The class was great for someone like me who is just learning about the TBM framework. I came in with the basics, and this helped solidify some things for me. Stephanie was also a great presenter. She kept my attention and I could tell she knew what she was talking about and she enjoyed it too.
Another attendee described a technical session this way:
Very insightful. Just technical enough to plant new seeds.
RegoU always keeps the focus on learning, not sales pressure. One attendee put it plainly:
I find it to be one of the most useful conferences I’ve ever attended because Rego is not trying to really sell you anything. They’re really there to teach you how to use Apptio tools and to give you tips and structures. It’s low pressure.
That low-pressure environment helped people ask better questions, compare experiences, and leave with practical next steps.
Connected Strategy: Linking Work, Spend, AI, and Outcomes
Connected strategy helps teams do more than define where the organization wants to go. It gives team a shared way to plan, track, adapt, and make better decisions along the way.
The Apptio Summit helped participants learn how financial transparency, portfolio planning, delivery execution, governance, adoption, and reporting can work together as part of one broader operating model to while connecting TBM, FinOps, SPM, Agile, Apptio, Cloudability, Targetprocess, and strategic OCM.
- This connected view supports technology leaders, who are being asked to make better decisions faster. They need to understand where money is going, what work is being funded, how teams are executing, and whether those investments are creating business value.
Roadmaps offered one practical example of how RegoU helped attendees turn strategy into action. Attendees explored how clear, outcome-driven roadmaps can align strategic objectives with delivery plans, visualize progress, and help teams communicate priorities across stakeholders.
For many attendees, the conversations around financial management and Strategic Portfolio Management were especially useful. Modern technology organizations need to understand how strategy flows into planning, how planning connects to execution, and how execution ties back to financial and business outcomes.
Oree Heard, a strategic IT leader, described the value this way:
It has been very good to be able to be part of the conversations, to look at the financial management side of things and then look at the strategic portfolio management, and then really talking about how the two come together.
The learning also encompassed AI. As organizations increase AI investment, TBM and FinOps practices are essential for understanding not only what AI costs, but how much value those investments are expected to produce. Participants learned how TBM can help organizations understand the total cost of AI investments and connect those costs to business value.
Doug Mooney of IBM Apptio echoed that urgency:
Companies should be considering how they plan for, and attribute the value of, their current AI investments.
Understanding AI value will only become more important as AI moves from experimentation to enterprise operating reality. Leaders will need better ways to plan, measure, optimize, and explain those investments. TBM for AI gives organizations a practical path to make those conversations more grounded.
Change That Sticks: Why Adoption Became One of the Biggest “Ah-Ha!” Moments
The strategic organizational change management courses gave attendees practical ways to think about adoption, leadership alignment, communication, engagement, governance, feedback loops, and long-term behavior change. These topics resonated because many teams have lived the familiar story: the technology is built, the launch happens, the reports are ready, and then adoption depends on whether people understand the value and know how to work differently.
The Apptio Summit’s change management conversations were led by Angie Head, whose background includes more than 20 years of global change management expertise. Her approach helped attendees look beyond training and one-way communications, and towards strategic change planning, communications and engagement, leadership alignment, building change networks, and bidirectional feedback.
Attendees experienced breakthroughs when they connected with several practical ideas:
Participants were pleased to learn that Rego Consulting offers global strategic change management services. These services include communications and stakeholder engagement, leadership support, change network development, change impact and readiness assessments, feedback mechanisms, and tailored change strategies designed to meet each organization’s unique need and level of maturity.
OCM helps bind the strategy, tools, processes, and people to drive successful outcomes. This support is especially valuable for organizations implementing or integrating practices such as TBM, FinOps, SPM, Agile, and Apptio, where alignment across multiple disciplines is critical to achieving lasting change.
A new RegoU attendee reached out after the “Change That Sticks” session:
I had the opportunity to attend several of your sessions at Rego University in Chicago. I wanted to reach out to let you know how insightful and inspiring we found your presentations on change management. The topics you addressed resonated strongly with us and felt very much aligned with the situation we are currently experiencing.
Peer-Powered Learning: Expert Guidance, Shared Experience
RegoU is built around expert instruction, and this year’s feedback showed that attendees valued the quality of the instructors.
But the learning did not stop with the person at the front of the room. Peer collaboration enhanced the sessions and gave attendees a chance to learn from others facing similar challenges.
Participants felt comfortable learning from Rego’s expert guides, and also sharing their own experiences. In several roundtables and conversations, attendees were able to offer practical advice to one another: “We just went through that. Here’s what we’d do differently.”
RegoU provides intentional space for networking to extend the learning experience. This gave attendees space to compare challenges, swap practical ideas, and build relationships with peers who are navigating similar TBM, FinOps, SPM, and Apptio journeys.
Open labs added another practical layer to the experience, giving attendees time with Rego experts to explore real questions, discuss reporting capabilities, and look at emerging areas like AI in a more hands-on setting.
Doug Mooney of IBM Apptio described the benefit of that collaboration well:
Attend RegoU because the collaboration is very insightful. It helps folks understand that they’re not alone. Other people have successfully made the journey, and you’ll get insights and connections that will be very useful now and in the future.
This was a very engaging session and I think we could have talked for two hours! Rob was super knowledgeable!
At RegoU, strong instruction meets the right audience, and sessions can become more than a presentations. They become working conversations.
Partner Spotlight: IBM Apptio
Thank you to IBM Apptio for helping make Rego University Apptio Summit Chicago 2026 a valuable, collaborative experience for attendees. Together, Rego and IBM Apptio continue to help organizations mature their TBM, FinOps, SPM, and technology investment management practices.
Rego and IBM Apptio bring complementary strengths to the table:
As Doug Mooney, Director of Alliances & Partners for IBM Apptio, shared,
Rego has deep expertise in making IBM Apptio solutions work for our clients.
A Community That Keeps Learning After RegoU
The strongest events do not end with the closing reception, and RegoU is no exception. Participants gained ideas, relationships, and practical next steps.
Some of that momentum continued outside the formal agenda, too. At an informal client dinner, attendees shared what they were working on, talked through future goals and challenges, and kept the same collaborative energy going in a more relaxed setting.
And of course, a Chicago summit would not be complete without time to enjoy the city, connect over meals, and make the experience memorable beyond the classroom.
The 2026 Apptio Summit also showed the growing reach of the RegoU community. Attendees traveled from outside the U.S., including Germany and Buenos Aires, which indicates expanding global interest in TBM and related practices. As organizations around the world look for better ways to manage technology spend, cloud investments, portfolio decisions, and AI value, RegoU continues to offer a place where those conversations can happen with depth and warmth.
When teams connect strategy, tools, people, and outcomes, they leave with more than information. They leave with momentum.
Ready to Keep Learning?
Keep the momentum going.
Rego’s consultants have seen these challenges before and can help your team turn questions into practical next steps.
About the Author: Liz Rodgers
