EQuest Consulting

Project Management for Business Success

Benefits Realisation

“Ensuring that investments
lead to real returns”

Successful project delivery is only part of the challenge to obtain results from investments. Projects that deliver outputs which do not create any business value cannot be deemed successful. Benefits realisation is about taking the actions required to ensure that investments provide measurable returns.

EQuest Consulting has consultants experienced in performing and implementing benefits realisation and we have the methods and tools to make it work.

Benefits realisation starts with determining the outcomes an organisation requires to achieve its goals. Next it determines the optimal mix of projects that will deliver those outcomes.

Multiple projects may be required to achieve a single outcome, or one project may lead to several outcomes. Benefits realisation must therefore map projects to outcomes, so the extent that each project will contribute to the end results is understood upfront. Benefits realisation therefore complements project portfolio management.

Business Cases justify projects by predicting the benefits that each project in a portfolio will contribute to the desired outcomes. Benefits realisation ensures that the benefits identified in Business Cases are carried through and verified after the projects have delivered their outputs. It does this by appointing owners to each benefit and specifying when and how each benefit will be measured.

If measured results are below what was predicted in a Business Case, then actions are determined to obtain the full benefits from the project’s outputs. In other words, it enables the desired outcomes from projects to be achieved.

A culture of benefits realisation helps to foster realistic and measurable Business Cases, ensures the right projects are approved and ensures accountability for obtaining results from money spent.

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