Managing benefits from projects - 23rd September 2015

APM Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire Branch was delighted to welcome Dr Hugo Minney from the APM Benefits Management Specific Interest Group (SIG). The SIG, is concerned with benefits management in all aspects of private, public sector and third sector organisations and Hugh is a committee member of the SIG and has a particular interest in Social Return on Investment (SRoI).  This concept deals with how social and community impacts from projects in the public sector can be considered as non-financial benefits and what are often thought of as intangible benefits, such as improvements in the quality of life for a population group.

The SIG has the vision to "develop and promote benefits management as a core driver of successful project, programme portfolio and change management" and is one of the longest established SIG’s.

Around 50 members and guests attended Hugo’s interactive presentation at the Queens Hotel, Leeds entitled “Managing benefits from projects – the NHS way” based on the patient information project in Airedale NHS Trust. Hugo demonstrated both the way that benefits are modelled and understood in terms of “Means, Ways and Ends” and how these relate to stakeholder analysis in terms of who benefits, how and why.

Hugo is currently Company Secretary of a GP-led federation with over 17,000 registered patients and took the group through highly engaging exercises in which tables went stage by stage through the benefits analysis process. This was based this in three levels of stakeholder importance, considering how the project would impact each stakeholder group and how “intangible” benefits can be defined and measured; such as the value of staff sickness, employee inspiration and customer retention.

The event was very well received and Hugo was kind enough to stay afterwards to discuss benefits management with those who had further queries or points to discuss.

Kevin Parry - APM Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire branch