The document discusses benefit realisation management (BRM) and how it can be used in projects. It describes how to build benefit maps by identifying objectives, supporting benefits, and activities that deliver benefits. Benefit maps can then be used for stakeholder analysis, risk identification, building business cases, prioritization, and developing product catalogues. Prioritization techniques include a simpler approach of assessing which activities enable the most benefits, and a more complex weighted scoring approach. The document provides examples of each technique.
2. Agenda
• Building Benefit maps
Benefit mapping
• Using BRM in projects
Stakeholder Analysis
Risk identification
Business Case
Prioritisation
Product Catalogues
3. Building a benefit map 1
You start by identifying the main objective (a benefit in itself)
If there is more than one objective, you will need one benefit map for each one
You then identify contributing benefits working right to left
For example, here are four benefit maps that were done for MMU’s EQAL
programme
3
4. Building a benefit map 1
The objective is placed at the far right, in an ellipse
4
Increased
enrolments
5. Building a benefit map 2
Identify the main supporting benefits
Benefits should always be written in the form:
[improvement + object] e.g. “increased revenue”
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
PM-BRM 5
More
focused
advice
Increased
enrolments
6. Building a benefit map 3
Working from right to left, identify supporting benefits for one “area”
Less
applicant
frustration
Better
customer
service
Improved
image
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Increased
enrolments
Fewer errors
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM 6
7. Building a benefit map 4a
Working from right to left, continue to identify benefits
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Increased
productivity
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Increased
enrolments
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM 7
8. Building a benefit map 4b
Working from right to left, continue to identify benefits
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Increased
enrolments
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM 8
9. Building a benefit map 4c
Working from right to left, continue to identify benefits
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Increased
enrolments
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM 9
10. Building a benefit map 5
The next stage is to identify the activities that will deliver the benefits
These are called “enablers” and “business changes”
Typical enablers include:
• IT systems
• Physical assets (a lecture theatre, books)
• Activities such as training and documentation
Business changes include:
• Changes to processes
• Policies
• Restructures
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM 10
11. The completed map
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Provide
training
Revise enrolments
process
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Increased
Upgrade
system
Reporting
Business
change
Enabler
Friday, November 21, 2014 11
12. Areas where BRM helps PM
Stakeholder Analysis
Risk identification
Business Case
Prioritisation
Product Catalogues
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM 12
13. Stakeholder Analysis
1. Helps identify stakeholders by asking the question “who will be
impacted by this benefit?”
Management reporting: SPMI,
Executive
Corporate risk: SPMI
Retention: students, Finance,
Faculties
Satisfaction: students, academic
staff, non-academic staff
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM 13
14. Stakeholder Analysis
2. Helps identify
what to
communicate to
stakeholders by
linking the
stakeholder to the
benefit(s) they
have an interest in
Stakeholder
Student
Teaching
staff
Support
staff
Executive/D
eans
Academic
Board
Board of
Governors
Employers
Benefits
1. Less staffing resource required to
support key business processes.
2. Protection of HEFCE ‘T’ funding stream.
3. More staff time available for other
activities.
4. More efficient use of other institutional
resources, e.g., space.
5. Improved integration of key business
processes.
6. Improved quality assurance of key
business processes.
7. Consistent operation of key business
processes across the institution.
8. Transparent operation of key business
processes across the institution.
9. More student-centred approach to the
delivery of services.
10. Ability to deliver key external
requirements, e.g., the HEAR.
11. Improved personalisation of timetabling
Friday, November 21, 2014 ESRA 14
information.
12. Better information on changes to
15. Risk identification
For each benefit on the benefit map, ask the questions:
1. What could prevent this benefit from being realised?
2. How many other benefits are affected?
The answer to (1) is the risk, and the answer to (2) helps to give a measure
of impact.
If your benefit mapping uses weighting scores (which we’ll come to later),
then you can add up the weights of the impacted benefits in (2) to get a
better measure of impact.
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM
16. Risk Analysis – example
Using the benefit “Fewer errors”…
Friday, November 21, 2014 1Model taken from: PM-BRM 16
Gerald Bradley (2010) Benefit Realisation Management, 2nd Ed
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
Less unpaid
overtime
Better staff
morale
Better
customer
service
Improved
image
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Increased
enrolments
1. Errors not reduced by new
processes and system
2. New types of error
created
Impact = 10
17. Business Case
• Use the matrix to sort out which
benefits are Tangible /
Intangible, and for the tangibles,
which are Financial / Non-financial.
• Financial benefits should then
be worked on to estimate what
income they will generate – to
be used in the return on
investment part of the financial
analysis.
• Non-financial benefits are used
in the business case to show
benefit beyond mere cost &
income.
Friday, November 21, 2014
18. Business Case
Item Cost / Income (£ ) Recurring cost / Income (£)
COSTS:
Timetabling system 350,000 35,000
VLE (Moodle) 500,000 40,000
Timetabling staff 250,000
E-Learning Support Officers 250,000
Total costs: 850,000 575,000
SAVINGS:
Timetabling savings 35,000
Fewer learning resources 20,000
Fewer assessments/units 150,000
Total savings 205,000
Overall cost: 850,000 370,000
Friday, November 21, 2014
19. Business Case
Benefit Measure
Increase retention of Students Produce baseline numbers and monitor increase
Value to the Student Monitoring students who are re-engaged who complete and are
Friday, November 21, 2014
successful in Award
Maintain Income Retaining 62 full time paying students would generate return on
investment of Project costs. Any number above this would ensure
income targets are retained
Please see Return on Investment breakdown below.
Provide more qualitative time to
Academic to enable intervention
and follow up actions
Increase in Student Retention due to interventions and support
provided
Provide additional information on
course health
Quantity of Unit Leaders and Programme Leaders accessing and
reviewing via CMI system
Provide clarity of Roles and
Responsibilities
Responsibilities are progressed in timely fashion
Greater institutional oversight of
students who require support
Immediate access to meaningful and timely data
Be pro-active with internal and
external demands for engagement
data
Timing comparison to provide requested data
20. Prioritisation
Two approaches:
• Simpler approach is to assess which changes enable most benefits –
this is done by adding business change requirements and enablers to a
benefit map.
• More complex example is to add weighting scores to benefits, and then
by association to business changes and their enablers: this will give a
numerical score that can be used to prioritise changes (and enablers).
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM
21. Prioritisation (simple)
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Provide
training
Revise enrolments
process
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
More new
applicants
Better
applicant
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Increased
Upgrade
system
Reporting
Business
change
Enabler
Friday, November 21, 2014 21
22. Prioritisation (weighted - 1)
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
More new
applications
Better
application
conversion
More quality
time with
applicants
More
focused
advice
Provide
training
Revise
process
Upgrade
system
Reporting
Business
change
Enabler
Increased
enrolments
(1000)
Start with an overall
weighting score
Friday, November 21, 2014 22
23. Prioritisation (weighted - 2)
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
More new
applications
(400)
Better
application
conversion
(300)
More quality
time with
applicants
(200)
More
focused
advice(100)
Provide
training
Revise
process
Upgrade
system
Reporting
Business
change
Enabler
40%
30%
Increased
enrolments
20%
(1000)
10%
Add % contribution &
add appropriate score
to supporting benefits
Friday, November 21, 2014 23
24. Prioritisation (weighted - 3)
Fewer errors
Less
applicant
frustration
Increased
productivity
Easier
application
processing
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
Better
customer
service
Less unpaid
overtime
Improved
image
Better staff
morale
100%
More new
applications
(400)
60%
Better
application
conversion
(300)
More quality
time with
applicants
(200)
More
focused
advice(100)
Provide
training
Revise
process
Upgrade
system
Reporting
Business
change
Enabler
40%
30%
Increased
enrolments
20%
(1000)
10%
40%
80%
20%
100%
Continue to work
back from right to left
Friday, November 21, 2014 24
25. Prioritisation (weighted - 4)
Fewer errors
(540)
Less
applicant
frustration
(400)
100%
100%
50%
Increased
productivity
(280)
30%
Easier
application
processing
(140)
Better MI on
applications
/enrolments
(140)
100% 100% 100%
Better
customer
service (580)
Less unpaid
overtime
(120)
Improved
image (400)
Better staff
morale (120)
More new
applications
(400)
60%
Better
application
conversion
(300)
More quality
time with
applicants
(200)
More
focused
advice(100)
Provide
training (108)
Revise
process (300)
Upgrade
system (218)
Reporting
(194)
50%
Business
change
Enabler
40%
30%
Increased
enrolments
20%
(1000)
10%
40%
100%
80%
20%
100%
10%
20%
40%
60%
40%
100%
Friday, November 21, 2014 25
26. Prioritisation
Two approaches:
• Using the “simple approach”:
– Provide training = 11 benefits supported
– Revise process = 12 benefits supported
– Upgrade system = 12 benefits supported
– Reporting = 13 benefits supported
• Using the “weighted approach”:
– Provide training = 108
– Revise process = 300
– Upgrade system = 218
– Reporting = 194
• So they both have the same “least” option, but differ on the “most”!
Which is best? Neither – they are basis for discussion!
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM
27. Product Catalogues
• Product (and requirement) catalogues can be linked to benefits via the
benefit map, and these can help inform acceptance criteria and user
tests.
• For example “Reporting” is linked to “Fewer errors” and “Better MI on
customers and sales”, so acceptance criteria can include Reports on :
– error rates
– types of error
– source of error
– applicants (broken down by demographics, age, ethnicity, etc.)
– enrolments (broken down by demographics, location, A levels, etc.)
• Exercise:
– Identify some acceptance criteria for the remaining enabler and one of the
business changes
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM
28. The end
• Contact details:
Bruce Levitan: b.levitan@mmu.ac.uk
Friday, November 21, 2014 PM-BRM
Editor's Notes
and success – i.e. the second of the three areas outlined on the previous slide