Benefits realisation in the MPS information strategy

Report: 13
Date: 23 June 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This paper reports on the MPS policy and processes for ensuring that benefits forecast in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) enabled business change solutions are effectively updated, scrutinised, tracked and evaluated.

It also reports on the adherence by projects to the policy and processes as examined by the Audit and Benefits Realisation Sub-group (ABRSG) in March 2005.

A. Recommendation

That Members note the current position concerning benefits realisation policies and processes in the MPS and the current progress towards realising benefits in projects scrutinised by the ABRSG in March 2005.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The MPS has developed a mechanism to ensure that the benefits forecast from investment through ICT enabled business change are fully identified and quantified at the commencement of the project then updated as appropriate, tracked and subsequently evaluated.

2. Once the current recruitment exercise is complete, the Directorate of Information (DoI) will have a team of four staff employed to support senior responsible officers (SROs), business change managers and ICT project staff in the management and realisation of benefits.

3. The involvement of the DoI benefits team with projects is based on an assessment of cost and the relevance and impact of the project on the achievement of corporate priorities. Level 1 projects receive the active involvement of the team with the identification, quantification, baselining, tracking and monitoring of benefits. Level 2 projects receive benefits consultancy and review/validation of their work. Involvement with smaller Level 3 projects usually comprises briefing project staff and the provision of consultancy about the MPS’s benefits policy and processes.

Integration of benefits management into ICT enabled business change projects

4. DoI projects employ a methodology which is based on the PRINCE2 principles. These require a project to progress in stages with periodical reviews to ensure that the rationale and realisable benefits expected from the project are assessed at key points. This enables the business related benefits to be estimated with increasing accuracy as the project progresses. A project can be stopped or re-scoped at the end of any stage if the business case or benefit realisation plan are no longer valid or have changed.

5. Linked to these stage reviews are benefit control points which are used to inform the stage end report. These control points assist the project to build up an increasingly comprehensive understanding of the benefits to be achieved and the level of associated business change required. Scrutiny at the control points includes assurances that the appropriate methodology is being used to identify and quantity benefits, that the proposed measurement techniques are appropriate and relevant and that the project has the capability to deliver and evidence the forecast benefits when implemented.

6. Normally ICT sits within a bigger programme of business change, the successful implementation of which is necessary to realise the forecasted benefits. To ensure clarity about which element of a programme is responsible for the delivery of which benefit and where any dependencies arise, the benefits defined for the overall programme are deconstructed down to the component items of the work.

7. By the time that a project is ready to go into service a full benefits realisation plan (BRP) will have normally been developed and agreed and signed-off by the relevant users, stakeholders and project board or workstream. The BRP will include the relevant organisational goals, the benefit(s) being sought, the measurements and the measurement methodology to be used and the timescale over which the benefits are expected to materialise. The BRP will also assist in identifying dis-benefits that may occur, so that the risks can be mitigated, or dependencies and assumptions that may impact adversely on the ability to achieve the predicted benefits.

8. Following implementation, a review is undertaken at the point by which the project expects to deliver benefits. At this point actual benefit delivery is evaluated against that forecast. The DoI Benefits Management Team initiates and supports this activity. The evaluation results in a Benefits Evaluation Report, which assesses progress at that point and makes recommendations to improve benefit delivery where necessary. A project may be required to repeat a number of its activities depending on progress against forecast.

Reporting on benefits

9. A report is made quarterly to the ABRSG of projects with regard to their compliance with the benefits governance processes and their ability to deliver the benefits identified. An abridged version of the most recent report from the meeting held on 3 March 2005 is included at Appendix 1. This explains the system of control points referred to paragraph 5 above and uses a Red, Amber, Green (RAG) status reporting system to reflect whether or not a project is adhering to the benefit realisation process. ABRSG papers are sent to the Information Management Steering Group (IMSG) - (which also meets quarterly).

10. Additionally, an escalation process is under development that will be available for use by the Benefits Team once agreed. This process will be triggered by where benefits are not stated or are believed to be unachievable.

C. Race and equality impact

Project benefits are assessed against corporate priorities, delivery plans and cross cutting themes such as diversity to determine contribution. For each benefit, measures are put in place to ensure delivery and therefore contribution to strategic objectives. The benefits management methodology requires that a project ensures that any adverse impact on equality is addressed and mitigated as a dis-benefits prior to implementation and may be monitored post implementation.

D. Financial implications

There are no financial implications arising from this report.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Ailsa Beaton, Director of Information

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix 1: Abridged version of paper considered by the Audit and Benefits Realisation Sub-Group on 3 March 2005 (ref: ABRSG(05)4)

Contents

• Introduction
• Summary of Benefits Governance Methodology
• Summary Assessment Criteria
• Benefits Realisation in the Criminal Justice Workstream

1. Introduction

1.1 This paper is an abridged version of the more detailed paper submitted to the Audit & Benefits Realisation Sub-Group at its meeting on 3 March 2005. The purpose of this abridged version is to highlight the progress reported on one of the major projects with which the DoI Benefits Management Team is involved, as an illustration of the way benefits realisation is governed in the MPS.

2. Summary of Benefits Governance Methodology

2.1 Benefits methodology is based on PRINCE2 principles which require projects to progress in stages (known as Control Points) with periodical reviews to ensure that the forecast benefits remain realisable and relevant.

3. Summary of Assessment Criteria

3.1 Progress at each control point is assessed using a Red, Amber, Green (RAG) status reporting system to reflect whether or not a project is adhering to the benefit realisation process.

4. Criminal Justice Workstream

Criminal Justice Workstream – Cmdr Alfred Hitchcock

Major Project Commentary

NSPIS Case & Custody Preparation: A paper has been requested by the Workstream Sponsor on NSPIS dis-benefits in relation to the continued provision of a paper file to the CPS alongside the electronic file using evidence from the Newham Pilot, this has been produced and is available for the ABRSG for review. A paper exploring the full impact on the MPS of the expected dis-benefits from the implementation of NSPIS will follow. The overall benefits statements have now been decomposed a level ready for review by the stakeholders.

Benefits Governance Summary

*Control points:

• (0) Ownership decisions
• (1) Need defined
• (2) Solution & funding
• (3) Develop solution
• (4) Deploy in business

Benefit summary

• Bringing more offenders to justice
• Potential for target setting
• Better informed tasking
• Improved file quality
• Improved victim and witness care leading to
• Improved public confidence in MPS
• Improved availability of case info to Witness Care Unit
• Tasking with reminders
• Moving data into intelligence
• Optimised use of data
• Faster and more accurate PNC
• 3rd party access will maximise NSPIS benefits

Recommendations to ensure benefit delivery:

• 1. Ensure that each project has a Business Change Manager.
• 2. Ensure that each project has an achievable Business Change plan.
• 3. Ensure that each project discusses and agrees changes with its users.
• 4. Ensure that a well developed and realistic Benefit Realisation Plan is in place.

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