Delivering Towards Targets

Planning for early delivery of benefits is essential for keeping projects in touch with reality.  Most stakeholders place greater value on a small improvement next week, rather than a 16% probability of the ‘complete solution’ in two years time.  Structuring project work packages for evolutionary delivery of benefits is different to planning for incremental delivery of products.  However, it allows funding for work packages to be linked directly to benefit delivery and reduces levels of financial risk.

Control of Delivery

For reporting, simple graphical techniques are available for presenting comprehensive performance data in concise formats, i.e. more pictures and fewer words in reports.  The management issues centre on what improvement has been delivered and what improvement is planned by when.

Contracting for Benefits

Contracts and payment regimes can also be constructed for payment based on performance delivered.  Why should you want to pay for anything that doesn’t add demonstrable value?

Responding to Change

Finally, needs change as a result of feedback from implementation and external influences.  Continually re-evaluation of benefits is necessary to check whether they continue to be valued by stakeholders.