As a Project Managers many of us were worried about doing scope in defined cost and time, but in recent time organization want project managers to focus on realizing the business case, ensuring the project delivers the objectives for which it was initiated. My question is to fellow project managers , do you own business case of your project? Saving Changes...
Philippe SchulerSenior Instructor/Lecturer in Project/Program/Account PMO Management| Independant ConsultantLes Choux, France
No; In our organization PMs do not own the Business Case even they are deeply involved in their creation. Of course we share and own the objectives because we have to manage a project team but validation, scenarios, risks, ... are owned by the Business.
Business Cases are owned by the Business Team (Account Business Team for external customers). Saving Changes...
Mike DewingSenior Project Manager / Program Manager| MLD Holdings Ltd.Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Owning the business case is part of PRINCE2, more importantly is the post benefit review which goes back to the business case to ensure you have met the obligations and benefits identified in it, and how it is measured. Saving Changes...
Deepa KalangiManager, Program Management, Author, Trainer| CVS HealthCharlotte, NC, United States
Keeping an eye out for the value it has to bring based on the requirements by a PM has a great benefit to the organization and the team, however, a PM does NOT own the business requirements. A PM can stay on the top or even identify/realize the gaps and can bring in the question on the table during pertinent forums, but, a PM does NOT own nor should anyone question if some requirement was missed or not well thought. A PM, in this case, is not even a driver for the requirements sessions either, he may facilitate. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
The objectives stated into a business case are not related to the project. They are related to product/service/result to be created by the project. If the business case stated objectives related to project then they must be related to project scope, time and cost. Saving Changes...
Mohamad FararjehProject Management - Electrical Engineer| San Francisco Bar Area Rapid Transit (BART)Santa Clara, Ca, United States
I am so passionate about this topic. I agree that the business case has to be established first and must clearly be in line with the current or future strategic objectives of the company. I have seen so many cases in which the business case was not clearly defined, and in so many cases, no business case at all, which at the end lead to inventible losses. One thing that I would say, it is not be the responsibility of the project manager to provide, or justify the business case, it should be handled by a strategic planning committee based on input from the experts. Saving Changes...
What i am feeling based on above comments is , project manager does not own the business case in most cases but he is accountable to ensure alignment between project and business case. Many time this is done using Project Benefit Management Planning. am I right ?
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3 replies by Philippe Schuler, Senkodi Mururgesan, and Sergio Luis Conte
May 31, 2017 1:50 AM
Senkodi Mururgesan
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100% Right.
In Non IT projects , mostly PMs are assigned after Business case is finalized and agreements are established.
Management has beliefs that Business case is maximum of Financial oriented and PM cannot add value to the same.
May 31, 2017 7:29 AM
Sergio Luis Conte
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Not right in general. Benefits are not achieved by the project. They are achieved by the product/service/result create by the project. Decision to take the initiative is by business case approval. As you know an approved business case is the input to initiation process if you are working with the PMI´s PMBOK as your guide. Accountable for business case creation is the business analyst. To achieve the benefits the product/service/result must be created with all the defined characteristics (product scope, project quality), in the required time frame - opportunity frame (project time) and with the estimated cost (project cost). That is the way the project is aligned in a natural way with the expected benefits. No matter the approach you use the key is to split the scope into two categories: product scope and project scope. Project scope is defined from product scope. And the other key is to consider two roles: the business analyst, who starts working before a project exists, work along the project phases to help the project manager with all related to solution requirements, and continue working after the project ends to monitor if expected/stated benefits are achived. if not, the cycle must started again. The other role is the project manager that must asssure thanks her/his work that the product/service/result (the core of the business solution) is created in the estimated/stated time, with the estimated/stated cost and with all the defined/stated characteristics and features (functional and non functional).
May 31, 2017 10:32 AM
Philippe Schuler
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In reality PM must ensure the project results are suitable for the expected benefits once they are released to the Business. For that the PM monitors continuously the added value targeted by the deliverables Under construction.
This also implies the PM must provide all necessary services to make sure the products are adopted and correctly used after release.
What i am feeling based on above comments is , project manager does not own the business case in most cases but he is accountable to ensure alignment between project and business case. Many time this is done using Project Benefit Management Planning. am I right ?
100% Right.
In Non IT projects , mostly PMs are assigned after Business case is finalized and agreements are established.
Management has beliefs that Business case is maximum of Financial oriented and PM cannot add value to the same. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
May 30, 2017 10:25 PM
Replying to Saket Bansal
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What i am feeling based on above comments is , project manager does not own the business case in most cases but he is accountable to ensure alignment between project and business case. Many time this is done using Project Benefit Management Planning. am I right ?
Not right in general. Benefits are not achieved by the project. They are achieved by the product/service/result create by the project. Decision to take the initiative is by business case approval. As you know an approved business case is the input to initiation process if you are working with the PMI´s PMBOK as your guide. Accountable for business case creation is the business analyst. To achieve the benefits the product/service/result must be created with all the defined characteristics (product scope, project quality), in the required time frame - opportunity frame (project time) and with the estimated cost (project cost). That is the way the project is aligned in a natural way with the expected benefits. No matter the approach you use the key is to split the scope into two categories: product scope and project scope. Project scope is defined from product scope. And the other key is to consider two roles: the business analyst, who starts working before a project exists, work along the project phases to help the project manager with all related to solution requirements, and continue working after the project ends to monitor if expected/stated benefits are achived. if not, the cycle must started again. The other role is the project manager that must asssure thanks her/his work that the product/service/result (the core of the business solution) is created in the estimated/stated time, with the estimated/stated cost and with all the defined/stated characteristics and features (functional and non functional). Saving Changes...
Philippe SchulerSenior Instructor/Lecturer in Project/Program/Account PMO Management| Independant ConsultantLes Choux, France
May 30, 2017 10:25 PM
Replying to Saket Bansal
...
What i am feeling based on above comments is , project manager does not own the business case in most cases but he is accountable to ensure alignment between project and business case. Many time this is done using Project Benefit Management Planning. am I right ?
In reality PM must ensure the project results are suitable for the expected benefits once they are released to the Business. For that the PM monitors continuously the added value targeted by the deliverables Under construction.
This also implies the PM must provide all necessary services to make sure the products are adopted and correctly used after release. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Philippe: "This also implies the PM must provide all necessary services to make sure the products are adopted and correctly used after release." . I agree with that IF and only IF those activities are part of the project plan so the project ends when these activities ends. If not then there is not project team accountability or responsibility
