Sixth annual global study expands focus into AI value realization, organizational culture, and change leadership to help leaders maximize technology investments.
BELLEVUE, Wash. – June 1, 2026 – The Technology Business Management (TBM) Council, a global nonprofit business organization dedicated to advancing the discipline of TBM, today officially launched the 2026 State of Technology Business Management (State of TBM) survey. Recognized as the world’s most comprehensive annual study of how technology and finance leaders manage the business of IT, the survey provides a critical global benchmark for organizations aiming to optimize investments, accelerate innovation, and align technology with corporate strategy.
Now in its sixth year since its 2021 relaunch, the State of TBM report delivers robust, real-world data from hundreds of technology, finance, and TBM practitioners worldwide. While past studies established baseline metrics for cost transparency, the 2026 research pivots toward how organizations are actively evolving their operating models to drive tangible enterprise value, manage modern risk, and master complex transformation.
Special Focus Areas for 2026
The 2026 survey explores the maturity, adoption, and impact of TBM practices across industries and geographies, with an emphasis on next-generation business challenges:
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AI Value Realization: Tracking how organizations fund, govern, and measure the return on artificial intelligence investments.
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Operating Model Integration & FinOps: Evaluating the deepening convergence of TBM with Cloud Financial Management (FinOps) and Agile product funding models.
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Change Leadership & Culture: Overcoming organizational silos and fostering alignment across business, technology, and finance teams.
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Expanded Governance Domains: Exploring TBM’s extension into corporate sustainability, compliance, and risk.
“The State of TBM program is one of the ways we understand how organizations are advancing their ability to model and manage the full value of technology,” said Justin Mann, Head of Standards, Research, & Education at the TBM Council. “This year, we are looking more deeply at how organizations are building fully burdened financial models across labor, infrastructure, depreciation, contracts, cloud, software, and other technology costs — especially as they plan and govern complex AI solutions. That includes understanding whether teams can model scenarios such as training on-premises versus in the public cloud, or forecasting the cost of inference across different environments. We are also examining how TBM is evolving as an umbrella framework for technology value management, connecting financial models with other dimensions of value such as cybersecurity, experience, sustainability, and standards including FinOps, NIST, and ServiceNow’s CSDM.”
Insights and Trends From the Field
The 2026 survey builds on a half-decade of clear macroeconomic shifts captured in previous reports. Benchmarks from the most recent 2025 data show that TBM has firmly transitioned from a niche tactical tool to a core strategic necessity:
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TBM is Executive Table Stakes: 81% of technology executives now view TBM as an essential component of their business operating model.
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Better Strategic Outcomes: 79% of practitioners report measurably improved investment decisions and planning capabilities.
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The Rise of Product and Cloud: 55% of organizations have fully integrated their TBM and FinOps practices, while 54% are actively utilizing Agile product-level funding rather than traditional project-based models.
Participant Rewards and How to Join
The TBM Council invites technology, business, and finance leaders worldwide to contribute their insights to the 2026 study. The survey takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and utilizes quick-response formats.
In appreciation of their time, participants can choose one of the following rewards upon completion:
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A $100 discount code for the new TBM Training & Certification eStore (launching July 2026).
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A 20% discount code for registration to the annual TBM Conference 2026, held in Miami, Florida, from November 9–11 (a $240 value).
All participants will also receive early access to the key research findings and an exclusive opportunity to benchmark their organization’s TBM maturity directly against global peers.
To participate in the study or learn more about the methodology, please visit the official TBM Council Survey Portal.
About the Technology Business Management Council
The TBM Council is a global nonprofit business entity dedicated to promoting and advancing the practice of Technology Business Management (TBM). It serves as a premier forum for IT, finance, and business professionals to share knowledge, collaborate on best practices, and collaborate across industries. The TBM Council plays a crucial role in setting global standards and guidelines for TBM practices, ensuring consistency, transparency, and quality across the industry. It offers widely recognized educational programs, professional certifications, and training materials to support the career development of technology leaders. For more information, or to become a member, please visit www.tbmcouncil.org.
Media Contact
Email: info@tbmcouncil.org
Address: 11100 NE 8th St. Suite 600, Bellevue, WA 98004