Managing Benefits™ Foundation

Course details

IIL is an APMG Accredited Training Organization (ATO) for Managing Benefits. 

Prerequisites: 

• 2-3 hours of pre-course study 
  
• Approximately 2 hours of study per evening during the course will be required by those who wish to pass the exam 
  

Course Level: Basic / Intermediate

Description
Benefits are not simply just one aspect of project and programme management (PPM) - rather, they are the rationale for the investment of taxpayers' and shareholders' funds in change initiatives. Managing Benefits is designed to complement existing best practices in portfolio, programme and project management (such as PRINCE2®, MSP®, P3O® & MoP®), and consolidates existing guidance while expanding on the specific practices and techniques aimed at optimizing benefits realization.

The purpose of the Managing Benefits guidance and certification scheme is to provide you with generally applicable guidance encompassing benefits management principles, practices, and techniques, and to prepare you to take and pass the Foundation exam on the third day. 

Managing Benefits provides: 

• An overview of benefits management - what it is, the case for doing it, and some common misconceptions that can limit its effectiveness in practice 
  
• Descriptions of the seven principles upon which successful approaches to benefits management are built, and examples of how they have been applied in practice 
  
• Guidance on how to apply benefits management at a portfolio level, as well as at an individual project or programme level 
  
• Details of the five practices in the Benefits Management Cycle and examples of how they have been applied in practice 
  
• Advice on how to get started in implementing effective benefits management practices and sustain progress 

Who Should Attend
The Managing Benefits guidance is relevant to all sectors and types of project or programme, or what the guide refers to as "change initiatives". The target audience includes all those with a role in ensuring the best use of funds by maximizing the benefits realized from change initiatives. This multi-disciplinary group includes:

• Change leaders (e.g., senior responsible owners and directors of change) 
• Change initiators (e.g., strategic planners and policy leads) 
• Change appraisers and evaluators (e.g., business case developers and project appraisers) 
• Change implementers/enablers (e.g., portfolio, programme and project managers, as well as business change managers) 

Performance Focus

• Applying the principles of benefits management 
• Managing benefits at the portfolio, project, and programme levels 
• Implementing and sustaining benefits management 
• Preparing for the Foundation exam
• Change support staff (e.g., portfolio, programme and project office staff, including benefits manager)

You'll learn how to:

• Define benefits, benefits management and related terms, and the objectives of benefits management 
• Explain the principles upon which successful approaches to benefits management are based 
• Define the practices contained within the Benefits Management Cycle and relevant techniques applicable to each practice 
• Describe key elements of portfolio-based benefits management, as well as the scope of key roles and responsibilities for benefits management and the typical contents of the main benefits management documentation 
• Identify barriers to effective benefits management and strategies to overcome them, including the key success characteristics of benefits management 
• Improve your ability to pass the APMG Managing Benefits Foundation Certification exam 

Course Overview

• Getting Started
  
• Introductions 
  
• Course structure 
  
• Course goals and objectives 
  
• Overview of Managing Benefits
  
• The Benefits Management Model 
  
• Key Benefits Management Practices 
  
• What is Benefits Management? 
  
• Definitions 
  
• Value and Value Management 
  
• Why do we need benefits management? 
  
• Objectives 
  
• Benefits Management Principles
  
• Align benefits with strategy 
  
• Start with the end in mind 
  
• Utilize successful delivery methods 
  
• Integrate benefits with performance management 
  
• Manage benefits from a portfolio perspective 
  
• Apply effective governance 
  
• Develop a value culture 
  
• The Benefits Management Cycle
  
• Barriers to effective and efficient benefits management and overcoming them 
  
• Key success characteristics of effective benefits management 
  
• Key roles, responsibilities, and documentation 
  
• Benefits Management Practice 1 - Identify and Quantify
  
• Benefits Management Practice 2 - Value and Appraise
  
• Benefits Management Practice 3 - Plan
  
• Benefits Management Practice 4 - Realize
  
• Benefits Management Practice 5 - Review
  
• Portfolio-based Benefits Management
  
• Implementing and Sustaining Progress
  
• APMG Managing Benefits Foundation Exam
  
• Course Summary and Next Steps
  

About the Foundation Exam

• 40 minute, closed-book exam 
  
• 50 multiple-choice style questions 
  
• 25 marks required (out of 50 available) to pass - 50% 
  

PRINCE2®, MSP®, P3O® and MoP® are registered trade marks of AXELOS Limited. APMG-International Managing Benefits™ is a trade mark of The APM Group Limited. The APMG-International Managing Benefits and Swirl Device logos are trade marks of The APM Group Limited.

Updated on 20 March, 2018