Benefits Management

This book considers the topic of achieving value from IT from both theoretical and practical perspectives. It is based on extensive research which produced a comprehensive understanding and analysis of the issues involved and innovative new approaches that addressed those issues plus considerable practical application, in a wide range of organisations of the ideas, processes, tools and techniques that were developed. The book describes how IS/IT investments can be aligned accurately with organisational strategy and how the approach and ‘tool-kit’ can be used by business managers and IS/IT specialists to identify the benefits available from different types of investments in a variety of organisational contexts. It describes how business cases can be developed that enable the benefits to be planned for and then realised through techniques and processes that overcome the organisational barriers that often prevent successful implementation. It also considers the strengths and limitations of existing methods, and shows how the approach can be integrated with best practice in the areas of project and change programme management. The book concludes by explaining how the key concepts in the approach have been extended and adapted to improve strategy development and decision making as well as an organisation’s ability to implement its strategy successfully.