The role is to pull multiple sources of needed information together (aggregator)
yet drive and challenge people to achieve more (agitator). When
the role of Benefits Manager includes the behaviors of an Aggregator-Agitator then the following challenges are addressed.
The Challenges
Typical programs and portfolios cry out for benefits realization
to help them achieve more with less and sooner. However, common data and people
challenges can reduce its success and make it much less
fun:
Data challenges:
1.
Overloaded and overwhelmed: Models created are kept simple to reduce
information overload and to avoid overwhelm. They lose rigor and value as a
source of knowledge in complex and fast changing situations.
2.
Too much from everywhere: With too much information from
many different sources to take on and connect together using most modelling
styles and tools. Very simple and incomplete models used in decision making and
governance miss out on opportunity value.
3.
Richness lost: Simplifying and separating information can
mean the richness of connections and relationships can be lost. Their potential
to provide transparency and insight is held back.
People challenges:
1.
Blindness, bias and assumptions: People can show unintended blindness,
bias and hold invalid assumptions that are left unchallenged. What is achieved
is only a fraction of what could be.
2.
Being safe and certain: People can fear certain levels of risk
and uncertainty. Healthy levels of conflict and debates are often avoided in
many organisations and needed questions not asked/ honesty is withheld.
3.
Let’s rest awhile: Without a push it’s hard to keep groups
innovative and producing ideas beyond the early honeymoon period. They don’t perform
to a high standard and the potential satisfaction of members in seeing brilliant
results is lost. Inertia and stagnation close in.
These are some of the reasons why benefit realization is more than
a process. Don’t get me wrong, you can achieve a great deal with a good
benefits realization process and standard roles. To drive superior performance
in complex situations then I believe that more is required. Part of this ‘more’
is the Agitator-Aggregator role.
The Agitator-Aggregator role
There are two sides to this role, firstly the Agitator.
This requires a persistent drive to:
1.
Challenge and Plug holes: Get others to fill in gaps in knowledge, understanding,
reduce confusion with clarity and add detail to vague areas. Question and challenge.
2.
Shout about it: Share information, make it interesting
and attention grabbing where possible to build awareness across everyone involved.
3.
Chew through assumptions: Surface, clarify and ‘burst’ assumptions
where-ever and whenever you can. These help reduce risk.
4.
Don’t stop moving: Create a sense of urgency, engage people and
don’t let things settle. Momentum and agility are priceless and support success.
5.
Personal selling: 'Sell' the value of involvement to each
individual and role – appeal to their rational, emotional and political needs.
6.
Resource fighting: Make the case and secure the needed time,
energy and attention on benefits realization.
7.
Point and amplify: Draw attention to where it is needed most,
agree priorities and ensure action is taken.
The other side of the role is that of Aggregator.
This has a different personality to the Agitator but they fully support each
other.
This requires persistent focus to:
1.
Be a match-maker: Connect people and information by pulling them together
and keep meaning intact, when possible. Highlight new connections.
2.
Break and share codes: Understand and make sense of information
and situations and help others understand them too.
3.
Level noise: Balance the level of detail to that
needed by the situation. Some data will be detailed and others high-level, so
use judgement in bringing together.
4.
De-clutter: Remove duplication, summarize and use visual
modelling to simplify difficult concepts and ideas.
5.
Clean cause-and-effect: Pull together different aspects of the
program/ portfolio and align them to expected benefits. If they can’t be
aligned then don’t force them – they may not be of value!
6.
Agreement through iteration: There will be multiple iterations and
improvements over time – incremental crafting is one way to describe the
development of a model. Each iteration builds understanding, quality and agreement.
7.
Attention grabbing framework: Build a shared framework/ model that is applicable
to as many stakeholders and experts as possible – by ensuring many groups
understand and value it then it has greater chance of keeping attention and
changing behavior.
I hope this helps set the expectation of how exciting and
interesting benefits realization can be for all those involved. Finding an
individual to fill both sides of this role can be hard so why not split the
role between two people?
With all the information and engagement needed then I’m afraid
that Visio, PowerPoint and Excel can leave you wanting as support tools. Help to make benefits realization practical in complex environments was one of the drivers behind the creation of Realisor (www.realisor.com) - we didn't want to just
support the simple benefits realization processes but give people powerful tools to drive
significant additional value.
(Many thanks to Suzanne Felber of Felber Consulting for the help in clarify ideas)
(c) Trevor Howes 2013.
