Observations
It is too often the case that once a project for a technology upgrade is completed, there is no post implementation review and the out year benefits are seldom measured. Even worse is that the business benefits are really seen in technology terms and not in business terms. That is reduced cost of operation, more elasticity in delivery of technology, or ability to meet security compliance requirements. The trick is in the name – BUSINESS BENEFIT REALISATION.
It may appear simple at first, and indeed the Project Management Institute on benefits realisation guide makes it sound simple1. However it is the observation of IBRS that it would appear few businesses take the time to measure benefits appropriately or communicate their successes and failures. Even less is the case where organisations share the success they gain with other like-minded organisations.
It is important to develop an organisational change management (OCM) program as well as the project plan to measure and report on the achievement of business benefits pre- and post-implementation of any technology initiative. The IBRS business realisation framework is based on the principle that the benefits realisation is a lifecycle that continues to evolve over time.
The diagram below is designed to depict the activity pre-implementation and post-implementation, that together represent the benefits life cycle.
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The following six-step IBRS framework will guide your organisation’s management of business benefits, demonstrate the value of a technology investment, and identify lessons to improve alignment between the next technology improvement initiative and the business.
- Understand how technology underpins the business2. It is essential that any technology initiative understands the workflows and business processes it is designed to support. This means taking off the geek hat and looking at the business’s objectives pragmatically. How does the organisation currently organise all of its resources to achieve the business outcomes?
- In your business case, develop models for benefit delivery that are both quantitative and qualitative. The business case for change (the technology initiative) must assess both tangible (quantitative) and intangible (qualitative) benefits3. The quantitative benefits are those you can easily measure with dollars. These are direct costs that are avoided or used as offsets. They are also those costs that can be easily measured in improved workflows, avoiding duplication or unnecessary activity. The qualitative is often harder to quantify. Qualitative benefits can also be measured. Your business case, for example, should identify how improved morale will increase productivity, how better decision-making will reduce time-to-market, and how an improved customer experience will drive acceptance of your product or service.
- Develop a benefits realisation register to define the benefits to be measured, baseline current practice, and set goals for change. Set key performance indicators for success4. Once you have the pragmatic view, map the workflows and baseline costs in both effort and dollar terms to deliver the business outcomes. Identify opportunities for improvement, set targets for the technology initiative, and define the goals the change program must achieve5.
- Develop and deliver an organisational change management program to align work practices with the technology platform to drive the realisation of business benefits6. Your OCM program of work needs to build awareness of the opportunities the benefits will bring in both technology and business outcomes.
- Monitor, assess and manage the delivery of benefits. As outputs of the Business Case, the Project Plan, and the OCM program, your organisation will be able to develop a benefits register and a benefits roadmap. The post-implementation report for the technology initiative will identify the benefits achieved at project closure and should also outline a roadmap of benefits over time that maps back to the business case. Post-implementation, the OCM will need to monitor the delivery of benefits as the benefit roadmap progresses.
- Report the success or failure of benefits delivery to the executive and the workforce. Benefits realisation should be a standing agenda item for Executive Leadership Team (ELT) meetings and for Town Hall meetings to keep the benefits front of mind.
Once the benefits, both successful and unsuccessful, are reported, it is important to document the lessons learned to support efforts to foster success and to manage the mistakes that contributed to any failed realisation of benefits in the future.
Next Steps
- Conduct due diligence on your organisation’s ICT and its support for business outcomes.
- Ensure all business cases map the initiative’s qualitative and quantitative benefits.
- Develop a benefits register (using the attached example format) for each major initiative.
- Track and measure delivery of benefits throughout the life of the initiative – not just the project implementation phase.
- Ensure transparency of benefits realisation at both the executive and workforce levels.
Attachment 1. Business Realisation Register
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Basic Information |
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ID |
Description (Benefit or Disbenefit) |
Category of Benefit |
Business Owner |
Business Changes Enabling the Benefit |
Issues/Risks Associated with Realising the Benefit |
Interdependencies (within this Initiative or with another Initiative) |
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Create an ID number for the benefit, for easy reference |
Provide a brief description of the benefit or disbenefit from the investment – as identified in the benefits dependency network |
Is the benefit financial, measurable or observable? |
Who owns the benefit and is responsible for managing the change in capability? |
What business processes or ICT enablers are required to realise the benefit? – as identified in the benefits dependency network |
Adopting a risk management approach, what risks or issues could impact on realising the benefit |
Does realising the benefit depend upon other initiatives or other benefits? If so these must be clearly identified to establish the critical path for realisation |
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Measurement |
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Description of the Measure |
Baseline Performance Value |
Target Performance Value |
Target Date |
Measurement Timing |
Cost of Measurement |
Who will Measure? |
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What will be measured to show that the benefit has been realised? How will it be measured – what tool or mechanism will be used (survey, database, other data collection techniques?) |
What is the baseline performance prior to the initiative? |
What is the end result or end performance that will be achieved from the investment? |
When will the target performance be achieved? |
When will it be possible to measure the target performance? – this may not be when the change in capability occurs – actual measurement may not be possible or appropriate for some months following change in capability |
How much will it cost to develop data collection techniques? – include staff costs of developing techniques as well as capital required – such as software/databases, etc. |
Who will measure the performance? |
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Details of Actual Benefits Realised |
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Actual Benefit Realised |
Date Realised |
Variance from Target |
Explanation of Variance (if applicable) |
Lessons Learned |
Additional Comments About the Target |
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When measured, what was the level of benefit realised? |
What date was the benefit realised? |
Was the actual benefit realised, the same as the target performance? If not, include the difference here. |
Why wasn’t the performance met? Was there an approved change request? |
What improvements could be incorporated into subsequent initiatives (about the benefit or the measurement approach or the change management)? |
Include any assumptions that were considered when developing the target that impacted on the actual realisation of the benefit. |
Footnotes
- ‘Benefits Realisation Management Framework’, PMI, 2016.
- ‘CIO Handbook Part 5: Business Impact Analysis’, IBRS, 2023.
- ‘The Role and Benefits of a Technology Business Management Framework for Police Services’, IBRS, 2025.
- ‘Six KPIs to Measure the Benefits of Digital Business Transformation’ IBRS, 2025.
- Example Benefits Realisation Register Format (attached).
- ‘Practically using the dimensions of change to health check your organisational change agenda’, IBRS, 2020.
