Implementation and Benefits Realisation

When we do something other than “what we are used to”

Regardless of whether you are incorporating a new healthcare solution into everyday practice; rethinking the daily flows of the workplace; integrating a new strategy, or something different entirely, implementation involves making people do something different from what they are used to.

It is a challenging process: the will to maintain what we are used to is a natural response mechanism that occurs when human beings are faced with changes.

Thus, a vital aspect of actively working with implementation – the process of putting a decision or plan into effect – is that it should begin already when the idea for a project and the thought of ‘something new’ arises.

The Guide to Implementation helps you on this journey

Implementation should follow the project from start to finish: from the moment a thought or an idea occurs that might elicit the possibility of some sort of change, to the decision to instigate this initiative, to having it evaluated, adjusted and anchored in daily practice. In other words, implementation should be thought of as an integrated part of thinking about the project, running parallel to the other processes involved.

In collaboration with other of his colleagues, Tobias Thuesen Marling, PMO-consultant in the Health Innovation Centre of Southern Denmark, is responsible for the work on implementation and benefits realisation.

He stresses that implementation should not be regarded as a closed off entity on its own, nor as a concluding phase of a project. Instead, it should be a way of thinking about the project that begins when the idea for a project arises, through user involvement in daily practice. No methods are complete in their own right, but if they are effectively combined and applied you can create success via implementation.

The Health Innovation Centre of Southern Denmarks "Guide to Implementation" can offer inspiration and insight into the different themes and phases of implementation. Some examples of the main headings in the guide are:

• Forces behind a change
• Stakeholders  
• Who is affected by the change?
• Involvement
• Desired effects
• Planning the implementation  
• The readiness of the organisation
• Accelerated implementation
• Possible barriers for implementation
• Developing new skills
• Anchoring the change into the organisation
• Harvesting the benefits

You can use the Guide to Implementation in multiple ways. Do not hesitate to contact us for further information on our Guide to Implementation, plus a discussion on what tools might be relevant to use in your case.

Benefits Realisation. What? Why? When? How?

An important question to ask yourself is whether or not your project is achieving its objective. Too often, it happens that an investment occurs in a project that does not sufficiently clarify what benefits should be gained from the project. The Health Innovation Centre of Southern Denmark have developed something called a ‘Benefits Realisation Kit’ as a guide on what specific tools can be used to achieve the objectives and desired benefits of a project.   

The kit is made up of:

• A short guide on Benefits Realisation with an elaboration on why we strongly encourage using this tool, plus a guide to getting started on your own.
• Benefits realisation cards listing the – in our opinion – most important areas of benefits realisation and a further explanation of these on the back.
• A simple benefits realisation diagram and an expanded benefits realisation diagram. These can be used for a start when going over the different areas of Benefits realisation.
• Forms to fill-in describing the purpose of the project and planning out how to achieve the desired benefits that can be used for supporting and developing the different elements of the diagram. 

The primary purpose of working with benefits realisation to balance the expectations of those involved in the project, and to select the methods that makes most sense for you and the specific project.

The material has been drawn up on the basis of the methods presented by Implement Consulting Groups. We refer to their book “Gevinstrealisering. Skab mere værdi i dine projekter” (Eng. title: Benefits Realisation. Create more value in your projects) by Rasmus Rytter, Jesper Krøyer Lind and Per Svejvig. Should you want to dive deeper into the concept of benefits realisation, this is a good place to start. Otherwise feel free to contact us for further information on our Benefits Realisation Kit.

We are continuously developing this material, and there will be other initiatives from us in the future. Specialised consultant of the Health Innovation Centre of Southern Denmark, Maria Hardt Schønnemann, clarifies that working with benefits realisation is both rewarding and relevant in any project.

She recommends that any project managers make the Benefits Realisation Kit a permanent addition to their tool box. You get diagrams, forms, schematics and explanatory ‘cards’ of the different elements of benefits realisation. Together, these will guide you through the different steps of benefits realisation.