If Dale Carnegie were leading IT today, I think he’d be a big fan of BTRs. Why? Because at their best, Business & Technology Reviews (BTRs) aren’t about slides or status updates.

They’re about relationships.

And as Carnegie taught:
“Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.”
“Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.”

Most IT-business breakdowns happen when these principles get lost:

• IT talks about systems
• The business talks about outcomes
• Both sides feel disconnected

A quarterly BTR helps fix that.

What is a Business-Technology Review?

A BTR is a quarterly conversation between IT and business leaders. It’s a rhythm—not an event—that drives alignment, transparency, and trust.

Every BTR asks three simple questions:

• What did we say we’d do?
• What did we deliver?
• What needs to change moving forward?

But more importantly, it forces IT leaders to:

👉 Talk in business terms, not IT terms

👉 Listen to what matters most to stakeholders

👉 Build trust through transparency—even when the conversation is messy

Alignment and trust aren’t built through better reports. They’re built through better relationships.

Why now?

If you’re leading IT today, you’re not just managing technology. You’re managing relationships—and those relationships shape IT’s ability to lead.

And yet, I’ve seen this happen again and again:

• Programs launch without clear alignment
• Stakeholders get surprised late in the game
• Trust erodes—not because IT isn’t working hard, but because it isn’t staying connected

The fix? Not another report. Not another dashboard.

A cadence of real conversation centered around your stakeholders—this is where BTRs come in.

Why it matters

Too many organizations still treat alignment as a once-a-year exercise.

But trust and agility are built through rhythm—not in one big moment.

That’s why I’m an advocate for BTRs: They turn alignment into a habit—not a heroic effort.

When done well, they create space for:

• Honest conversation—not just status updates
• Shared ownership of outcomes—not just project metrics
• Early course correction—not late-stage fire drills

BTRs help IT and the business stay in sync—before things drift off course.

What’s next?

In the next few posts, I’ll share real stories—good, bad, and messy—of BTRs in action.

Because if you’re serious about driving transformation, your BTR cadence may be the most important leadership tool you haven’t fully leveraged yet.