Relationship Profiles
Understand the formal and informal networks in the organization and how these can provide insight into relationship characteristics, behaviours, and information flows. This includes an understanding of the organization's structures and culture, its strategic goals, the business models it uses, and the degree of operational autonomy that individual business units have.
Improvement Planning
Practices-Outcomes-Metrics (POM)
Representative POMs are described for Relationship Profiles at each level of maturity.
- 1Initial
- Outcome
- Minimal understanding within IT of the business and its structure, challenges, culture, goals, and processes.
- Practice
- IT management may hold briefings to update their staff on current and previous engagements with the business on an ad hoc basis.
- Outcome
- IT staff learn about their business counterparts in a haphazard, accidental manner.
- Outcome
- Minimal understanding of how decision in the organization are influenced.
- Outcomes
- There is no attention paid to the social and informal connections between people at any level in the organization.
- Such connections are not seen as important.
- Metric
- No funding for developing a social programme available
- 2Basic
- Practice
- Analyse and document basic organizational profile (e.g. structure, objectives, business model, culture, complexities, and challenges) of the key areas of the business with which IT has relationships.
- Outcome
- IT has basic understanding of the key areas of the business to support its planning activities.
- Metric
- % key areas of the business with organizational profile defined
- Practice
- Hold regular briefing sessions internally within IT to update staff at all levels on current and previous engagements with the business.
- Outcome
- Sharing business-related information is more systematic and thorough.
- Metrics
- # briefing sessions held.
- # IT staff attending briefing sessions.
- Practice
- Key decision-makers and influencers within focal business areas are identified by CIO and top managers.
- Outcome
- IT management can identify the most relevant individuals to whom specific issues should be addressed.
- Metric
- # decision-makers/influencers identified per key area of the business
- Practice
- Hold occasional team building exercises or retreats aimed at management and/or key stakeholders at the start of major projects.
- Outcome
- Social connections begin to develop with the management levels of the organization and across project teams.
- Metrics
- $ funding made available to social initiatives.
- % job satisfaction.
- 3Intermediate
- Practice
- Have IT management and relevant project leads review documented organizational profile with business counterparts in key business areas.
- Outcome
- IT management, project leads, and business management have a shared understanding of the organizational profile.
- Metrics
- % key areas of the business with organizational profile defined.
- # organizational review meetings.
- Practices
- Hold regular briefing sessions within IT, with input from the business, to update IT staff on current and previous engagements with the business.
- Develop an orientation programme for new IT staff.
- Outcome
- IT staff develop a more rounded view of the organization and understand where IT can and has made contributions to the business.
- Metrics
- # briefing sessions held.
- # IT staff attending briefing sessions.
- # orientation programmes run.
- Practice
- Analyse the relationships between the key influencers and opinion leaders and the related informal communications channels, for key areas of the business.
- Outcome
- Emerging view of informal communications channels with the business for use within IT management to support improved decision making capability within IT.
- Metric
- # informal communications channels identified and documented
- Practice
- Hold regular social events that are open to staff at all levels, e.g. team building exercises, Sports & Social groups, company-wide fundraising events, etc.
- Outcomes
- Staff become more engaged with their colleagues throughout the organization.
- There is a better ‘team spirit’.
- Reduces ‘them and us’ mentality.
- The value of social initiatives begins to be understood.
- Metrics
- $ funding available to support social initiatives.
- % job satisfaction.
- #/% staff participating in social initiatives.
- #/% IT staff participating in social initiatives.
- 4Advanced
- Practice
- Communicate the documented organizational profile to IT staff by IT managers and project leads.
- Outcomes
- IT has an understanding of its customers, their issues, and interests.
- Relationship management activities proceed from an holistic rather than an IT perspective.
- Metrics
- % customer satisfaction (internal customers).
- % IT staff receiving this information.
- Practices
- Run joint briefing sessions between IT and the rest of the business for staff at all levels of the organization.
- Establish staff development programmes, e.g. mentoring, job shadowing, job rotation, orientation for new staff, etc.
- Outcomes
- Reciprocal information sharing between IT and business.
- IT staff have a greater understanding of their fit with the business and are developing an appreciation of how IT interacts with the business.
- Metrics
- # briefing sessions held.
- # orientation programmes run.
- # staff development programmes available.
- # IT staff attending staff development programmes.
- # business staff attending staff development programmes.
- % IT staff attending staff development programmes.
- Practice
- Analyse the relationships between key influencers and opinion leaders and the related informal communications channels across the organization for use within IT and share it amongst appropriate IT staff.
- Outcome
- Thorough analysis of the informal information flows and patterns of behaviour between IT and the rest of the business to support actionable basis for relationship planning.
- Metrics
- # informal communications channels identified and documented.
- # IT staff information shared with.
- Practice
- Social initiatives are well-established within the organization, with staff of all levels involved
- Outcomes
- Staff at all levels of the organization are more engaged with each other.
- The impact of the organization's social initiatives begins to benefit the organization's brand.
- The value of such initiatives to the organization is understood.
- Metrics
- $ funding available to support social initiatives.
- % job satisfaction.
- #/% staff participating in social initiatives.
- #/% IT staff participating in social initiatives.
- Brand ROI of social initiatives.
- 5Optimized
- Practice
- Test the organizational profile against experience and amended as necessary to ensure that it accurately reflects the organization.
- Outcome
- Enables continuous improvements in the organizational profile and creates confidence in its improved accuracy.
- Metric
- # changes to profiling process arising from continuous improvement
- Practice
- Make formal staff development programmes, e.g. mentoring, job shadowing, job rotation, orientation for new staff, etc. available to staff of all levels.
- Outcomes
- The interactions between IT and the rest of the business are well-understood.
- Staff have a deep appreciation of each others' roles and responsibilities and how they can support each other.
- Metrics
- # briefing sessions held.
- # orientation programmes run.
- % IT staff completed orientation programme (or have equivalent knowledge).
- # staff development programmes available.
- # IT staff attending staff development programmes.
- # business staff attending staff development programmes.
- % IT staff attending staff development programmes.
- Practice
- Use a common approach to analyse the relationships between key influencers and opinion leaders and the related informal communications channels across the organization for use within IT and to share it amongst appropriate staff.
- Outcomes
- Thorough analysis of the informal information flows and patterns of behaviour between IT and the rest of the business.
- Defined access to this information for appropriate IT staff supports actionable basis for relationship planning.
- Metrics
- # informal communications channels identified and documented.
- # IT staff information shared with.
- Frequency of updates.
- Practice
- There is a comprehensive and established programme of social initiatives within the organization available to staff at all levels.
- Outcomes
- Social engaged staff at all levels throughout the organization.
- Personal effectiveness and efficiency is increased as staff can leverage their social contacts as well as their professional contacts.
- Investment in such social initiatives is understood to benefit the organization brand.
- Metrics
- $ funding available to support social initiatives.
- % job satisfaction.
- #/% staff participating in social initiatives.
- #/% IT staff participating in social initiatives.
- Brand ROI of social initiatives.