The Original TBM Framework

The Original TBM Framework

The original Technology Business Management (TBM) Framework is a foundational structure that helps organizations align technology investments, services, and operations with business outcomes. The framework provides a clear roadmap for organizations to connect technology to business value by focusing on the essential conversations and capabilities that bridge IT, finance, and business leaders.

Centered around four essential Value Conversations, the TBM Framework is organized into a series of supporting elements that enable transparency, informed decision-making, and strategic alignment. Together, these components help organizations understand where their technology resources are being spent, how those investments are performing, and how they can be improved to drive greater business impact.

The original TBM Framework was first introduced in Technology Business Management: The Four Value Conversations CIOs Must Have With Their Businesses, the foundational book that defined TBM as a discipline. 

Structure of the Original TBM Framework

The TBM Framework is built from the bottom up, starting with foundational capabilities and progressing toward strategic conversations and continuous improvement. Each layer supports the next, creating a complete system for managing technology as a business.

Position for Value (Foundational Layer)

At the foundation of the framework, Position for Value establishes the essential components organizations need to support TBM practices effectively. This includes the data, tools, roles, and operating models required to deliver meaningful insights and drive decision-making.

Positioning for value means creating a strong base of cost, consumption, and performance data, supported by the right people and governance structures, so that technology investments and operations can be analyzed, optimized, and aligned with business needs.

Create Transparency

Once foundational elements are in place, Create Transparency focuses on making IT costs, services, and investments visible to stakeholders. Transparency is critical to understanding how technology resources are used, who is consuming them, and how much they cost.

This layer enables fact-based conversations between IT and business leaders, building trust and shared understanding around technology spending and performance. It also forms the basis for identifying opportunities for improvement and optimization.

Deliver Value for Money

Deliver Value for Money ensures that organizations are maximizing the value received from technology investments. This layer supports efforts to assess whether technology services are provided efficiently, whether investments align with business priorities, and how IT can optimize spending without sacrificing outcomes.

Delivering value for money often requires benchmarking against peers, measuring performance, and analyzing cost-effectiveness—all grounded in the transparency created in earlier stages.

Value Conversations

At the heart of the framework are the Four Value Conversations, grouped into two categories that address both “Run the Business” and “Change the Business” priorities. These conversations align IT and business leaders around technology’s role in delivering business value:

Run the Business

These conversations focus on optimizing existing services and operations:

• Cost for Performance: Understanding what the organization spends on technology and what value it receives in return. This conversation addresses service costs, consumption patterns, and performance levels—enabling decisions on how to balance cost and quality.
• Business-Aligned Portfolio: Ensuring that IT services, applications, and assets are aligned with business needs. This conversation helps identify whether the right services are being delivered to the right consumers and whether those services support business goals.

Change the Business

These conversations focus on strategic investments that drive innovation and agility:

• Investment in Innovation: Understanding and guiding how the organization invests in new technologies and capabilities to enable growth, innovation, and competitive advantage.
• Enterprise Agility: Ensuring that IT and business are equipped to respond to change—whether market shifts, new opportunities, or risks. This conversation focuses on how technology can support rapid adaptation and flexible delivery.

Together, these conversations enable alignment between IT and business leaders, making it possible to optimize today’s services while planning for future growth and transformation.

Shape Business Demand

Shape Business Demand helps organizations proactively manage how the business consumes technology services. Rather than simply responding to demand, IT works with business leaders to shape and influence consumption to balance cost, quality, and value.

By shaping demand, organizations can avoid unnecessary costs, ensure that IT resources are allocated effectively, and align technology services with true business needs. This layer enables demand-based planning and creates a foundation for sustainable IT service delivery.

Plan and Govern

Plan and Govern establishes the processes and structures needed to ensure that technology investments are aligned with business strategy and that IT operates with clear accountability.

This layer supports:

• Strategic planning of IT investments
• Budgeting and forecasting based on business priorities
• Governance processes that guide decision-making and accountability

By embedding TBM insights into planning and governance, organizations can ensure that IT delivers on its commitments and contributes to business goals.

Continuously Improve

At the top of the framework, Continuously Improve reflects the goal of ongoing optimization and value delivery. TBM is not a one-time effort—it is a continuous practice of using data and insights to identify opportunities for improvement, make informed decisions, and adapt to changing business needs.

Continuous improvement is achieved by:

• Monitoring performance and cost trends
• Benchmarking against peers and industry standards
• Engaging in regular value conversations to assess progress
• Adjusting investments and strategies based on results

By embracing continuous improvement, organizations ensure that TBM remains a dynamic part of their management system—driving ongoing value from technology investments.

In Closing

The original TBM Framework provides a practical and structured way to manage technology as a business. Through foundational capabilities, transparency, value conversations, and governance, organizations can optimize technology investments, align IT with business strategy, and continuously improve outcomes.

Although TBM has since evolved to include expanded models and standards (such as the TBM Taxonomy), this framework remains a powerful tool for organizations starting their TBM journey or focusing on executive alignment and value conversations.

Next Steps

While you’re here, join the TBM Council to connect with peers and stay updated on all things TBM. Explore our communities to see how others are tackling similar challenges, or check out our Knowledge Base for insights, case studies, and how-to guidance. You can also attend an upcoming event, pursue training or certification, or see how our partners are contributing to this area of TBM practice.