Benefits Dependency Network Short Guide
- 2. The preoccupation with the “How” diminishes the “What” • Ask someone what they are doing and chances are they’ll tell you how they are doing it. • “What are you doing?” • “We are working as one enthusiastic team to deliver our project on time and in budget.” • “What is it?” • “It’s a relational database of millions of records, accessed by hundreds of concurrent users in milli-second response time.” • “What does it do?” • “It records transactions between suppliers and purchasers across the region.” • “What’s it for?” • “Dunno”
- 3. The official definition: An advantageous change realised from the transformation of resources to deliver new or improved value adding activity The simple definition: A benefit is a result that a stakeholder perceives to be of value What is it all for? What is a benefit?
- 4. The Benefits Dependency Network MEANS WAYS ENDS • The BDN is a key tool in Benefits Management. It shows the chains of cause and effect between ends, ways and means, i.e. what you want, do and use.
- 5. • These are the areas to consider. • What people, processes and technology are in use? • Who are the stakeholders who get benefit? • What does the organisation want to achieve? • What business environment is it in?
- 6. Start with the End in Mind Why did Nelson fight at Trafalgar? It’s not only what you do, it’s also why you choose to do it B) Use up the old gunpowder before its sell-by date A) Destroy the French fleet and remove the threat of invasion C) Impress Lady Hamilton Answer: A (if you didn’t pick A you are not taking this seriously)
- 7. Blueprint - Endgame • The game ends when: a) You are checkmated , or b) My King is in g3, my Queen is in c5, etc….
- 9. This is not
- 10. Spot the Objectives Increase spare cash Stop smoking Change job Reduce blood pressure to 120/80 Exercise regularly More stressed Increase disposable income by 20% this year Eat healthily Increase salary Can’t pay bills Improve wellbeing Write these items on Post-It notes and put them into a Benefits Dependency Network. Sort them into: Activities Benefits Objectives Drivers
- 11. Spot the Objectives Activity Benefit Objective Driver Can’t pay bills Increase salary Increase disposable income by 20% this year Eat healthily Improve wellbeing Stop smoking Change job Reduce blood pressure to 120/80 Exercise regularly More stressed Increase spare cash
- 12. Phraseology matters • Means – what you use • Ways – what you do • Ends – What you want
- 13. What drives the drivers?
- 14. • Programme objective becomes project driver • Project objective becomes workstream driver
- 15. Setting some boundaries • Decide the limits of your responsibility INTERDEPENDENT NETWORKS
- 16. Stakeholder Analysis •Who are the key stakeholders? •What will they gain/lose? •What impact will they have upon your objectives?
- 17. Observations • Lack of radical change – SMART implies small - strategic objectives get de-scoped – BM to validate / justify existing plans – Inappropriate benefits • BDN helps rationalisation – The amount of activity required to deliver each benefit – The validity of projects mapped to strategic objectives – Re-defined objectives • Iteration works – The third draft BDN will look very different (and much better) than the first