After working with MSP since 2003, I became an MSP Advanced Practitioner in 2006; an MSP Trainer in 2007; then an MSP Registered Consultant in 2009. I have copies of each of the versions of the MSP Guide.
Since first exploring MSP, I have been fascinated by the separation of the role and tasks of transition management from the project manager’s domain to the change manager’s domain. I have been further challenged in implementing MSP into client organizations with the dual BCM roles of transition management and benefits management.
To be honest, most people don’t get it the first time. Some don’t get it the second time either. I have become used to people trying to short-cut the vision, the blueprint, the program plan, ignore benefits mapping and the benefits profile for the sake of making their lives easier, or so they mistakenly think.
The three following Blogs investigate the broad topic of Business Change Management and Benefits Management, with a specific focus on my experience with the MSP Cranfield model focused on the relationship between delivering a project output through the business change elements of transition management and benefit realization.
It is my understanding that a correct application of the intent and best practice application of programme transition management will improve programme performance and add value to a programme. The alternative view will be explored as well – that is a poor application of transition management will result in reduced value being ascribed to a programme.
I spend a lot of time exploring the impact of effective programme Transition management in the context of the changing roles of the Business Change Manager and the recommended introduction of the Benefits Manager role to the MSP Organization. My observations from practice have prompted me to suggest that we can add more value to a programme by separating the linked activities of “transition management” and “benefits management” into two roles; specifically, the Transition Manager and the Benefits Manager.
From practice and observation, it is clear that there can be too much weight applied to one key person in the Business Change Manager role within a complex programme if the transition activities and benefits activities are combined into the one role.
It is my recommendation that in some “transformational change” programmes, the separation of the change and transition elements of the BCM role from the benefit realization elements will contribute to a better achievement of the end goal of a programme. Both elements are dependent on maintaining the focus on outputs (the projects), the change (pre-transition; transition; post-transition) and the benefits (benefit mapping, benefit plans, benefits profiles) and this has proven to be one of the biggest pain points in fostering effective application of the MSP framework.
There are three big surprises in the way MSP deals with transition and benefits management. The next 3 Blogs cover these:
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