Benefits Realization: The Agile Way

Kevin Aguanno is the agile practice lead for Procept Associates Ltd., one of PMI’s first Registered Education Providers, specializing in training and project and programme strategy consulting. Author of over 30 books, audiobooks and DVDs on project management topics, he teaches agile methods at several universities and at conferences around the world. He spends most of his time helping large, complex organizations integrate agile project management methods into their governance frameworks.

  Agile   Benefits Realization   Business Case   Estimating   Stakeholder Management   Strategy  

Corporate leaders have evolved their expectations of the value delivered from implementing project management processes in their organizations. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the focus was on “delivery excellence” – the ability for an organization consistently to deliver project scope within time, cost and schedule constraints. Primarily, this has been an execution-focused approach; very helpful to the organization, but there was always something missing.

In the late 2000s, a growing number of thought leaders were identifying that efficient project delivery does not guarantee the benefits promised in a project’s business case. These thought leaders were suggesting that someone measure the benefits delivered by the project perhaps six or 12 months after the project has completed to see if the benefits have been delivered. While this is a step in the right direction, it is still not enough. Achieving expected benefits requires a different focus from project managers – one focused on benefits realization.

Benefits realization requires a significant shift in focus. It requires project managers to understand the business case, with all of its nuances, in order to help shape the project to better deliver on the results the business needs. While there are dozens of different ways of planning any project, …

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