Project Benefit Management

Project managers are preoccupied with the accountability to produce and deliver meaningful outputs, such as a new manufacturing line or information system. Yet, literature suggests that project outputs are a means rather than an end, and realizing project benefits is the major reason for a project’s existence. However, benefits are rarely realized and poorly managed.

 

The main reason for projects not achieving their target benefits is the lack of an effective senior executive to guide the progress of the project toward the target benefits and be accountable for their realization. This seminar aims at understanding the leadership roles required to realize target benefits effectively and the implications on the way projects are managed. Based on agency theory, the paper discusses the role of the “project owner” and suggests implications for the roles of senior executives, operations managers, project managers.

Dr Ofer Zwikael is an Associate Professor in the College of Business and Economics at the Australian National University. His research focuses on project benefit management. He is the recipient of the International Project Management Association's 2016 Research Award. In addition, he has been awarded multiple research awards by the Academy of Management, British Academy of Management, Emerald and the Australian Institute of Project Management.

 

Dr Zwikael is the author of three books and more than 150 scholarly peer-reviewed papers published in leading outlets, such as the Journal of Operations Management (FT45), Journal of Management in Engineering and the British Journal of Management. He has held leadership roles such as Associate Dean and Associate Editor of the top project management journal (International Journal of Project Management).

 

Dr Zwikael is a Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential holder and has served on the Executive Boards of three Project Management Institute (PMI) international chapters. He has lead, trained, mentored and consulted projects and program groups in dozens of organisations, including Motorola, Nestle, PINZ (New Zealand) and Nationwide Bank (UK).