Need help with these 2 tasks. Task 2 needs detailed answers.
BENEFITS MANAGEMENT Program Name: Prepared by: DAN: Table of Contents 1. Program Stakeholders ____ 2. Benefit Trade-offs ____ 3. Benefits Measurements ____ 4. Benefits Owner Identification ____ 5. Benefits Delivery Approach ____ 6. Decision Making Process ____ 7. Program Variances ____ References 1. Program Stakeholders Stakeholders Benefits Applicable to Stakeholder 2. Benefit Trade-offs 3. Benefits Measurements (Describe a range of measures that can be used to determine whether benefit expectations are being met throughout the program) Benefits Types of Benefits Measurements Dis-Benefits Types of Benefits Measurements 4. Benefits Owner Identification (Summarise the key roles of stakeholders involved with the program with regard to their responsibility for benefit realisation) 5. Benefits Delivery Approach (Describe the benefits delivery approach applied to the program) 6. Decision Making Process (Discuss the decision-making processes that will be applied to the management of the benefits realization) 7. Program Variances (Explain how the program will deal with variances)
Need help with these 2 tasks. Task 2 needs detailed answers.
Task 2 – Program Benefit Management Strategy Instructions to Learners: This summative assessment can be completed in class or at any other convenient location. Students are required to complete this task using digital tools and ensure to submit in an acceptable format, e.g. .docx, .pdf, .pptx, or as advised by your assessor. Please use the following formatting guidelines to complete this assessment task: Font Size: 12; Line Spacing: Double; Font Style: Times New Roman Assessment activities can be completed either in real workplace environment or in a simulated environment such as your classroom. In both cases, appropriate evidence of the assessment activities must be provided. Instruction to Assessors: You must assess student’s assessment according to the provided Marking Criteria. You must complete and record any evidence related to assessment activities including role-plays and presentations using appropriate forms which must be attached with student assessment submission. You must provide students with detailed feedback within 10 working days from submission. Use the following article as a basis to develop a strategy for program benefit management1: Construction is underway on Metro Tunnel, Victoria’s biggest ever public transport project. It will increase the number of trains we can run across Melbourne, and means less crowding and less waiting. Metro Tunnel will benefit all Victorians by making it easier to move around the city and enhancing access to jobs, education, health and culture. Melbourne’s prosperity and all-important liveability will be strengthened by the shift towards more frequent, punctual and reliable train services enabled by a metro-style ‘turn up and go’ rail network that relieves network congestion and overcrowding in peak periods. Metro Tunnel is a key part of this network change. Key Metro Tunnel features 65 new High Capacity Metro Trains – running between Sunbury and Cranbourne / Pakenham through the Metro Tunnel. These trains are 20% bigger with more room for passengers. Two 9km rail tunnels under Melbourne, connecting some of our busiest rail lines. Passenger safety will be enhanced with international-style platform screen doors installed in the five new underground stations. High capacity signalling on the Sunbury to Cranbourne / Pakenham line using technology to run trains every few minutes. Future-proofed to cater for our growing city with platforms for longer trains in the future. Commuter benefits Allow more trains to run in and out of the city on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines as well as the Werribee, Craigieburn, Upfield, Sandringham and Frankston lines. Greater capacity for 39,000 more passengers during each peak period from the first day of operation. Easing overcrowding in the inner core of the rail network. Relieving tram crowding and congestion on St Kilda Road and Swanston Street. Reshaping travel demand to enable a future restructure of the tram network within the expanding CBD. Creating network capacity to enable the future construction, extension and electrification of rail lines across Melbourne. Social benefits Providing three new stations (Arden, Parkville and Domain) in areas not currently serviced by heavy rail with a combined catchment of over 200,000 jobs, student enrolments and residents. Improving social and economic inclusion as more people will be able to access employment, education, sporting, entertainment and cultural opportunities in Central Melbourne via public transport. Stimulating significant urban renewal in inner city areas such as Arden-Macaulay. By enabling more workers to locate in a highly productive and employment-dense area, the benefits will flow to businesses, employees, and the economy at large. Metro Tunnel will be the catalyst for enhanced connectivity and will underpin Melbourne’s rail network growth for decades to come. Improved frequency and reliability of rail services will encourage travellers to leave their cars at home, reducing traffic congestion in the north, west and south-east. Reducing the number of road crashes, lowering the level of greenhouse gas emissions and improving health, due to increased physical activity, as people switch from car travel to public transport. Sustainable population and jobs growth Better transport connections to education, health, employment and cultural opportunities support sustainable population and jobs growth. Enabling communities in key population corridors in the west and north to be better connected with knowledge-based jobs. Creating education and employment opportunities in the city’s inner west for Melbourne’s key population growth corridors to the north, west and south-east of Melbourne. Economic benefits Economy-wide modelling demonstrates that the Metro Tunnel is expected to create approximately 4,700 jobs nationwide at the peak of construction. The construction and operation of the Metro Tunnel is expected to increase Victoria’s Gross State Product by at least $7 billion. Improvements in the transport network as a result of the Metro Tunnel will boost: existing national employment clusters: Melbourne CBD, Monash and Dandenong South) emerging employment clusters: East Werribee and Sunshine existing activity centres: Sunshine, Footscray, Broadmeadows, Frankston, Dandenong, Narre Warren and Fountain Gate. Station precinct benefits Each of the new Metro Tunnel stations will: Enhance transport access to strategic locations in Melbourne Reduce crowding at City Loop stations and relieve congestion on the rail network Provide interchange opportunities with other modes of transport Lead to the creation of new urban landmarks and precincts Be a catalyst for new residential and commercial developments. Further information about the program should be accessed from: http://metrotunnel.vic.gov.au/resources/fact-sheets Using the above article and your own research, complete the following: Create a table that lists the stakeholders to the program and the program benefits applicable to each stakeholder. Create a list of trade-offs that may apply to the program. Describe a range of measures that can be used to determine whether benefit expectations are being met throughout the project. Summaries the key roles of stakeholders involved with the program with regard to their responsibility for benefit realization. Describe the benefits delivery approach applied to the program. Discuss the decision-making processes that will be applied to the management of the benefits realization. Explain how the program will deal with variances. 1 Source: Metro Tunnel, as at http://metrotunnel.vic.gov.au/about-the-project/project-benefits, as on 6th January, 2017.
Need help with these 2 tasks. Task 2 needs detailed answers.
Task 1 – Program Benefits Management Plan Instructions to Learners: This summative assessment can be completed in class or at any other convenient location. Students are required to complete this task using digital tools and ensure to submit in an acceptable format, e.g. .docx, .pdf, .pptx, or as advised by your assessor. Please use the following formatting guidelines to complete this assessment task: Font Size: 12; Line Spacing: Double; Font Style: Times New Roman Assessment activities can be completed either in real workplace environment or in a simulated environment such as your classroom. In both cases, appropriate evidence of the assessment activities must be provided. Instruction to Assessors: You must assess student’s assessment according to the provided Marking Criteria. You must complete and record any evidence related to assessment activities including role-plays and presentations using appropriate forms which must be attached with student assessment submission. You must provide students with detailed feedback within 10 working days from submission. Assuming that your organization has been awarded contracts to undertake the following projects: Project 1 – Website redevelopment and hosting and maintenance services for Destination: Australia This project is for the technical upgrade of the Archives’ website Destination: Australia. In order to ensure the best value for money and optimal functionality (for the website and related exhibition interactive) going forward, it is necessary for the website to be transferred from a proprietary CMS to a commonly available CMS (including, but not limited to, an Open Source CMS). The website will enable the National Archives of Australia to collect user contributed data about the photographic collection featured on the site. The interface must be modern, engaging and user-friendly, designed to meet the needs of people of all ages, and differing levels of computer and English literacy. The website must interact successfully with an exhibition interactive via an existing API. There is an option for hosting, maintenance and support services to be provided from contract execution until 31 December 2019. Project 2 – Re-development of Intranet A redevelopment of the Clean Energy Regulator Staff Intranet into SharePoint 2013 Project 3 – Database for community engagement – Software as A Service Customer Relationship Management system (SAAS CRM) The National Radioactive Waste Management Facility project is currently in Phase 2, best described as the technical assessment and continued community consultation phase. One site has been chosen to progress to this stage while other as yet unknown sites may also progress to this stage. The project team requires a database (Software as A Service Customer Relationship Management system (SAAS CRM) to effectively and confidentially manage large volumes of data, including names, addresses, opinions of community members and contact details.  This will assist in ongoing community engagement. The system must be fully operational (tried and tested) within two weeks of the commencement of the proposed contract. The project, and related community engagement, will be ongoing for years. Access to maintenance and advice will be desirable. Your task is to, considering the 3 projects above to be developed concurrently, develop a program benefit management plan. The benefit management plan must: In order to do so, complete all of the following: Benefit Statement Benefit Profile Benefit Priority Table Benefits Management Strategy The templates attached, or suitable alternatives may be utilized to complete this task. Note: Your Assessor will provide a variance to the program throughout the assessment task which may include the addition of a project or alteration to one of the existing projects within the program. Benefits Statement Benefit Expected benefit outcome Benefit Type Where will the benefit occur? Who will be affected? Dis-benefit Expected outcome Benefit Type Where will the dis-benefit occur? Who will be affected? Benefit Profile No. Benefit Senior Benefit Owner Operational Benefit Owner Benefit to be Measured Method of Measurement Baseline Value Target Value Measurement Dates Measurement to be done by Actual Value at date measured Baseline Actual(s) Overall Benefit Ranking Benefit Category Dependency on Other Benefits Benefit Priority (1 very low to 5 very high) Likelihood of Failure (1 very low to 5 very high) Overall Risk Rating (Priority x Likelihood of Failure) Relevant PSA/ Departmental Targets How does the benefit meet the target? Actions Required Responsibility for actions Expected Outcomes Start Date End Date Potential Risks Likelihood 1 Low – 5 High Impact on Benefit 1 Low – 5 High Countermeasures Responsibility for Countermeasures Benefits Priority Table No Benefit Type Overall Ranking Overall Risk Rating No Dis-Benefit Type (Insert Project/Program Name) BENEFITS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TEMPLATE Prepared for: (Insert Project/Program Board Name) AMENDMENT LOG REVISION HISTORY Version Date Author Comments/ Change APPROVAL Name Role Signature Date 1 PURPOSE OF THIS STRATEGY This Benefits Management Strategy sets out the approach and framework that the XXX Project/Program will use to manage the realisation and delivery of benefits. It provides direction and information in terms of: • The purpose of benefits management in the XXX Project/Program; • The approach to benefits planning, which includes how benefits are identified, defined and prioritised; • The approach for the benefits realisation management process (after benefits planning), and the criteria against which the effectiveness of that process is to be measured; • The functions, roles and responsibilities of those involved in benefits planning and benefit realisation; • When and how reviews and assessments concerned with measuring benefit realisation will be carried out, and who is to be involved; • Measurement methods and steps that will be used to monitor and assess the realisation of benefits; • The tool(s), system(s) and source(s) of information that may be used to enable benefit measurement; and • The use and definition of any benefits management terminology that is specific to the XXX Project/Program and the (Agency) context. 2 BENEFITS MANAGEMENT IN THE XXX PROJECT/ PROGRAM – WHY? The key objectives of benefits management in the XXX Project/Program is to: • Provide ongoing alignment and clear links between the XXX Project/Program, the (Agency) Strategic Plan and ultimately, the initiative endorsed by government; • Ensure that benefits are identified, defined, and clearly linked to (Agency) outcomes; • Ensure that the desired benefits are achievable and verifiable (and that they can, and will be measured); • Ensure that the affected parts of the (Agency) business areas understand their responsibilities and the critical role they play in benefit realisation, and are able to commit to undertaking those activities; • Actively drive (rather than leave to chance) the process of realising benefits, which includes actively measuring, tracking and recording benefits during the period of benefits realisation; and • Provide a “benefits roadmap” that serves as a continuing focus for the delivery of the Project/Program and the necessary changes that need to occur in the (Agency) operational areas. Tip: This strategy should be reviewed on a regular basis to make sure that things are still being done as intended. A good time to do this is when the XXX Project/Program conducts a Benefits Review. The “key objectives” that are listed in the previous paragraph provide a good checklist for determining how well the Project/Program is “managing benefits”. Use it to check whether things are being forgotten or whether management actions have gone off-the-track and are starting to miss the point. 3 PLANNING THE BENEFITS Sound and realistic planning of benefits will be essential to the eventual success of the XXX Project/Program. Benefits Planning is an ongoing and iterative activity, especially when the Project/Program (later on) considers or implements change(s) that are likely to impact on its vision, business case, blueprint, and/or project/program plan. 3.1 IDENTIFYING AND MAPPING THE BENEFITS The XXX Project/Program is required to establish and maintain a Benefits Map* that captures and illustrates the relationships between the outputs that the projects are producing; the business changes that are needed to take on the new capability; the outcome(s) that are expected from the successful conduct of those business changes; the benefits (intermediate and end benefits) that are anticipated to be realised because of those outcomes; and the (Agency) strategic objective(s) that will be achieved as a result. Fig 2: Benefit Map – Categories Ou tc o me OOuu ttcc oo mmee * Tip: The Benefits Map is very handy piece of information that shows at a glance all the relationships between what the projects are producing, what changes need to be made in the business, the corresponding outcomes, and what benefits are anticipated to be delivered as a result. Just like any planning information, it should be maintained. Use it to capture where things are up to and record any approved changes. It is also a useful tool for the project/program board to understand what impact their decisions are likely to have on the project/program, especially if things need to change or are “not running to plan”. 3.2 SETTING BENEFIT PRIORITIES Prioritising the delivery of benefits ensures that the (Agency) derives the right benefits sooner rather than later, but also that it derives value faster by having its most important needs, if they can be delivered, being met earlier. Setting benefit priorities is a part of benefit planning (and re-planning), and is required to be done each time the project/program considers a change in its plans, reviews progress, or responds to an issue impacting on benefits. To be clear of what is driving the priorities, the project/program is to, at a minimum, conduct an analysis of “benefits vs impact on business area” and also be clear about who is being impacted (i.e. through a benefit / stakeholder matrix). This analysis should be revisited during any benefit (re)planning event (e.g. when stakeholder expectations change) or when there is a move to change the scope of what the project/program is delivering. Remember: The schedule of when benefits are expected is managed in detail through the project/program’s Benefit Realisation Plan. Any change to benefit priorities should be reflected and managed in the Benefits Realisation Plan. 3.3 BENEFIT PROFILES A Benefit Profile enables everyone concerned with the project/program to be clear about what the benefit is; where it will occur; who is involved and what must do to achieve it; and finally, how we know that we have achieved it. The Benefit Profiles, once approved, help define the scope of why the project/program is running and constantly guides not only the things that the project/program need to deliver, but also the changes that the operational managers need to make in the day-to-day business to bring those capabilities “to life” (i.e. the Business Change Managers). At a minimum, a Benefit Profile is to record: Description – What precisely is the benefit? Observation – What verifiable differences will be observable before and after the project/program having been run? Attribution – Where do we expect the Benefit to occur? Is the ownership for the making the changes in the operational areas clear and agreed? Does the benefit really result from our project/program? Measurement – How and when will the achievement of the benefit be measured? The XXX Project/Program is required to maintain and apply change control to all Benefit Profiles once they have been approved. Once approved, these should only change with the approval of the XXX Project/Program Board (BoM). Remember: The expected benefits are an important part of the project/program’s Business Case. Any change to these (once approved) should only be done with the approval of the project/program board (or even higher in the organisation). When Benefit Profiles change, the project/program’s business case should be reviewed to understand the impact. 3.4 BENEFIT REALISATION PLAN The project/program is to manage, track and control the realisation of benefits through the project/program’s Benefits Realisation Plan. It can best be thought of as a schedule of resourced activities focused on achieving the benefits and the transition that needs to occur in the (Agency) operational areas, as distinct to the project/program’s plan, which is focused on the delivery of the project/program. The Benefits Realisation Plan is to be maintained by the XXX Project/Program Office, and is managed in detail by the XXX Benefits Manager working in conjunction with the identified Business Change Manager(s) (typically the (Agency) operational managers or coordinators managing the business change or transition in their areas). At a minimum, the plan is required to contain and provide information on: • A schedule that details when each benefit or groups of benefits (including any dis-benefits) will be realized; • Milestones for the conduct of Benefits Review(s), to determine progress and inform questions about the likelihood of ongoing success in the future; • Dates when specific outcomes (i.e. business transition(s)) that will bring about benefits, are planned to be achieved; • Any and all dependencies; and • Details of the necessary handover and embedding activities necessary to realise any benefits occurring after the project/program has closed. Tip: Just like it is important to gauge and report on the status and progress of what the project/programs are delivering, it is just as important to report on the status and progress of what is happening in the operational areas, and how much benefit is actually being “realised”. Often this is considered to be “hard to do”, and therefore is often not done. The Benefit Realisation Plan along with the project/program plan should be tracked, controlled and reported on. A good habit is to see, and treat these, as equals in the day-to-day management of the project/program. 4 REALISING THE BENEFITS Benefits need to be managed from their initial identification all the way through to their successful “realisation”. An important part of “Realising the Benefits” is essentially about the XXX Benefits Manager and (Agency) Business Change Managers monitoring the project/program to make sure that the deliverables that they are producing can “do the job” and that the things they are delivering can be integrated into the (Agency) business and operational areas (so that the benefits that were planned for earlier, can be realised). Outside of monitoring, the XXX Benefits Manager and (Agency) Business Change Managers also need to carry out activities that prepare and support the (Agency) areas that are undergoing transition. This is in addition to the work needed to track, “push” and measure the benefits as they are occurring. 4.1 EXECUTING THE BENEFIT REALISATION PLAN The Benefit Realisation Plan is used to track the realisation of benefits across the XXX Project/Program. It also sets the frequency of the “review” controls. The plan is executed under the control of the XXX Project/Program by the project/program’s assigned Business Change Managers and the Benefits Manager in the project/program office. Like “Benefits Planning”, the process of Realising Benefits is made up of ongoing and iterative management activities that require the project/program to work together with members of the project/program board, operational (Agency) areas, its stakeholders and other projects/programs upon which the project/program is dependent or a contributor to. These activities will take time, consume resources and require control (not unlike activities being undertaken by the project/program’s projects to deliver capability). At a minimum, “executing the Benefit Realisation Plan” requires that the following scheduled activities take place: Benefit measurement activities (before, during and after a transition); Handover / acceptance and embedding activities (beyond the mere Implementation of a project’s deliverable); The conduct of benefit reviews; and Sustainment activities (to “sustain” the ongoing realisation of a benefit). A checklist of detailed activities to be undertaken to manage the pre-transition, transition and post transition phases of Benefits Realisation is provided at Attachment A. Tip: The information assembled during benefits planning will be essential to guiding and controlling the benefit realisation activities of the XXX Project/Program. Expect that there will be variance between what is actually achieved and what was planned. Refer back to the Benefit Map, Benefit Profiles, Blueprint, Business Case and other plans to guide your next steps. 4.2 REVIEWING AND EVALUATING BENEFIT REALISATION A critical requirement during the execution of the Benefits Realisation Plan is to ensure that measurements are actually being taken. The taking of measurements allows the project/program to determine the extent to which benefits are being realised, and to also identify any issues that may be precluding them from happening. To be effective, measurements are to be made pre and post the transition (i.e. when the capabilities are transferred by the projects/programs to the operational areas). In some cases, where agreed, “post measurements” may occur after the XXX project/program has closed. This recognises that some benefits may take years to fully realise. Where this happens, the XXX Project/Program is to ensure that the responsibilities for measurement are transferred to an appropriate (Agency) corporate area as part of its project/program closure activities. The measurement approach that the XXX Project/Program intends to use to measure its benefits should be clearly explained in the Benefit Profiles and any supporting planning information. At a minimum, there should be clarity around the tools, systems, information sources (and responsibilities) that will be used to perform the measurements. Tip: Using the same measurement tools and approach before and after a transition provides much greater confidence that a change has occurred. Also remember that just because a benefit may be difficult to measure, it should nonetheless be done. Proxy measures (i.e. indirect measures) and even quantitative measures are better than none at all. If a benefit cannot be measured it usually does not exist, and therefore cannot be claimed by the project/program. For each project/program benefit, a measure or set of measures will need to be devised to describe and prove the delivery of the benefits outlined in the Business Case. The tools for measurement may include: Existing (Agency) information, reporting, business systems; Measurement systems that are intended to be / must be designed into the delivered capability (e.g. a new reporting process/tool); and Independent manual measurement tools such as surveys or interviews, audits or health checks, (Agency) database queries. This is not an inclusive list as there are a multitude of ways to measure benefits. Importantly, the project/program needs to balance the way it intends to measure against the backdrop of delivery and the impact on day-to-day (Agency) operations. In all cases, measurement activities should pass the test of being worthwhile and fit for-the-purpose for which they are intended. The project/program should also be mindful that what is expected is a cost-effective, lean approach to measurement that leads to a demonstration of realised benefits and does not negatively impact on the continuation of the day-to-day conduct of (Agency) operations. To enable measurements to be taken later on, the project/program is required to maintain all document-based tools and “instructions for measurement” within its information system(s). This will ensure that they can be replicated and drawn on when needed later on in the project/program. Important: Consider the following critical success factors when planning and managing benefit delivery: Clear ownership of benefits; Each benefit needs to be owned by an appropriate individual. Look for the position or individual whose KPIs will be affected if the benefit is not realised! This is the Benefit Owner); Benefits must be measurable; If a benefit cannot be measured it cannot be managed, and so fails one of the critical validation tests of a benefit; Benefits arise from changes; and Be clear of where changes need to occur in (Agency) that will give rise to an outcome from which you are expecting benefits. These changes need be actively managed by individuals in these areas! (these are the Business Change Managers – sure they exist and are performing their functions). In addition to doing “ongoing measurements” of each benefit, the XXX Project/Program is to ensure that it performs formal reviews that take stock and make an assessment of “benefits realisation” across the project/program. These Benefit Reviews are to include an End-Tranche-Review, which is to be conducted at the end of each of the project/program’s delivery “tranches”. Where a tranche is expected to exceed 12 months in duration, a Mid-Tranche Review is also warranted. The requirement for mid-tranche review is at the SRO’s discretion on advice from the project/program manager, and therefore may be conducted at any time during a tranche. Tip: Remember to optimise and look for other benefits as part of your normal benefit review process. An example checklist for undertaking a Benefit Review, and an End (or mid) Tranche Review is covered in the best-practice guidance booklet Think MSP TM (available to the XXX Project/Program Office). Tip: During any formal review, there is a significant benefit in also reviewing the performance of the Benefits Realisation Plan to determine its effectiveness and efficiency. The Benefits Realisation Plan is a dynamic piece of management information. It should be reviewed to make sure that it remains relevant and achievable. 4.3 GLOSSARY OF SPECIFIC BENEFITS MANAGEMENT TERMINOLOGY BoM – Board of Management. This is the XXX Project/Program Board. SRO – The Senior Responsible Owner. This is the single individual who has the responsibility for ensuring that the XXX Project/Program meets its objectives and delivers the projected benefits. This is the chair of the BoM. Project/Program Manager – This is the role that is responsible for the set-up, management and delivery of the XXX Project/Program. Benefits Manager – This is the individual that is responsible within the XXX Project/Program Office for providing the centre of expertise in implementing this strategy, managing the benefit planning information, and ensuring that benefit realisation plan is implemented. Benefit Owners – These are the individuals in the (Agency) who have a direct interest in the benefit being delivered. A good rule of thumb is that these are the individuals who head up the areas whose KPIs will be affected if the benefit is not realised. Business Change Managers – These are the individuals who are responsible to the Project/Program for managing the required changes in the operational areas, (i.e. after taking on the capabilities being delivered by the Project/Program’s). Also, sometimes referred to as Change Agents. Project/Program Office – the individuals in the XXX Project/Program Office. Its function is to serve as the information hub for the Project/Program and support the Project/Program Board, Project/Program Manager and Business Change Managers in managing and controlling the delivery of capability and benefits.