What You Talkin' bout Willis? 4 Critical KPIs for Clear Communications in TBM

In the 1980s, network TV was awash with popular sitcoms that captured our imaginations and challenged our societal norms. Shows like The Jeffersons, Three's Company, Archie Bunker's Place, and Happy Days were staples for many of us. A combination of great story-telling, colorful characters, humor, and the infamous "catchphrase" was the tell-tale formula for most of these shows. One of the most famous, and most endearing of these catchphrases surfaced in the show, "Diff'rent Strokes" and belonged to the star of the show, Arnold Jackson (played by the late, great Gary Coleman). When confronted with a strange, challenging, or unexpected situation, Arnold would cock his head to the side, raise one eyebrow, and through squinted eyes, say to his older brother, "What You talkin' bout, Willis?"

If You're Explaining, You're Losing - Or Even Worse, Confusing...

How many times have you found yourself in front of your Technology Business Management (TBM) sponsors providing lengthy explanations as to why the TBM program isn't yielding the desired outcomes and insights as quickly as desired or planned? Have you sought to explain the intricacies of your TBM program only to see your CIO's eyes glaze over? Or worse yet, look over to your CFO and see a look of confusion or concern? After a well-planned TBM executive update has your sponsor cocked her head to the side, squinted her eyes, and said: "What you talkin' bout, [insert your name here]?"

It Takes Diff'rent Strokes to Communicate in TBM

How do you measure a TBM program? While the ability to perform a comprehensive assessment of your TBM program is a service some management consulting companies provide, they tend to be almost too complex and unwieldy for a TBM Office to use regularly for self-assessment. I propose a lean, 4 part model you can use continuously to tell your TBM story. This model, appropriately used, will also enable clear communication and accelerate decision-making with your executive team.

Introducing the TBMHoV - The TBM Hierarchy of Value

In 1943 Abraham Maslow, in his paper, "A Theory of Human Motivation", changed the world of psychology forever by introducing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - a model to understand what motivates us through an exploration of our common needs. The TBM Hierarchy of Value, like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, is a model designed to understand the primary needs of a TBM program and is composed of 4 levels of value:

Level 1- Technical Enablement: This level focuses on the completeness, effectiveness, and stability of your TBM platform. It answered some of the questions typical in development: a) configuration quality, b) technical design, c) data availability, d) process automation, and e) platform performance.

Level 2 - Data Enablement - This level measures the quality of the data required for your TBM solution, the validity of data assumptions, and the effectiveness of your allocations.

Level 3: Business Enablement - This level measures TBM adoption with a lens on utilization and operational efficiency. Its success is measured by the integration of TBM into everyday operational workflows.

Level 4: Value Realization - This level measures the value of strategic business outcomes realized. Value realized could be in transformation or operations, change-the-business or run-the-business. Examples can vary from a) shifting 25% of technology spend from Run-the-Business to Change-the-Business to b) increasing operational efficiency by reclaiming unused assets - virtual machines, unused subscriptions to save hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars.

The TBM Hierarchy of Value - Illustrated

The CIO, CFO, and the TBMO - On the Same Page

An effective TBM Office must practice what it preaches - full transparency of its program to the TBM Executive Steering Committee. The TBM Hierarchy of Value is more than an assessment of your TBM capabilities - it is a model that enables clear, concise, and actionable insights and communication about your TBM program. By limiting the model to four elements, you simplify your TBM story and increase understanding of your program's needs, challenges, and opportunities. The CIO, CFO, and the TBM Office are all unified in the mission to enable digital transformation and win in the marketplace - now they have a clear framework for developing, driving, and modifying TBM strategy.

What tools, methods, or frameworks are you using to tell your Technology Business Management story at your company? Please share in the comments below.?

Did this article resonate with you? Join the discussion, like it, connect or follow me to continue the conversation.

Are you new to TBM and want to learn more??Click?here ! Or better yet, meet me in person at this year's TBM Conference (see the details below):

#tbm #itfm #tbmforum #cio #digitaltransformation #technology #innovation #analytics #apptio #tbmc19 #tbmcouncil #nbmbaa #finops #insights