The importance of the Institute, the best practices, guidance it provides and the accredited training were key points for the delegates especially the Knowledge Pathway, created by Marleen to help guide personal and BRM function development.

APMG were also in attendance supporting the event and informing the BRMs of how social sharing of accreditation can help promote both BRM as a whole as well as your own personal brand.

The last session of the morning was presented by Mariana Carroll who spoke about BRM and emerging technologies, Mariana has a wealth of experience in this area and was truly inspiring.

In the afternoon we opened the floor for our BRM guests to share their stories, I had my story ready to tell if we needed but my main role was to facilitate others telling theirs. The great thing about working with a room full of BRMs is they all want to communicate and share, my story wasn't needed as we had plenty of others. They ranged from theories on early BRM from the introduction of electricity to Leicester University and the creation of a strategic role over 100 years ago to manage this emerging technology disruption, linking back nicely to Mariana's earlier presentation. To stories of becoming strategic and staying strategic through successful positioning of the role in both hierarchy and boundaries of responsibilities. These story telling sessions really got the room buzzing with ideas and excitement as well as shared pain points. I think next time we meet we will have to facilitate some more of these earlier on and then capture and discuss the points in more detail because we were getting so many golden nuggets of information.

As we approached the end of the day, we asked if anyone was able to stay a bit later and discuss ways to help progress this event in the future. We had a good number stay behind and others running off but stating they still want to help out further. Now we are going to need to pull these people together and start to develop next year’s meet up, let it expand and grow and hopefully become even better each year. We are planning on starting this off via the Community Of Interest for the UK on the BRM Institute Online Campus. If you want to join in pop over and say hello, if you need help getting on just send me a message.

This was my first time trying to organise and pull together an event such as this and I was overjoyed with the outcome and feedback. I can't wait to help out on the next one! Though thankfully with so many enthused BRMs to help the second annual BRM community event should be much easier.

Strategic Partnering Approach Workshop

This is a new workshop and part of the BRM Institute knowledge pathway as outlined here: https://brm.institute/business-relationship-management-knowledge-path-success . It's a practical application of the theory which results in a strategic plan for your BRM function. As we had already completed the BRMP training we were familiar with the theory so managed to skip over some of the content and get stuck into the meat of the workshop.

We ran through various maturity assessment pieces which highlighted some areas for improvement, some of which were well within our control others were outside it at an organisational level. The ones outside of our immediate control were considered and some of which we are going to put forward as institutional change requests, but the politics and governance to implement them will be much harder than the changes closer to home.

We then prioritised our potential improvements and started work on a plan to progress our BRM function. Using a combination of these techniques and the excellent knowledge of Gary Hardy from ITWinners we were able to create a great strategic action plan. This is going to form the basis of a BRM re-launch for our function as we re-position, re-focus and clarify our value offering both now and for the future. It's bringing a new energy to the team and we can’t wait to get started on the next leg of our BRM journey!

About me

I am a full time BRM at Loughborough University for IT Services, I am also a qualified BRM trainer, currently offering the Business Relationship Management Professional training and other consultancy. If you would like to go through the BRMP training with a practising BRM drop me a mail, I use my knowledge to liven up the theory with lots of real life examples!

BRM Events Update!

Here’s a quick update on the upcoming Business Partner / Business Relationship Management events we are running at Loughborough (One of which is FREE! limited places though so book early) 11th – 12th June: Strategic Partnering Approach Workshop - £1,000 per person - This unique and practical workshop enables the theory of BRM to be translated into a strategy for adoption. It provides you with roadmap for improved BRM capability to achieve strategic partnering, leveraging the new BRM Playbook in a technologically advanced interactive workshop. More info and register here: https://bit.ly/2qny5Ov 13th June: Networking Event – FREE - ITWinners, in association with BRM Institute and Loughborough University will host this UK meetup. You’ll meet with peers, receive insights about global adoption of BRM and hear from some special guest speakers – including Marleen Lundy of BRM Institute, Nick Houlton COO APMG and Dr. Mariana Carroll. This is a free event, but we request that you book your space to ensure there is sufficient seating and catering. More info and register here: http://itwinners.com/newsevents/brmukannualcommunityevent2018/ 18th – 20th June: Business Relationship Management Professional Course - £1,500 per person - Understand the role, concepts, drivers and structure needed for a successful function. Includes (class, exam, 1 year membership to BRM Institute, 1 year access to ITWinners eLearning tool) More info and register here: https://t.co/cbOByDYDyo Also the same course is running on the 1st – 3rd October: (for those who need a bit more time to request funding) 

New BRMP Classes

Excited to be offering two Business Relationship Management Professional [BRMP®] courses at Loughborough this year.

18th – 20th June 2018

1st – 3rd October 2018

Find out more and register here: https://t.co/cbOByDYDyo 

I will be using an exciting blended learning approach, using a much more fun and interactive delivery method than the normal PowerPoint. Also I’m using my experience of working as a BRM in the public sector where it’s not all about the money and profit margins as well as the shared experiences from my friends and colleagues at the BRM Institute.

Also alongside the June session we will be running a further workshop and conference/networking event. Plans are still being formed but we are expecting these sessions to be offering something new and exciting for the UK. 

New Year, New Me?

Well after a relatively quiet year from a work perspective I have had a busy one in my personal life having my wife give birth to a baby boy. Looking back though all things BRM in my life have also moved on, all be it at a slightly slower rate while I focused on my new family extension.

So last year I attended conferences big and small, won an award for BRM innovation of the year from ITSMFUK and tried to keep up with all the goings on at the BRM Institute.

Now with a new year its a good time to re-group and re-focus and set your sights on some new challenges and opportunities. For me this means looking at a number of different areas:

1) Loughborough University Business Partnering for IT Services - This is my "day job" and is constantly progressing and maturing as a function. For the new year its time to review the longer term plans and make sure we are all still on track, check what needs adjusting and setting some medium term objectives to meet this year. This year the focus will be on expanding the strategic partnerships out to those at a lower maturity level and looking at adjusting the levels of engagement to maximise the resources we have available. Unfortunately in these times the pressure is on financially and that hits our resources so we have to "do more with less" or "work smarter not harder"

2) The BRM Institute - This is a big part of my work life, working as vice chair to the leadership team is a big responsibility and takes a lot of time and effort. As we are expanding as an institute we need to also plan and re-adjust, so I am just at the minute in the middle of working out how best I can help facilitate that and what plans I can help push forward. As always exciting times a we grow, mature and adjust to the changing landscape.

3) IT Winners - I have just signed up to work with IT Winners as an Associate and BRM trainer, I cannot wait to deliver my first BRMP training course and work with this group of talented people to further expand my BRM horizons! Watch this space for more info on this soon!

So as well as all the normal New Years resolutions, get fit, eat healthy, drink less alcohol, spend more time with family and friends, travel more and see the world....what work life changes are you making? how are you going to focus your efforts and progress this year?

6 Quick Tips for Beginner BRMs

Two of the most common questions asked in the world of BRM is “Where do I begin?” and “What should I do first?”

The first few months of being a beginner BRM or setting up a BRM function can be tricky, and it can seem a little overwhelming to orient yourself within the vast amount of knowledge available from BRM Institute.

The following tips and tricks can not only help you get off the ground with a flying start, but they can serve as a constant guide towards success in your career as a BRM.

1)           Document your notes. This may seem obvious, but when you begin you will no doubt be inundated with information from both the business and the business partner about what they do, how they do it, and what they have planned for the future. Work out a clear documentation process that works across your business function, so that everyone is on the same page.

2)           Don't try to do everything all at once. The label of “strategic partner” is earned, not handed over, meaning that the process of becoming a strategic partner takes time and effort. It pays to be patient and time your new process implementations to support your business function. Don’t rush in putting in the high-level strategic planning meetings without ensuring the groundwork has been done first.

3)           Ensure that you have a solid base of reliable service delivery. Again, the groundwork matters. Senior managers will not want to strategize with you if you represent a mess of service delivery. Once you’ve established this level of trust, you can then look to progress in maturity.

4)           Take the time to review and reflect. It’s often all too easy to plan ahead and push for more without taking the time to look back and assess accomplishments and challenges. When your business function takes the time to look back, it often paves the way to a more successful future.

5)           Balance, balance, balance. The life of a BRM is a constant balancing act between the partner and the business. It’s common to fall into the trap of focusing too much on the needs of one side or the other, so it’s critical to be mindful of this and alter your behavior in order to become a trusted strategic partner.

6)           Make time for outside organisational learning. While this is critical to success in any career, continued education is particularly valuable for BRMs who strive to develop themselves and their business function. Get started by reading books from BRM Institute’s Bookshelf and engaging with other BRMs on the Online Campus, which is probably the most essential resource for any new BRM. There you can get answers to challenges you may be facing from peers who have already gone through similar situations, and you could even share your own ideas on a global scale alongside industry experts.

The Game Plan: Strategic BRMs Focusing on Optimizing Value

As BRMs we often spend most of our time looking at our business units game plans, their long term strategies to achieving success, but we don't often look at our own. Now some might argue that if we make our business succeed then we ourselves have succeeded, and yes that is true, however if we can have our own game plan to optimize that success then the value could be maximized in that win for the organization for both the BRM and the business unit, a true win win!

So what should a BRM game plan look like? Well like all complex and interesting things, it depends, it depends on the maturity, the internal politics and a myriad of other factors. So how should it be approached? Well that is simple, like all things BRM it should be approached with value in the forefront of the mind, specifically measuring anticipated value and planning to maximize it without depreciating any value being gained elsewhere within the organization, actually not as simple as I might have first stated, lets break it down into four steps:

1) Finding potential value
2) Measuring expected value
3) Maximizing delivered value
4) Checking for value disruption

So step one was finding the potential value, this is key and like any hunter stalking their prey, to find it you have to understand it. I don't just mean reading up on a business units strategy or knowing what their top aims are for the coming years but really understanding them, get embedded in the business, know how they work and learn about the complex and interesting factors that build up the unwritten rules of how they plan, operate and improve. Once you really understand the business and the people operating within it you will learn the most effective ways the value can be realized. There is no point pushing for a strategic value chain to be focused on when you know the people needed to implement it don't believe in it and are planning on campaigning for a change in direction for it.

Step two is measuring the expected value, this involves looking at the value from multiple angles to see who is going to be gaining and where. It’s not all about the money, reputational gains, risk reduction, trust building or simply laying the foundations for longer term future strategy may all be elements of value to be gained. Build up some KPIs for the relevant stakeholders to agree on, then once agreed move onto step three.

Step three is about maximizing that value, so looking for potential value leakage and minimizing it, looking for the big value gains to push more resources towards. Can you now improve on the KPIs set in step two? Or ensure they are met with minimal risk?

Step four is one often forgot about but as a BRM you always need to look at the bigger picture, producing value for one business unit within a large organization can sometimes have a detrimental effect on another business unit. To mitigate this risk, ensure the correct levels of governance and control have been involved and are aware of any potential knock on effects. Keep them up to date with high level reports of progress as things change, a long term project may be fine one month but the next could have a big impact.

In conclusion, every organization is different and it’s impossible to define a game plan that will work for everyone but I hope to have made you think and given you an idea to help you deliver some value and improve your BRM game.