As I frequently discuss with clients, the role of a business relationship manager (BRM) is both essential and elusive. BRMs bridge IT and business functions, ensuring that technology aligns with and propels business objectives. Despite the importance of this role, many organizations struggle to fully leverage their BRMs. They can find the role challenging to define, measure, and elevate beyond a tactical level. BRMs often face the challenge of being too accessible, getting pulled into tactical issues simply because they are available.
Recently, a client shared that some of her BRMs were handling help desk tickets because there was no one else to support the teams. This highlighted a broader challenge: BRMs can become bogged down in day-to-day tasks, preventing them from taking on a more strategic, consultative role.
This misalignment prevents BRMs from guiding the business in identifying, designing, and deploying technology solutions that could create competitive advantages. How can companies grow their existing BRMs into strategic partners, identify those who may struggle with this evolution, and demonstrate the value of BRMs in a measurable way? One approach I recommend is an annual strategic client partnership plan, which can transform the role of BRMs and provide a framework for ongoing alignment with business objectives.
The Strategic Client Partnership Planner
The strategic client partnership planner offers a road map for BRMs to elevate their roles, helping them engage in high-level strategic planning while remaining responsive to business needs throughout the year. This planning process is structured around six key areas:
1. Partner Goals and Objectives
The first step in building an effective BRM partnership is establishing clear, measurable business goals that the IT strategy will support. By aligning IT efforts with business objectives, BRMs can define how they will contribute to broader organizational success.
For example:
- Partner goal 1: Increase market share by 15%
- Partner goal 2: Enhance operational efficiency to reduce costs by 10%
- Partner goal 3: Improve customer satisfaction by 20% by Q4 202x
These goals provide a foundation for understanding the business’ strategic priorities and help the BRM identify where technology can make a meaningful impact.
2. Current State Analysis of IT
Understanding the current state of IT and its alignment with partner goals is essential for identifying areas for improvement. BRMs should assess how well the organization’s IT capabilities support specific business objectives.
For example:
- Partner goal: Increase market share
- IT support: Scalable XYZ function but limited scalability in ABC function, which may hinder rapid market expansion
This analysis helps BRMs and their business partners pinpoint areas where IT may be falling short and highlight opportunities for targeted improvements that align with business priorities.
3. Defining the Approach
Once the goals and current state are understood, BRMs should translate partner goals into concrete IT initiatives. Each goal should be mapped to a specific IT initiative that will support it, along with the relevant technologies required.
For example:
- Partner goal: Enhance customer experience
- IT initiative: Develop a digital customer feedback platform to monitor satisfaction in real time
- Technology solutions: Cloud-based analytics, customer relationship management (CRM) software
This mapping allows BRMs to move from high-level strategy to actionable initiatives, demonstrating how IT investments directly contribute to achieving business outcomes.
4. Gap Analysis
The gap analysis identifies the areas where IT capabilities need to evolve to meet future business requirements. Gaps can include missing skills, outdated technology, ineffective processes, or insufficient governance structures.
For example:
- Gap 1: Lack of integration between CRM and ERP systems, impacting customer insights
- Gap 2: Outdated data management systems that limit scalability
Prioritizing these gaps helps ensure that IT efforts focus on areas that will have the greatest impact on achieving business goals, enabling BRMs to advocate for targeted investments and improvements.
5. Key Initiatives
This section identifies and outlines the major IT initiatives that will drive partner goals forward. Each initiative should have an expected timeline and key milestones, allowing the BRM to monitor progress and report on success.
For instance:
- Initiative 1: Cloud migration to improve scalability
- Expected timeline: Q1 2025 to Q4 2025
- Key milestones: Cloud provider selection by Q1 2025, migration completed by Q4 2025
- Initiative 2: Digital transformation of customer experience
- Expected timeline: Q2 2025 to Q1 2026
- Key milestones: Launch of customer feedback app by Q3 2025
Defining these initiatives with timelines and milestones enables BRMs to track progress, making it easier to communicate the value of their work to business partners.
6. Communication Plan
A strong communication plan is essential for maintaining alignment between IT and business stakeholders. By establishing regular communication touchpoints, BRMs can keep partners informed of progress, address any emerging concerns, and adapt initiatives as needed.
For example:
- Audience: Executive team, IT staff, partner unit leaders
- Communication frequency: Quarterly updates
- Communication channels: Email reports, executive presentations
Annual, Yet Agile
The strategic client partnership planner is an annual process but not a static one. BRMs should monitor the business or competitive landscape for changes that could require adjustments to the plan. By staying engaged throughout the year, BRMs can address shifts, ensuring that IT initiatives remain aligned with business needs and continue to provide value.
The role of a BRM is inherently dynamic, bridging the gap between IT and business objectives in a way that creates measurable value. By leveraging a structured planning process, BRMs can elevate their roles, demonstrating their strategic value to their partners while avoiding the common pitfalls of being pulled into tactical tasks.
Related Resources:
IDC PeerScape: Practices for Successful Business Relationship Management
