MANAGING BENEFITS
This is about planning and managing the overall delivery of benefits from the programme. The activities cover tracking the benefits from their initial identification to their successful realisation. This process also covers managing the transformation from old to new ways of working while ensuring that business as usual is maintained. The process is repeated through each tranche of the programme.
1. Establishing Benefits Measurement
What you need to do
To measure improvements resulting from benefits realisation, the 'before' or 'as is' state needs to be measured and baselined in the Benefits Profile.
Benefits realisation, which happens towards the end of the benefits management process, is reinforced by the implementation of relevant measurement processes.
Points to consider
Providing realistic and usable measures for benefit realisation is not straightforward. Benefits may be owned by different parts of the organisation. Some benefits can be tracked using financial measures, others will need more complex measures, or indicators, to demonstrate their realisation.
2. Refining the Benefits Profile
What you need to do
The Benefits Profile should be managed and controlled as rigorously as costs. It will need to be reassessed and adjusted as necessary during the programme.
Points to consider
Conduct regular reviews of the main benefits led by key stakeholders from the business or operational areas and facilitated by the programme.
3. Benefits Monitoring
What you need to do
Progress should be monitored against the Business Case, the Programme Plan, the Benefits Realisation Plan and the Blueprint. Adjustments may be identified from a range of events or circumstances:
· Business operations may be unstable
· Forward plans are no longer realistic · External circumstances changing
Programme's objectives being re-focused.
Points to consider
Some projects may not contribute to benefits in their own right, but they may be providing prerequisites for other projects that will contribute to realisation of benefits.
Linkages between enablers, improved capability and business outcomes should be clearly mapped and tracked over time.
4. Transformation Management
What you need to do
The Transition Plan (part of the Programme Plan) provides the route map for implementation of the changes.
Managing the transition will also require careful consideration of individuals' personal concerns about what the changes will mean to them. This should be co-ordinated as part of managing the programmes communications.
Points to consider
Benefits Management should be an integral part of normal good management and service improvement, but the principles of effective change leadership and people skills are especially important in maximising the expected outcoes fo change.
5. Supporting Benefit Realisation
What you need to do
The embedding of new capability into the business such that it becomes business as usual is where benefits realisation occurs. New ways of working will inevitably require a settling down period and may produce dis-benefits and additional costs. The Business Change Manager(s), supported by the programme, should ensure the programme provides sufficient support during this period.
Points to consider
Some benefits may not mature for some time after programme closure. A continuous improvement philosophy should be established such that the organisation is able to encourage further improvements in performance. There may be a need to ensure that a means is in place to continue to measure the benefits.
6. Measuring Benefits
What you need to do
The Benefits Profile provides the baseline before measurement and details of the measurement of improvements.
Points to consider
Measuring benefit achievement should focus on the improvements in performance achieved by the business operations and changed working practices.
No comments:
Post a Comment