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Representative POMs are described for Relationship Management Methodology at each level of maturity.

1Initial

• Outcome

  Goals, objectives, targets, and priorities for relationships with the business are undefined, creating a reactive environment, only undertaking activity when issues arise.

• Practices

  • Prioritization may occur on a project-by-project basis.
  • There tends to be little or now continuity between projects.

  Outcomes

  • Priorities for relationships with the business are undefined, creating a reactive environment, only undertaking activity when issues arise.
  • IT is constantly in fire-fighting mode, creating a reactionary and defensive atmosphere.

• Outcomes

  • There is no defined relationship management role.
  • Activity is undertaken only when issues arise.

2Basic

• Practice

  Establish tactical relationship management goals, objectives, and targets for key clients or partners on key projects, at discretion of senior IT managers.

  Outcome

  Creates initial basis for identifying what IT hopes to achieve with its relationship management initiatives.

  Metric

  # relationships with defined objectives

• Practice

  IT prioritizes relationship building activities with specific areas of the business on the basis of existing issues, workload, or the concerns of senior managers.

  Outcome

  Relationships are managed in pockets, but not sustained over time.

  Metrics

  • # interventions requested by senior managers.
  • % customer satisfaction (internal customers).

• Practice

  Assign responsibility for relationship management to senior managers and a limited number of delegated staff.

  Outcome

  IT managers begin to realize the importance of managing relationships with their business counterparts.

  Metrics

  • # IT staff with relationship management responsibilities.
  • # relationships with defined objectives.

3Intermediate

• Practice

  IT management set relationship management goals, objectives, and targets for all key IT relationships; these are agreed with the relevant areas of the business.

  Outcome

  IT and business share common goals for relationship management.

  Metrics

  • # relationships with defined objectives.
  • % business satisfaction with relationship managers.

• Practices

  • Prioritize IT/business relationships based on a systematic review of all key IT relationships.
  • Build a representation of these key relationships.

  Outcome

  IT has basis for prioritized decision-making and plans activities to develop relationships.

  Metrics

  • # key relationships covered in detailed representation.
  • % customer satisfaction (internal customers).

• Practice

  Assign responsibility for relationship management to designated staff within the IT organization.

  Outcome

  Relationship management becomes a concern for a much greater number of employees and is therefore given more attention.

  Metrics

  • # IT staff with formal relationship management responsibilities.
  • # relationships with defined objectives.

4Advanced

• Practice

  Develop relationship management goals, objectives, and targets jointly between IT and the relevant areas of the business.

  Outcomes

  • IT and business share common goals for relationship management.
  • Relevant key areas of the business and activities are prioritized effectively.

  Metrics

  • # relationship management goals, objectives, and targets defined jointly with business.
  • % business satisfaction with relationship managers.

• Practice

  Align prioritization of IT/business relationships with business management.

  Outcome

  Business provides IT function with input on key relationships and triggers collaboration.

  Metrics

  • # key relationships aligned with business management.
  • % customer satisfaction (internal customers).

• Practices

  • Establish dedicated group responsible for managing relationships with the business.
  • They have defined roles, policies and practices, and strong involvement from the business.

  Outcome

  Subset of IT staff is responsible for managing relationships with clearly defined roles, accepted policies, practices and formal expectations of IT management.

  Metrics

  • # IT staff with defined relationship management responsibilities.
  • # objectives agreed with the business.

5Optimized

• Practice

  Develop relationship management goals, objectives, and targets jointly between IT, individual areas of the business, and overarching business management.

  Outcomes

  • IT and business share common goals for relationship management.
  • Relevant key areas of the business and activities are prioritized.

  Metrics

  • # relationship management goals, objectives, and targets defined jointly with business.
  • % business satisfaction with IT/business relationship.

• Practices

  • Review regularly and optimize processes and tools for designing and executing relationship management initiatives.
  • Prioritize relationships based on current and upcoming business initiatives.

  Outcome

  Enables continuous improvements in the design and execution of relationship management initiatives.

  Metrics

  • # key relationships aligned with business management.
  • % customer satisfaction (internal customers).
  • # reviews jointly signed off by business and IT.
  • % reviews overdue.

• Practice

  Establish joint IT/business community of staff who are responsible for optimizing the long-term relationship between IT and the rest of the business, enabling information sharing and alignment with business structures and governance systems.

  Outcomes

  • Reduces “them and us” culture.
  • Enables knowledge sharing, and ultimately shared objectives, between IT and the rest of the business.

  Metrics

  • # business staff assigned to joint community.
  • # shared objectives.