#IAmBRM: Jana McDonald
Over the past few months, we’ve interviewed individuals from the single global Business Relationship Management community who stand out as extraordinary BRMs. Collecting these stories is part of our preparation for the World BRMConnect Conference in October. This week’s #IAmBRM spotlight lands on a 2018 Top BRM, Jana McDonald for the value she brings to everyone at Texas A&M University.
Over the past few months, we’ve interviewed individuals from the global Business Relationship Management community who stand out as extraordinary BRMs. Collecting these stories is part, of our preparation for the World BRMConnect Conference in October. This week’s #IAmBRM spotlight lands on a 2018 Top BRM, Jana McDonald for the value she brings to everyone at Texas A&M University.
With an enrollment total of nearly 70,000 students, serving as Texas A&M’s technology coordinator does not come without difficulties. We asked Jana about her greatest struggle as a BRM, and she responded, “Finding the time to sit down individually with each of our partners to create the value plans and roadmaps on how we can improve the overall relationships and move up the [BRM] ladder.” This lack of face time for all partners highlights a key problem for many BRMs. If you can’t spend adequate time with your partners, then how can you expect to generate optimal business value?
Jana finds support for this, and other challenges in the greater BRM Community. She cites the benefits of the BRMConnect Conference as an example. “[BRMConnect] allows us to see what other institutions are doing to solve problems, how they are interacting with their partners and peers, and how we can learn from the challenges they have faced. There is a wealth of knowledge at the conferences, and I always come back armed with more tools in my arsenal to be able to do my job more effectively.”
The BRMConnect Conference takes place only once a year, leaving plenty of time throughout the year to explore other forms of community support. In response to this, Jana turns to the benefits she receives as a professional member of BRM Institute. She appreciates the ability to easily reach out to peers across industries and learn how they solve problems. The abundance of articles and information about BRM processes, models, and techniques provides her with “a wealth of information at our fingertips.”
At the end of the day, the constant support from the worldwide BRM community empowers BRMs to perform their best work. “#IAmBRM means I am responsible for fostering the relationships between my organization, the Division of IT, and our partners across campus. It is my goal to provide better communication, higher levels of customer service satisfaction, and increase value for our peers and partners across the University.”
Thank you, Jana, for proudly representing the name of BRMs everywhere, and we look forward to your participation in this year’s BRMConnect Conference.