In the part 3 of this series, Identifying Benefits, we looked at creating Objectives and from these, creating Benefits. You may remember that in order for a Benefit to be realised there needs to be some form of deliverable, that we refer to as an outcome. Outcomes are delivered by projects and programs. You can think of an outcome as describing specific aspects of the future state which need to be in place for the objectives and benefits to be achieved. Each outcome should describe how it is different from the current state. Typically this will mean an improvement of some sort.
Projects and programs don’t just happen, they need to be enabled in some way, for example, by making use of existing resource in the organisation. In Benefits Management terminology we refer to this as the enable for the project. Now that we understand that enablers are used to create projects and programs which then create outcomes, and that these outcomes result in benefits and objectives we are ready to create a Benefits Dependency Network (BDN).
A BDN is a causal network diagram that connects the five pieces of information we have been looking at in this series of articles, namely:
A BDN is useful as it helps project and program managers keep the focus on benefits realisation during the program execution. It also allows variations of the project or program to be assessed for their impact on benefits realisation.
A well constructed BDN can be used to tell the story of the project or program in a visual way. In one diagram it shows why the program or project is needed, what objectives it aims to achieve, how the organisation needs to change, and what projects need to be undertaken to achieve the objectives.
A BDN can be read from right to left or from left to right:
A Benefits Dependency Network helps us to identify any critical paths and can be used as the basis for creating the program plan. It enables us to have a discussion about the relative contributions of the different projects making up the program and thus enables us to make the right decisions when it comes to allocating resources to projects.
As described previously, the BDN links Enablers, Projects, Outcomes, Benefits, and Objectives together:
This can be read right to left in the following way:
Or left to right as follows:
In the next post in this series I’ll walk you through a complete example of creating a simple Benefits Dependency Network so that you’re equipped with everything you need to create your own BDN.
Minute Tools Content Team, Benefits Management, Part 4: Outcomes, Projects, Enablers, and the Benefits Dependency Network, Minute Tools, Jul, 2009, https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2009/07/benefits-management-part-4-outcomes-projects-enablers-and-the-benefits-dependency-network/
Minute Tools Content Team, Benefits Management, Part 4: Outcomes, Projects, Enablers, and the Benefits Dependency Network, Minute Tools, Jul, 2009 https://expertprogrammanagement.com/2009/07/benefits-management-part-4-outcomes-projects-enablers-and-the-benefits-dependency-network/
Click to copyOriginally hailing from Dublin, Denis has always been interested in all things business and started EPM in 2009. Before EPM, Denis held a leadership position at Nokia, owned a sports statistics business, and was a member of the PMI's (Project Management Institute’s) Global Executive Council for two years. Denis now spends his days helping others understand complex business topics.
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