Measure IT Project Value


Anchor IT project benefits in realistic metrics and accountabilities.

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Major Business Pain Points

  • People treat benefits as a box to tick on the business case, deflating or inflating them to facilitate project approval.
  • Even if benefits are properly defined, they are usually forgotten once the project is underway.
  • Subsequent changes to project scope may impact the viability of the project’s business benefits, resulting in solutions that do not deliver expected value.
Measure IT Project Value-Pain Points

Recommendations

Key Points

  • It is rare for project teams or sponsors to be held accountable for managing and/or measuring benefits. The assumption is often that no one will ask if benefits have been realized after the project is closed.
  • The focus is largely on the project’s schedule, budget, and scope, with little attention paid to the value that the project is meant to deliver to the organization.
  • Without an objective stakeholder to hold people accountable for defining benefits and demonstrating their delivery, benefits will continue to be treated as red tape.
  • Sponsors will not take the time to define benefits properly, if at all. The project team will not take the time to ensure they are still achievable as the project progresses. When the project is complete, no one will investigate actual project success.

Approach

Measure IT Project Value-Recommendations
  • The project sponsor and business unit leaders must own project benefits; IT is only accountable for delivering the solution.
  • IT can play a key role in this process by establishing and supporting a benefits realization process. They can help business unit leaders and sponsors define benefits properly, identify meaningful metrics, and report on benefits realization effectively.
  • The project management office is ideally suited to facilitate this process by providing tools and templates, and a consistent and comparable view across projects.
  • Project managers are accountable for delivering the project, not for delivering the benefits of the project itself. However, they must ensure that changes to project scope are assessed for impact on benefits viability.

Methodology and Tools

Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should establish a benefits legitimacy practice, review the methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

  • Measure IT Project Value – Executive Brief
  • Measure IT Project Value – Phases 1-3

1. Establish benefits legitimacy during portfolio Intake

This phase will help you define a benefits management process to help support effective benefits definition during portfolio intake.

  • Deliver Project Value With a Benefits Legitimacy Initiative – Phase 1: Establish Benefits Legitimacy During Portfolio Intake
  • Project Sponsor Role Description Template
  • Benefits Commitment Form Template
  • Right-Sized Business Case Template

2. Maintain benefits legitimacy throughout project planning and execution

This phase will help you define a process for effective benefits management during project planning and the execution intake phase.

  • Deliver Project Value With a Benefits Legitimacy Initiative – Phase 2: Maintain Benefits Legitimacy Throughout Project Planning and Execution
  • Project Benefits Documentation Workbook
  • Benefits Legitimacy Workflow Template (PDF)

Benefits Legitimacy Workflow Template (Visio)

3. Close the deal on project benefits

This phase will help you define a process for effectively tracking and reporting on benefits realization post-project.

  • Deliver Project Value With a Benefits Legitimacy Initiative – Phase 3: Close the Deal on Project Benefits
  • Portfolio Benefits Tracking Tool
  • Benefits Lag Report Template
  • Benefits Legitimacy Handbook Template

    All resources on this page are provided to Cyber Leadership Hub members under license from third parties including Info-Tech Research Group Inc, a global leader in providing IT research and advice.