Having skimmed over the new BRM practice guide from PMI, I thought it might be interesting to start a discussion thread on the blockers to realizing benefits from projects.
So when you think about your current client or organization, what is the biggest impediment to realizing benefits from projects?
For example, is it one or more of the following?
a) Lack of formal project justification via a business case or similar artifact
b) Benefits are not objectively identified in the business case
c) No one takes ownership for tracking & monitoring benefit realization during and after the project
d) There is no consequence for a business owner not realizing the benefits
e) Project delivery itself is poor so the outputs of projects rarely are delivered within expected constraints
What other causes might there be? Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
f) all of the above.
Sadly, I have seen all of these and inhibitors in any type of BR.
Executive wakes up one day with a great idea, makes a phone call, project starts, takes priority over all others, project is eventually (maybe) delivered, never used and no one outside of the team knows it exists
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Benefits are realized much later after the project closes. While the performance indicators are managed by a unit, the project team is disbanded and nowhere to be found.
Stéphane;
I would tend to agree in most cases your statement is correct, with our strategic initiative which we are treating as a project, I can say there are almost "immediate" or what could be called intermediate benefits.
As an example, within our organization, PMs, and their associated budgets must also include all costs pertaining to training of their staff. A properly written BRP, would encapsulate this HR component of the project staff's career objectives, as beginning of year objectives, mid-year, and year-end reviews are conducted.
Additionally, "internal benefits" could be measured using the traditional metrics of time, cost, scope, and quality throughout the entire project lifecycle.
Think of an organization such as ours with literally hundreds of projects. Would senior management not want to know of the "internal benefits" that should be "realized" during all project stages?
I believe this component of PM has largely been ignored, but there seems to be a resurgence in this area, and for very good reason. Saving Changes...
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Lack of adaptation to a changing environment, thus failing to identify dynamic value streams and adapt the project accordingly (including project cancellation). Saving Changes...
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