A benefit statement is made up of an overarching statement that provides line-of-sight to the outcomes the agency is seeking. An effective benefit statement should support a focus on investment rather than on the assets or what will be delivered. Any KPIs used should be outcome focused, rather than output or activity focused.
The Investment logic mapping guide from Building Queensland recommends that:
- benefit statements provide an obvious connection to the government or agency’s outcomes, but be contextualised to indicate their local impact
- it is critical for any benefits claimed to be supported by reasonable KPIs, which are meaningful, attributable, and measurable
- the emphasis should be on the results or impact of the work done to deliver the benefit and overcome a problem.
Consider the following questions when developing benefit statements:
- What value will the agency get out of investing in change and how will the agency know whether value has been delivered?
- What benefits will the agency expect in successfully responding to a business problem or problems?
- What outcomes will the agency get from remedying a problem?
- What benefit will government and the community get from investment in change?
- What part of the government agenda will this investment support?
- What KPIs will demonstrate value and are outcome focused?
Benefits management defines a number of benefit types to help identify and frame both tangible and intangible benefits. These include:
- environmental and social benefits
- cost related benefits such as cost reduction, cost avoidance or increased revenue
- service-related benefits including improved productivity and service enhancement
- political return benefits.
Another approach is to focus on the stakeholders (e.g., student, parent, teacher or customer, customer service officer, call centre operator) and discuss what will change either positively or negatively (dis-benefits) as result of achieving the desired objectives.
Planning stakeholder workshop to identify benefits
Practitioners should investigate opportunities to connect with a benefit specialist in your agency or locate a benefit specialist in another agency to conduct a workshop on your behalf. They may also be able to help define benefits at a level appropriate to the strategic planning activities being conducted.
The identification of benefits can be done as a separate workshop or may be incorporated into vision or objectives planning workshops with stakeholders. Defining benefits require the use of the outputs of the Vision activities and the determination of digital and ICT objectives and may help to refine the vision and objectives when incorporated as part of the same workshop.
Before conducting a workshop, it may be necessary to revisit the existing strategic documents in your agency and identify any benefits that may be relevant to the digital or ICT planning activities you are conducting.
- Last updated:
- 7 December 2022