Programme overview
Introduction:
IT business relationship management often fails in quiet ways: business units bypass IT with shadow projects, requests arrive as solutions rather than problems, portfolio decisions follow whoever shouts loudest, and nobody can say whether last year's investments paid off. This Core Concept course equips business relationship managers and IT account leads to read business strategy, shape demand before it becomes a project, steer portfolio conversations and track benefits after go-live. Participants work through cases from several sectors and produce a BRM Engagement Plan and Value Roadmap for a case business unit.
Course Objectives:
- Define the BRM role, its competencies and the partnership maturity level of an IT-to-business relationship
- Translate a business unit's strategy, capability map and value streams into technology opportunities
- Shape demand through structured idea intake, problem framing and early options analysis before requests become projects
- Lead portfolio conversations that rank initiatives on value, urgency, risk and capacity with business sponsors
- Build benefits maps, business cases and a benefits register with named owners, baselines and measures
- Produce a BRM Engagement Plan and Value Roadmap and measure relationship health over time
Target Audience:
- Business relationship managers who represent IT to one or more business units
- IT account managers who own the technology agenda for a division, function or client group
- Digital business partners who translate business goals into product and platform initiatives
- IT leaders who run business-facing teams and chair demand or investment forums
- Portfolio and demand management leads who prepare prioritisation decisions for sponsors
Course Outline:
Day 1: The BRM Role and Partnership Maturity
- BRM as Role, Discipline and Organisational Capability
- Order-Taker to Trusted Partner Maturity Continuum
- BRM Competency Profile: Business Savvy, Influence and Value Orientation
- Shadow IT and Bypassed Requests as Partnership Warning Signs
- Relationship Maturity Self-Assessment for a Business Unit
Day 2: Reading Business Strategy Through Capability Maps
- Business Unit Strategy Canvas and Goal Decomposition
- Business Capability Map Construction and Heat Mapping
- Value Stream Mapping from Stakeholder Trigger to Outcome
- Technology Opportunity Radar Linked to Capability Gaps
- Business Unit Account Profile and Relationship Charter
Day 3: Demand Shaping, Idea Intake and Portfolio Conversations
- Idea Intake Funnel with Problem Statement Templates
- Demand Shaping Conversations: Surfacing Needs Behind Solution Requests
- Options Analysis Using Lean Canvas and Hypothesis Statements
- Prioritisation Matrix Scoring Value, Urgency, Risk and Capacity
- Portfolio Review Forum Agenda and Sponsor Decision Log
Day 4: Business Cases, Benefits Realisation and Influence
- Benefits Dependency Network Built from Outcomes to Enablers
- Business Case Structure with Benefit Measures and Baselines
- Benefits Register with Named Owners and Post-Implementation Review
- Power-Interest Stakeholder Mapping and Influence Planning
- Relationship Health Scorecard and Partnership Pulse Survey
Day 5: Case Work: BRM Engagement Plan and Value Roadmap
- BRM in Agile and Product Organisations: Product Owners and Funding Models
- Case Business Unit Diagnosis: Capability Gaps and Stalled Demand
- Value Roadmap Sequencing Across Quarters and Horizons
- BRM Engagement Plan Drafting with Cadence and Forums
- Executive Sponsor Presentation and Peer Challenge
Skills You Will Gain:
- Business Capability Mapping
- Demand Shaping
- Idea Intake Triage
- Portfolio Prioritisation
- Benefits Mapping
- Stakeholder Influence Planning
- Relationship Health Measurement
- Value Roadmapping
Why Attend This Course:
- Return with a BRM Engagement Plan and Value Roadmap tested against a case business unit and peer challenge
- Move conversations with business leaders from ticket requests to outcomes, capabilities and value
- Give sponsors a clear, defensible way to rank competing technology initiatives
- Compare partnering practice with IT and digital professionals from other sectors and organisations
Conclusion:
Strong IT business relationship management shows in fewer bypassed requests, clearer investment choices and benefits that can be traced after go-live. The course moves from the BRM role and partnership maturity, through capability maps and value streams, to demand shaping, idea intake and portfolio conversations, then to benefits realisation, stakeholder influence and relationship health. The final day applies these methods to a case business unit, including agile and product settings, and produces a BRM Engagement Plan and Value Roadmap ready for a sponsor discussion.