The Business Motivation Model (BMM)

As many of you know from my prior articles, I’m a big fan of helping organizations make the best strategic decisions possible to achieve the best tactical execution results.? It helps if we understand the business.? There are 3 perspectives to the business I’d like to discuss today: ?Strategy, Value, and Capability.? So, what are the methods or frameworks we can use model the business? To better understand (and articulate) the strategy? To determine what the organization but do to enable value? What capabilities must the enterprise to possess to achieve the strategy? What do most business architects, enterprise architects, and or business analyst use? Here are a few options: Business Motivation Model, Business Model Canvas, Value System Model, and Business Capability Model.

For this article, I will be focusing on the Business Motivation Model (BMM).?

The Business Motivation Model is a conceptual framework used in business analysis and strategic planning. It assists in the representation and helps with the analysis of the factors that motivate an organization (the WHY). It provides a structured way to define and document an organization’s goals, objectives, strategies, and the underlying motivations that drive its actions and decisions. The BMM encompasses various elements, including stakeholders, goals and objectives, strategies, tactics, and the influence of external factors. It helps organizations align their activities with their mission and vision, make informed decisions, and adapt to changing circumstances. The BMM is a valuable tool for business leaders, analysts, and planners to gain clarity on the motivations behind their actions and make strategic choices that support the organization’s success. It is more than just doing things right. It is also about doing the right things.

The Business Motivation Model was originally developed in the late 1990s by the Business Rules Group. Its goal was to help people prepare business plans in an ordered, efficient, properly organized way. Think of it as a “visual business plan.” The Business Motivation Model helps you think about why you're creating a business plan, identify the essential elements that you need to include, and understand.

Motivation – To help articulate Ends which includes the direction, vision, goals, and drivers.

Strategy – To articulate the Means to achieve the context (i.e. Goals, objectives, initiatives, competitive advantage)

Value – Translates the strategic vision into how value is delivered to the stakeholders along various dimensions including the value chain, products, and channel.

Capability – Expands the conceptual model into more detailed business capabilities and describes their inter-relationships (as well as the target maturity levels needed for success)

Resources – Decomposes capabilities into specific processes, policies and procedures, roles and technologies required to enable the business capabilities.

The first two layers relate to the business strategy and the remaining refer to operations strategy.

There are four main elements to the model:

Ends: This is what you want to accomplish with your plan. "Ends" consist of a Vision, Goals, and Objectives.?

Means: These describe how you're going to achieve the Ends. They include your mission, your overall strategy, and the organizational policies and rules that will affect the achievement of your Ends.

Influencers: This is where you assess the people or things, inside or outside your organization, that can affect your Ends or Means.?

Assessment: This is where you assess your Influencers, and then review and adjust your Ends and Means as necessary.?

Let’s expand a bit more on these four elements:

ENDS - This is where you identify your final, desired result. You can start at this stage, but you'll probably find it more effective to work on your Ends and Means at the same time.

MEANS - The Means is the "how" of the model – how are you going to achieve the Ends you've identified?

INFLUENCERS - Here, you need to identify and assess your Influencers. These are people and factors that can affect your Means and End. They can be both internal and external to your organization.

Internal influencers can include:

·????? Resources.

·????? Infrastructure.

·????? Organizational values.

·????? Shareholders.

·????? Staff.

·????? Organizational culture.

External influencers can include:

·????? Technology.

·????? Customers.

·????? Business environment.

·????? Suppliers.

·????? Competitors.

·????? Media, and the wider community.

·????? Industry regulations.

·????? Government policies.

·????? Commonly held assumptions.

ASSESSMENT - Once you've created your list of Influencers, you then need to assess each one. Here, you look at each of your Influencers, and identify how they're going to impact your Ends and Means.

A point to keep in mind.? You might have to go through each element several times because things change.? Change to one element will most likely affect the others. For instance, if you update your Ends, that probably affect your Influencers. Also, not all the influencers will have the same impact.

Links and References:

About the Business Motivation Model Specification Version 1.3. OMG Standards Development Organization. https://www.omg.org/spec/BMM/1.3/About-BMM

Business Motivation Model Version 1.3. Object Management Group. ?https://www.omg.org/spec/BMM/1.3/PDF

The Business Motivation Model: Business Governance in a Volatile World. https://www.brcommunity.com/brg/BRG-BMM.pdf

The Business Motivation Model in a Nutshell. FourWeekMBA. https://fourweekmba.com/business-motivation-model/

The Business Motivation Model – Preparing for a Resilient Business Plan. MindTools. https://www.mindtools.com/aco4lgx/the-business-motivation-model