itil business relationship management, the "hidden" process
TRANSCRIPT
ITIL Business Relationship
Management, the “Hidden” Process
Contributed by Paul Smith-Allen on August 14, 2013 in Information Technology
The Business Relationship Management (BRM) process was introduced into the Service
Strategy element of the ITIL Service Lifecycle in 2011, but you’d be forgiven for not being
aware of this. BRM is perhaps a little ambiguous, and the line between it and its better-
known cousin, Service Level Management (SLM), is certainly blurred.
To better understand the BRM process, it is important to first acknowledge the differences
in focus between BRM and SLM:
SLM Focus - Tactical and Operational
BRM Focus – Strategic and Tactical
The purpose of the BRM role is to establish and maintain positive relationships with the
Business, providing input and guidance into the design and delivery of services that exist
solely as a means to provide the desired Business outcomes.
A key element of the BRM role is the need to become aware of and understand any factors
that may influence a change in the services that are required. A change in the desired
Business outcomes, almost certainly means a change to service provision. As such the
balancing act of ‘Supply & Demand’ falls squarely at the feet of the BRM. Equally, the pace
of technological change must also be considered as an external factor that could influence
service utilization.
In contrast, the SLM role is predominantly about the ‘here and now’ (Service Reviews) and
the short-term future (Service Improvement Plans). To use PRINCE2 parlance, the
Planning Horizon is never far away.
This author offers a number of documents related to IT management, project management, and other related
concepts on Flevy here .
This BRM activity of looking ahead is crucial for both the Business and the Service Provider.
If we do not know what’s changing in the Business then how can we plan for it?
The BRM is responsible for the Customer Portfolio. This is a database or structured
document used to record the details of all of the Customers of the Service Provider. In
addition, the BRM is responsible for the Customer Agreement Portfolio, in which all
contractual arrangements between Service Provider & Customer are recorded.
From the Business point of view, the Critical Success Factor (CSF) that provides the
measure of the Business Relationship Manager is the level of Customer Satisfaction (are we
delivering value to the Business?). For the Service Level Manager, the measurement is all
about the whether or not the SLA’s are being met.
So we have explored what the BRM role does for the Business, what about the Service
Provider?
The level of engagement with the Business that is required from the Business Relationship
Manager is such that one could be forgiven for wondering where the reporting line actually
is. Indeed, this thinking often manifests itself in the more technical resources of the Service
Provider (whose side is he/she on? etc.). We must remember therefore that while the BRM
must focus on delivering value to the Business, and continually improving Customer
Satisfaction, he/she is also the marketing agent of the Service Provider, ever on the lookout
for ways in which to sell new or improved services.
While the BRM process is tucked away in Service Strategy, it should be clearly understood
that BRM activities occur all across the ITIL Service Lifecycle. BRM must stay close to the
progression of services through Service Design and Service Transition (testing, evaluation,
and finally acceptance) all the time engaging with the Business, and ensuring that the
service remains on track towards meeting the desired outcome. Once into Service
Operation, the BRM role is involved in managing customer expectation through any Major
Incidents that may occur, and ensuring that any planned service outages do not have a
detrimental effect on the Business.
You can learn more about ITIL Service Management in this 129-slide PowerPoint , which
covers the whole of the Service Lifecycle (Service Strategy, Service Design, Service
Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement).
About Paul Smith-Allen
Paul Smith-Allen is a Service Delivery Manager and Project Manager certified in ITIL, PRINCE2 and
MOR, with over 30 years of experience established within the Construction, Utilities, Building Services
and Facilities Management sectors. Operating his own business (Dartview Consulting Limited), he is also
a contributor to the Flevy document library. View his documents here.
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