Technology Business
Management Executive
Foundation Certificate
SYLLABUS
Updated: May 2021
©2016 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Contents
The Technology Business Management Executive Foundation Certificate ... Error! Bookmark not defined.
The Importance of Certification ................................................................................................................ 1
Learning Outcomes ................................................................................................................................... 1
Target Group ............................................................................................................................................. 2
TBM Council Designation .......................................................................................................................... 2
Certification Prerequisites ........................................................................................................................ 3
Course Providers ....................................................................................................................................... 5
Course Topics and Content ....................................................................................................................... 5
Reference Materials ................................................................................................................................ 10
Examination Format................................................................................................................................ 12
About the Technology Business Management Council .............................................................................. 13
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Purpose of this Guide
This guide provides an overview of the course, a recommended approach for onboarding as an
instructor, links to and descriptions of resources, expectations and best practices, and more.
The Technology Business Management (TBM) Council is proud to offer the first-ever education program
designed for tomorrow’s business-savvy technology leaders. The TBM Executive Foundation course
provides IT and finance leaders (managers, directors, VPs, CXOs) the essential knowledge for running a
successful TBM program and for driving a business transformation within IT. This course teaches the
importance of TBM for changing the conversations between IT leaders and their business partners, the
tools and disciplines needed for TBM, the key roles in the TBM office, TBM stakeholders, TBM metrics
for managing business value, and how to use TBM to improve business outcomes. Candidates will have
the option of taking a certification test, giving them a new credential to demonstrate business acumen.
The Importance of Certification
Getting certified by the TBM Council provides the following benefits:
▪ Professionals will demonstrate their knowledge of a broad range of business management
disciplines for IT and key tools such as the TBM framework and taxonomy.
▪ Professionals will add a new designation to their resume that will distinguish them in the job
market based on business acumen (as opposed to purely technical acumen).
▪ CIOs will gain confidence in their ability to implement an effective TBM program knowing their
senior leaders who are certified have the necessary knowledge.
▪ CIOs will be able to cost-effectively improve the business acumen of their senior team members
who aspire for greater career development.
▪ The certification program will help ensure the integrity of TBM practices, accelerating global
adoption and further legitimizing TBM as a professional discipline.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, candidates shall understand:
▪ The need for Technology Business Management in the modern enterprise
▪ The role of transparency in driving efficiency and shaping demand
▪ The essential tools of TBM, including the framework, taxonomy, model, and metrics
▪ The key TBM disciplines including creating transparency, delivering value for money, shaping
demand and planning for value
▪ The four value conversations of TBM and their associated management metrics
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 1
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
▪ How to drive continuous improvement with TBM
▪ How to apply the tools and disciplines of TBM beyond IT
Target Student Profile
The target profile of the TBM Executive Foundation certificate is drawn from:
▪ IT, finance or other business professionals who need a basic understanding of the TBM
framework and how it may be used to enhance the business value and outcomes of IT spending,
resources and investments.
▪ IT professionals who work for an organization that has adopted TBM and need to be able to
contribute to an ongoing TBM program.
This group may include but is not limited to the following:
▪ Heads of IT Finance (CFOs of IT, VP/Director of IT finance)
▪ TBM Program Directors (including aspiring program directors)
▪ Members of the Office of the CIO (OCIO)
▪ IT Vice Presidents (tower or silo leaders)
▪ Senior FP&A professionals supporting IT departments
▪ IT program and portfolio management (PPM/PMO) leaders
▪ Service management leaders
▪ IT strategy and transformation professionals
▪ Senior IT project managers
▪ IT governance and risk management professionals
▪ Independent consultants providing TBM, ITSM, IT4IT, GRC and related offerings
TBM Council Designation
Professionals who complete the certification requirements set forth in this syllabus will be designated
“Certified TBM Executive” (CTBME®) by the TBM Council. They are authorized to use the CTBME
designation on their resume and in professional communications. They are also authorized to use the
following logos in reference to their credentials:
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 2
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Certification Prerequisites
To earn certification from the TBM Council, the candidate must meet the following requirements before
or after successfully passing the certification exam (see above).
Education Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or greater in business administration, economics,
finance, management information systems, computer science or similarly
applicable field.
- OR -
In absence of a bachelor’s degree, the candidate must have seven (7) years of
applicable Professional Experience as defined below, instead of five (5) years.
Professional The candidate must have five (5) years of full-time work experience in technology,
Experience accounting, finance, internal audit, marketing, and/or similar departments. The
candidate must have at least two years of experience (combined) in any the
following disciplines:
▪ IT financial management, including IT costing, benchmarking, budgeting,
forecasting, and variance management
▪ Change management
▪ IT strategy and planning
▪ IT project portfolio management or service portfolio management
▪ Enterprise architecture
▪ IT governance, compliance and/or risk management
▪ Program management office (PMO)
▪ Application development or management
▪ Infrastructure management
▪ Procurement and vendor management
▪ Business relationship management
▪ Systems analysis and design
Candidates must obtain and submit an email or letter of referral from either a
Referral Letter
direct supervisor or another TBM Council certified professional attesting to the
fulfillment of the education and professional experience requirements.
Please submit the letter in the same system where you take the exam. In that
learning management system, you will also see a sample email template to use as
a guide.
Candidates must acquire and maintain evidence of completing 40 hours of
Continuing
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) every two years. Relevant subjects of
Professional
study include:
Education
▪ Accounting and finance
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 3
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
▪ IT financial management, including IT costing, benchmarking, budgeting,
forecasting, and variance management
▪ TBM program management
▪ Organizational change management
▪ IT strategy and planning
▪ IT project portfolio management or service portfolio management
▪ Enterprise architecture
▪ IT governance, compliance and/or risk management
▪ Program management office (PMO)
▪ Application development or management
▪ Infrastructure management
▪ Procurement and vendor management
▪ Business relationship management
▪ Systems analysis and design
Qualifying curriculum can be obtained via:
▪ Conferences and events such as the TBM Conference, TBM Summits, ITFM
Week, and Gartner IT Finance, Procurement & Asset Management
(ITFPAM)
▪ Undergraduate and graduate college courses from accredited universities,
including online programs
▪ Web based training from qualified educators
▪ Educational webinars and seminars
Certificate holders are not required to submit evidence of CPE attainment.
However, they must retain evidence of CPE completion and make it available upon
request by the TBM Council and/or authorized parties for the purpose of CPE
audits. Audits may be performed on a random sample basis.
Biennial The standard course fee includes the certification test and maintenance fees for
Maintenance two years. After this time, candidates must pay the biennial (every two years)
Fees certification maintenance fee (not to exceed $300 US). The two year renewal date
shall be set based upon the date of course completion.
The certification date shall be established as the later of the following two dates: (A) when the exam
was passed and (B) when the candidate’s education and experience have been verified by a supervisor,
per the instructions above.
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 4
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Course and Certification Administrator
Apptio, the leading provider of TBM software solutions, is the founder and technical advisor of the TBM
Council. The TBM Council has authorized Apptio to both deliver TBM Executive Foundation Courses (as a
non-exclusive provider) and to administer and manage the examination and certification process
described in this syllabus. Apptio applies the policies and requirements set forth by the TBM Council as
defined in this syllabus and as approved by the TBM Council’s board of directors.
Course Providers
The TBM Council will, from time to time, deliver the course to students as part of publicly available
courses or private (closed) courses. In addition, the Council may accredit other instructors or providers
to deliver the TBM Executive Foundation Course according to the standards and guidelines set forth by
the Council. In this manner, the TBM Council serves as a certification body, meaning the Council sets the
standards for the course (i.e., those in this document), trains and certifies education providers, provides
white-label content for providers to use at their option (licensing fees apply), verifies certification
requirements of candidates, administers the certification exam, and delivers and maintains certification
credentials.
Education providers may organize their courseware and delivery any way they feel is most effective as
long as they sufficiently cover the topics of this syllabus. They may also include content that expands
upon the topics below in order to enrich or improve a candidate’s understanding of those topics. For
example, a provider may include case studies in TBM that come from the provider’s own direct
experience or that of others. We encourage providers to identify content that is beyond the scope of the
syllabus to help candidates understand focus areas.
You can find the list of the TBM Council Accredited Education Providers on the TBM Council web site.
Course Topics and Content
The training curriculum, materials and delivery are designed to improve a candidate’s knowledge of and
competence in Technology Business Management as described in Technology Business Management:
The Four Value Conversations CIOs Must Have With Their Businesses (ISBN 978-0-9976127-4-5) and
related documents and publications. In order to be awarded TBM Executive Foundation certification,
candidates must complete all of the following topics and pass the corresponding exam (see page 11).
The recommended course length is one and one-half (1½) to two (2) days when taught in a classroom
environment, which can include the final exam.
Unit Topic and Content
TBMEXEC01 Technology Business Management Essentials
This unit teaches the candidate core principles of TBM, including why TBM is needed
and important concepts such as tradeoffs, transparency, the economics of IT, and the
components of the TBM framework.
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 5
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Unit Topic and Content
Specifically, candidates must be able to:
▪ Describe why TBM is essential to improving the business value from IT
spending, resources and investments. (TBMB p. 3)
▪ Describe the concept of tradeoffs and why it is fundamental to value. (TBMB
pp. 9,12,19,26)
▪ Describe the concept of transparency, including operational and cost
transparency, and how it helps improve customer loyalty and boost demand.
(TBMB pp. 14-17)
▪ Explain the forces of IT economics and how they shape both supply of and
demand for IT services. (TBMB pp. 17-19)
▪ Explain how transparency improves decision by leaders distributed throughout
the enterprise. (TBMB pp. 19-21)
▪ Identify three types of initiatives that TBM helps accelerate and explain why.
(TBMB pp. 21-23)
▪ Describe the concept of value conversations and the role of facts and tradeoffs
in making them possible. (TBMB pp. 26-27)
▪ Identify the 10 major components of the TBM framework. (TBMB pp. 28-30)
▪ Describe the TBM taxonomy, its four layers and three views, and its role in
creating transparency through the TBM model. (TBMB pp. 30-36)
▪ Describe the role of the TBM model, how it differs from the TBM taxonomy,
and its role in creating transparency. (TBMB pp. 34-36)
▪ Describe the role of TBM metrics and KPIs in improving value and the four
types (based on the four value conversations). (TBMB pp. 36-37)
▪ Explain the purpose of and key requirements for an enterprise TBM system.
(TBMB pp. 37-39)
TBMEXEC02 The Foundation of TBM
This unit teaches the candidate the foundational elements of the TBM framework —
positioning for value and creating transparency.
Specifically, candidates must be able to:
▪ Describe the value chain model for a technology-enabled business. (TBMB pp.
45-48 and Figure 3-1)
▪ Identify and describe the four archetypical technology business models and
how they relate to the value chain model. (TBMB pp. 48-50 and Figure 3-2)
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 6
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Unit Topic and Content
▪ Describe the main characteristics of the expense center model and why it is
not suited for any modern enterprise. (TBMB pp. 50-51)
▪ Describe the main characteristics of the service provider model and the
limitations it exhibits in creating value for the business. (TBMB pp. 50-51)
▪ Describe the main characteristics of the value partner model and how IT
leaders can shift to this model. (TBMB pp. 53-55)
▪ Describe the main characteristics of the business driver model and how IT
leaders can shift to this model. (TBMB pp. 56-59)
▪ Explain the IT or technology organization roles (e.g., service owner, business
relationship manager) that are accountable for the business value of IT
services and how they can manage (alter) service value and shape demand.
(TBMB pp. 59-66)
▪ Describe why a modern general ledger is insufficient for providing the
transparency needed by IT leaders and their business partners for optimizing
value. (TBMB pp. 73-76)
▪ Describe the finance view of the TBM model, including the role of cost pools in
modeling and reporting IT costs. (TBMB pp. 76-77), and identify the cost pools
in the standard taxonomy (TXMY)
▪ Describe the IT view of the TBM model, including the role of IT towers in
modeling and reporting IT costs. (TBMB pp. 76-77), and identify the IT towers
in the standard taxonomy (TXMY)
▪ Describe the business view of the TBM model, including the role of services,
applications, business units and business capabilities in modeling and
reporting IT costs. (TBMB pp. 76-77), and identify the six types of services in
the standard taxonomy (TXMY)
▪ Describe the concept of allocations in modeling. (TBMB pp. 249) and the role
of data in driving good, better and best methods of allocation. (TBMB pp.
79,90-91)
▪ Describe at least four different best practices for improving trust in your
models (TBMB pp. 83-84) and the four steps for improving data quality over
time (TBMB pp. 86-87).
▪ Describe the five roles for TBM and transparency (TBM system administrator,
TBM analyst, TBM program director, executive sponsor and CFO) and why they
are essential for success. (TBMB pp. 92-94)
▪ Describe the four CFO of IT competency model roles. (TBMB Appendix B)
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 7
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Unit Topic and Content
TBMEXEC03 The Disciplines of TBM
This unit teaches the candidate the three TBM disciplines that are built on top of
transparency: delivering value for money, shaping business demand, and planning for
value.
Specifically, candidates must be able to:
▪ Describe the concept of “value for money” and why demonstrating it is
essential for IT to earn credibility and trust with its business partners. (TBMB
pp. 97-99)
▪ Identify and describe the four main techniques for managing and
demonstrating value for money. (TBMB pp. 99-110)
▪ Define the concept of benchmarking and explain its role in improving value.
(TBMB pp. 99-103)
▪ Define the concept of unit costing and the role of managing input and output
unit costs in improving value. (TBMB pp. 103-105)
▪ Describe spare capacity and three common sources of excess capacity. (TBMB
pp. 106-107)
▪ Describe the role of TBM in monitoring and managing the project portfolio.
(TBMB pp. 108-110)
▪ Describe the role of transparency in shaping (optimizing) business demand and
consumption and the savings that can be expected from improving
transparency with business partners. (TBMB pp. 115-116)
▪ Identify the four criteria that should be considered when creating
transparency with business partners. (TBMB pp. 117-118)
▪ Define the concept of a bill of IT and the core elements that should be
included in one. (TBMB pp. 118-119)
▪ Define the process of rates management and why and when rates should be
used instead of actual costs. (TBMB pp. 121-123)
▪ Explain the concept of demand levers and the role of fixed and variable costs
in creating effective levers. (TBMB pp. 123-125)
▪ Describe the purpose of an IT budget and why traditional (non-TBM)
approaches to IT budgeting and planning lead to defensive budgeting or a lack
of business alignment. (TBMB pp. 127-132)
▪ Describe the difference between baseline budgeting and zero-based budgeting
and how TBM enables a hybrid approach to budgeting. (TBMB pp. 132-134)
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 8
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Unit Topic and Content
▪ Explain how TBM augments the budgeting cycle with improved scrutiny of IT
spending and better justification of IT4IT investments. (TBMB pp. 134-136)
TBMEXEC04 The Value Conversations and KPIs of TBM
This unit teaches the candidate the four types of value conversations of TBM and the
key performance indicators (KPIs) of each.
Specifically, candidates must be able to:
▪ Describe the concept of cost for performance and identify four areas of IT —
infrastructure, outsourcers, labor and services — where it can be improved
using the disciplines of TBM. (TBMB pp. 143-148)
▪ Describe the role and benefits of time tracking data in TBM decision making.
(TBMB p. 146)
▪ Describe the concept of portfolio alignment and identify four types of
portfolios — services and applications, technologies and platforms, vendors
and suppliers, and data centers — where it can be improved using the
disciplines of TBM. (TBMB pp. 148-158)
▪ Define the what-if scenario and how it can be used to help drive application
rationalization decisions. (TBMB p. 151)
▪ Describe the TIME model and how it can be paired with other investment
dimensions — new, enhance, maintain and replace — to identify misaligned
resources. (TBMB pp. 152-154)
▪ Identify and describe the four cost for performance KPIs and the four business-
aligned portfolio KPIs. (TBMB pp. 158-162)
▪ Compare and contrast legacy IT with IT as a business, identifying at least three
main differences in the way they operate. (TBMB pp. 166-167)
▪ Describe why agile methods of software development present problems for
traditional financial management techniques and why many IT departments
are shifting to a TCO approach for governing both run-the-business and
change-the-business spending in IT services. (TBMB pp. 168-173)
▪ Describe the danger of comingling innovation funding with the rest of the IT
budget and how TBM can help protect innovation funds from budget cuts.
(TBMB pp. 173-176)
▪ Describe how TBM helps justify and defend shared investments in both IT
towers (e.g., infrastructure) and services. (TBMB pp. 176-178)
▪ Describe the role of fixed and variable costs in enterprise agility and how TBM
helps IT leaders improve agility via their cost structure. (TBMB pp. 178-183)
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 9
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Unit Topic and Content
▪ Define discretionary vs. non-discretionary investments and how discretionary
investment levels improve agility. (TBMB pp. 182-183)
▪ Describe the role of cloud computing in improving enterprise agility and the
role of TBM in driving cloud adoption. (TBMB pp. 184-185)
▪ Describe the role of TBM in enabling a data-driven IT business, improving data
quality and accelerating decision making. (TBMB pp. 186-189)
▪ Identify and describe the four investment in innovation KPIs and the five
enterprise agility KPIs. (TBMB pp. 189-194)
TBMEXEC05 Maturing TBM and Going Beyond IT
This unit teaches the candidate the best practices for honing TBM disciplines and
continuously improving, including driving a roadmap for TBM that may extend beyond
the traditional boundaries of the IT organization.
Specifically, candidates must be able to:
▪ Describe the importance of having measured business goals based on the key
TBM metrics. (TBMB pp. 198-200)
▪ Define the essential elements of effective program governance, including
executive sponsorship, communication, and oversight. (TBMB pp. 200-202)
▪ Identify and describe the five core processes of TBM and describe three non-
core processes that are augmented by TBM. (TBMB pp. 203-205)
▪ Describe the factors that should shape a TBM roadmap and the three phases
of a common roadmap. (TBMB pp. 205-207)
▪ Describe the importance of establishing shared ownership between IT,
finance, and the lines of business for TBM. (TBMB pp. 207-209)
▪ Describe the importance of evolving data, modeling, and analytics to
improving value. (TBMB p. 209)
▪ Define insight hunting and value tracking and why both are important for the
success of the TBM program. (TBMB pp. 210-212)
▪ Describe how TBM disciplines and tools can be applied to non-IT areas, e.g.,
shared services, business operations, business techs. (TBMB Chapter 11)
Reference Materials
The following documents should be used by the candidate to prepare for the TBM Executive Foundation
certification course and exam:
▪ TBMB = Technology Business Management: The Four Value Conversations CIOs Must Have With
Their Businesses by Todd Tucker (ISBN 978-0-9976127-4-5)
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 10
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
▪ TXMY = TBM Taxonomy (Version 4.0)
These documents can be found online in the TBM Education & Certification community here:
https://community.tbmcouncil.org/communities/tbm-taxonomy-community-
home?CommunityKey=4a425b76-7a58-4990-8bf2-1e3ea366288c.
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 11
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
Examination Format
This syllabus has an accompanying examination at which the candidate must achieve a pass score to
gain the TBM Executive Foundation Certificate.
Type Multiple choice, 60 questions. The questions are selected from the full Technology
Business Management Executive Foundation certification exam question bank.
Duration 120 minutes
Prerequisite Completion of the Technology Business Management Executive Foundation
certification course by a TBM Council Accredited Education Provider is required.
Supervised No.
Open Book No. It is on the student’s honor to take the exam without the student guide, notes
or other aids.
Pass Score 42/60 or 70%
Delivery The exam is offered online and administered directly by the TBM Council.
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 12
TBM Executive Foundation Syllabus
©2021 Technology Business Management Council. All Rights Reserved.
About the Technology Business Management Council
The Technology Business Management (TBM) Council is a nonprofit business entity focused on
developing a definitive framework for managing the business of IT. It is governed by an independent
board of business technology leaders from a diverse group of the world's most innovative companies.
The TBM Council established a set of tools and best practices including organizational traits,
management disciplines, a common taxonomy, and metrics. Members are encouraged to develop and
contribute to their understanding of TBM through the Council’s research, standards, education
offerings, and community engagements. Members collaborate with their peers through an annual global
conference, regional meetings, and an online community.
www.TBMCouncil.org Page 13
