Benefits Planning
Identify, structure, quantify, and plan the interdependent outcomes and business benefits of IT-enabled change initiatives, and make explicit the means by which they will be achieved.
Improvement Planning
Practices-Outcomes-Metrics (POM)
Representative POMs are described for Benefits Planning at each level of maturity.
- 2Basic
- Practice
- Identify benefits at the end outcome level, with basic mapping of benefits to connect the planned changes to the expected outcomes.
- Outcomes
- There is high-level identification of benefits (end outcome level) with simple benefits mapping.
- Benefits are described in general terms, but not specifically enough to achieve a clear focus on their ultimate delivery, measurement, or verification.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes that define benefits at least on a high level.
- Practice
- Identify metrics, targets, and KPIs for some outcomes within benefits maps.
- Outcome
- Some metrics are defined, but not comprehensively and consistently.
- Metric
- % of outcomes with associated metrics.
- Practice
- Establish a benefits/change register to record forecasted benefits and to define owners and metrics.
- Outcome
- A benefits/change register is used to define each benefit, to specify owner accountability, and to indicate how the outcome is to be measured (metrics).
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes for which a benefits owner is identified.
- Practice
- Prepare a basic benefits plan for some projects/programmes.
- Outcome
- Basic benefits tracking is facilitated for some projects/programmes.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes that are supported by a benefits plan.
- Practice
- Make it a requirement for all IT-enabled investments that they have a standard business case that balances their costs and the high-level benefits they are expected to deliver.
- Outcomes
- There is a common format for business plans, allowing comparison of investments on a cost/benefit basis.
- A cost focus is often limited to technology delivery and related costs.
- Metric
- % of investments using approved business case format.
- Practice
- Identify strategic drivers for the project/programme.
- Outcome
- There is an ability to justify projects/actions in terms of strategic drivers, and the ability to link benefits to those drivers in general terms only.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes where strategic drivers are identified.
- 3Intermediate
- Practice
- Establish relevant metrics, targets, and KPIs for most intermediate and strategic outcomes within benefits maps.
- Outcome
- Relevant targets are established for most outcomes.
- Metric
- % of benefits registers where metrics, targets, and KPIs are defined.
- Practice
- Establish a detailed benefits/change register.
- Outcome
- The benefits/change registers' format and detail are routinely consistent across programmes in terms of specific description, metrics, targets, milestone dates, baselines, metrics, and accountabilities.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes that use comprehensive and consistent benefits registers for their projects.
- Practice
- Prepare a formal benefits plan for most change initiatives (the plan includes a benefits map and benefits register, and coordinates actions by IT and the business).
- Outcomes
- A formal benefits plan (including a benefits map and benefits register) is prepared for most change initiatives.
- There are integrated IT and business coordinated actions to deliver benefits.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes that are supported by a robust benefits plan.
- Practice
- Mandate a benefits map and a benefits plan as part of the standard business case.
- Outcome
- There is a robust business plan that focuses justification on the achievement of benefits.
- Metric
- % of business cases that include a benefits map and a benefits plan.
- Practices
- Identify and map outcomes, changes, and benefits using a structured or recognized mapping technique.
- Apply mapping either at the programme level or at a broad business benefit level.
- Outcomes
- There is identification of dependencies between benefits and mapping of benefits to goals.
- Benefits maps include all outcome and business change dependencies leading to business benefits.
- Prioritization of the portfolio is now possible based on the benefits map, but is not consistently practised.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes that use structured benefits mapping.
- Practice
- Establish the relationship and interactions between benefits and the changes necessary in the business, the technology, the organization, the processes, and the stakeholders (BTOPS) to achieve them.
- Outcome
- The business changes which are necessary and sufficient for benefits realization are identified and mapped.
- Metric
- % of benefits maps that include required changes in all five categories:- Business- Technology- Organization- Process- Stakeholders.
- 4Advanced
- Practice
- Forecast cost savings and commit these into operational budgets.
- Outcome
- Accountability for benefits delivery is established.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes where forecasts are booked into budgets.
- Practice
- Use the benefits plan as the driver of the overall project/programme plan.
- Outcome
- The benefits plan is used as the basis for decisions (such as stage-gating) within the overall project/programme plan.
- Metric
- % of project/programme plans that are benefits led.
- Practice
- Apply benefits mapping at both strategic and programme levels and mandate benefits plans and business cases.
- Outcomes
- Detailed benefits maps are used for designated levels of change initiatives.
- Benefits maps are incorporated into the benefits plan.
- Benefits maps are routinely used in business plans.
- Metric
- % of the change portfolio with benefits mapping evident in projects, programmes, and business plans.
- Practice
- Prioritize the portfolio of IT investments based on benefits maps.
- Outcome
- Benefit mapping is a key factor in determining the relative priority of new change investment proposals.
- Metric
- % of proposed projects/programmes where benefits are used to determine priority.
- Practices
- Formalize a benefits plan.
- Identify relevant metrics, targets, and risks associated with all BTOPS changes.
- Outcome
- The benefits plan is used and managed as an integral part of the programme/project plan.
- Metric
- % of programme and project plans with a distinct benefits plan included.
- 5Optimized
- Practice
- Manage the performance of the portfolio of IT investments based on benefits maps.
- Outcome
- Benefit planning processes are integrated with organization-wide portfolio planning and performance management systems, allowing for continual re-evaluation of both individual programmes and the overall portfolio to optimize benefits and maximize value.
- Metric
- % of projects/programmes where benefits planning processes are integrated with organization-wide planning and performance management systems.