By Carlos Eduardo Martins Serra
Benefits Realisation Management, Book
My book has finally been released. That is quite exciting!
Benefits Realization Management: Strategic Value from Portfolios, Programs, and Projects is the result of around five years of work. It started as part of my award winning research on the subject at the
University of Warwick. After the conclusion of my research, it has gradually evolved to become a comprehensive collection of best practices compiled in 276 pages. More than only theory, it includes an easy-to-use set of templates, an illustrative case study and more.
I had the honour to have the book revised and edited by
John Wyzalek and
Dr Ginger Levin, and then published by CRC Press as part of the series
Best Practices and Advances in Program Management.
The Subject
As the title clearly states, the book is about Benefits Realization Management (BRM), which is a key part of governance. BRM is a set of processes, tools and techniques. It supports the strategic creation of value for organisations. It provides also the correct level of prioritisation and executive support to ensure the success of the correct set of investment initiatives. Because of its relevance to the governance process, research identified BRM practices having a strong influence over project success. It has been also identified as a link between strategic planning and strategy execution.
The value for practitioners
This book guides portfolio, program, and project managers through the process of benefits realisation management so they can maximize the creation of value to the business. It discusses why and how programs and projects are expected to enable value creation, and it explains the role of BRM in value creation. The book provides a flexible framework for:
- Translating business strategy drivers into expected benefits;
- Composing a program and project portfolio that can realise expected benefits;
- Planning the benefits realisation expected from programs and projects and then making it happen;
- Keeping programs and projects on track, so that they enable the realisation of the expected benefits;
- Reviewing and evaluating the benefits achieved or expected against the original baselines and the current expectations.
The value for business managers
The book is not only designed to help project, program, and portfolio managers on their BRM journey, but also to support business managers in successfully executing business strategies. It explains the links built by the BRM techniques between business strategy and project, programme and portfolio management that enable more efficient and effective strategy execution.
In order to support the development of an organisational structure that supports an effective BRM process, the book identifies key organisational responsibilities and roles involved in BRM practices, and it provides a simple reference that can be mapped against any organisational structure.
How-to guide with examples and templates
A detailed and comprehensive case study illustrates each phase of the BRM framework as it links business strategy to project work, benefits, and business value. It makes easier to both students and practitioners to understand how the techniques that are mentioned in the book can be applied in an organisational environment.
Each chapter ends with a series of questions that provide a BRM self-assessment. The book also recommends additional bibliography to support further learning about each chapter. The book concludes with a set of 19 templates and detailed instructions to ensure successful deployment of the BRM tools and techniques.
Is the book based on Experience only or on Research only?
Interestingly, a couple of weeks ago, as soon as I started spreading the news about the publication, a friend asked me if the book was result of experience or fully based on research. That is a very relevant question that I answer in the preface. Briefly speaking, the book is a result of over 16 years’ experience as a practitioner combined with several years of academic research.
Although the book focuses on explaining how to implement and how to utilise good practices that have been developed and employed by practitioners all around the world, an academic component comes into place to provide the background, rationale and sometimes evidence of the effectiveness of such practices. Since several academics around the world have been developing new techniques and studying the application of good practices, it is important to take their findings into consideration when assessing the relevance and effectiveness of each practice. This approach reassures the value of practices described in the book.
Therefore, the practices and templates mentioned in the book are the result of a combination of a lot experience with a lot of research.
Where to find the book?
The book has been published by CRC Press (a member of the Taylor & Francis Group) and has been distributed worldwide. The CRC Press online store ships the book to any country for free. You can also find the book in several other stores (e.g. Amazon.com). The electronic version is going to be released soon, so watch this space.
Now, why don’t you find out more about the book by following one of these this links to the CRC Press Online Store or to the Amazon online store? I hope you enjoy it.
This same post is available on LinkedIn pulse:
New Book | Benefits Realisation Management: Strategic Value from Portfolios, Programs, and Projects
Carlos Eduardo Martins Serra
About the author
Carlos Eduardo Martins Serra is internationally recognised as a specialist in the area of Benefits Realization Management and his is the author of another two books about the subject. He is a certified PMP®, APMP, IPMA-D, Prince2 Practitioner, PMO-CP and Scrum Master, holding an MSc degree in Program and Project Management from the University of Warwick (UK) and a BSc degree in Engineering from CEFET-RJ (Brazil). Since 1999, he worked across multiple countries and sectors managing projects and programs, and leading PMO functions and teams of Project Managers. He designed, implemented, and improved project management frameworks for many organizations. He has been a researcher, a guest lecturer and project supervisor for MBA and MSc programs, and an international speaker, has written several articles, has won awards and has been a reviewer for academic journals.