Benefits realisation for our possible future projects Part 2Staff development session 21st August 2009Paul Mayes paul.mayes@tees.ac.uk

At our last session we looked at ‘realising’ benefits of a project in terms of maximising the benefits through good project planning, user engagement, etc. It seems obvious that we want benefits or that there will be benefits, but why do we want to know what they are?

In advance of project: List of possible benefits strengthens first draft of user engagement plan and helps form an evaluation approachList of possible benefits strengthens bid document (if we are a bit cynical !)List of possible benefits may strengthen buy-in within institution and encourage more/ better cooperation with partners/stakeholders outside the institution

At end of project: Identifying benefits willStrengthen final report (again slightly cynical here)Underpin better identification / ‘measurement of value’ of further areas for research / development Remember our forthcoming staff development session on “Measuring and demonstrating our contribution to our institution and the wider community” !!

So, realising benefits – some practical steps:Developing a community of practice inside and outside institutionReally adopting a user engagement approachFostering a ‘climate of sustainability’Having some sort of tracking system for identifying and recording benefits inside and outside our institutionsWhat other steps?