Benefits realisation

The challenge

Implementing the technology and training the staff how to use it is the easy bit. Compromises made in order to go live on time need to be put right in order to deliver what was promised. Whereas stakeholders understand that new systems take time to bed-in, the reality of having to work with less than perfect-fitting technology and processes is harsh on the users and the project team alike.

The project board will feel pressured to respond and the project team can find themselves in a reactive situation that is difficult to control. The business will find staff overstretched to deliver an acceptable service and may make hasty changes to business processes which can chip away at the overall effectiveness of the project and the benefits it delivers.

The organisation needs to be able to demonstrate that it is making effective use of its resources and needs to be confident that its investment decisions support its strategy. Cranfield University has published results of recent research into organisations' benefits management capability which show:

Only 31% were satisfied with the way business cases were developed.
68% were not satisfied with their identification of benefits.
63% never or rarely included costs for indirect business change.
81% did not adequately evaluate and review how well the benefits had been realised.

The research shows a high correlation between the maturity of an organisation's benefits management capability and the percentage of projects that deliver the expected benefits and management satisfaction.

How can we help you?

Delivering a project doesn't finish at go-live, we need to deliver the benefits we promised in the business case, and help the organisation realise performance and efficiency improvements from those benefits. Often the focus of the project team is on getting the system in, rather than helping the organisation to prepare itself for the new system. The emphasis needs to change in order for the organisation to get the most from the project.

Coraledge can help your organisation achieve the benefits it expects from the project, and vitally we can help you demonstrate that the benefits have been achieved. We have a great deal of experience in helping organisations get the most from their projects.

At a strategic level our aim is to help improve the benefits management capability of your organisation, providing a stronger basis for investment decisions and increasing the number of projects that deliver the expected benefits. We are able to combine practical experience and leading edge researchers with a collaborative team from Cranfield, Durham and The Open University. It may be possible for your organisation to get involved in the ongoing research into benefits management.

[top]