A case study on benefits realisation and its contributions for achieving project outcomes

Value generation has been an increasing concern in the project management literature. It has been argued that the main challenge for generating value is no longer the design of a physical facility or asset, but the capability of understanding the project holistically and going beyond the physical facility to generate benefits that are aligned with strategic intent. Thus it has been suggested that projects should be understood as means of achieving agreed goals rather the simply delivery of outputs. Thus, this paper presents a case study that was carried out to analyse the contributions of the BeReal model on achieving agreed outcomes and goals. The BeReal model was developed by the University of Salford and was being implemented in a healthcare redevelopment programme in the UK. It was observed that the BeReal model was beneficial for the case study project in many ways: enabling a holistic understanding of value, enabling a dialogue about stakeholders' expected outcomes; and providing means for accountability. Expected contributions of the model were not observed in its full extent. Two main reasons were identified, the adoption on a later stage of development and the team's focus on complying with OGC procedures. While adopting the model from the earlier stages might be beneficial, the rigid structures commonly imposed to governmental projects might be a hinder to learning and continuous improvement.