Use of Benefits Management Methodologies

The request was successful.

Dear Arts Council of England,

I am writing to you regarding the use of structured benefits management methodologies.

For clarity, all the following questions relate to benefits management as defined by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC): “the identification, definition, tracking, realisation and optimisation of benefits, usually within a programme”, where benefits are the positive outcomes of change from a project or programme.

Could you please provide me with responses to the following questions set out below?

1. Do you currently or have you in the past used structured benefits management methodologies when delivering a programme, including any of the following?
• Benefits Realisation Management (Bradley, 2006, OGC, 2004)
• The Cranfield Process Model of Benefits Management (Ward et al., 1996)
• Management of Value (OGC, 2010)
• Active Benefits Realisation (Remenyi & Sherwood-Smith, 1998)

2. What is the most commonly used method and why is this method used rather than any of the other methods available?

3. Do you have a benefits management centre of excellence?

4. Do you have a specialist benefits management resource? Please indicate whether this is a permanent or contingent resource.

5. Does your organisation have a centrally managed and consistent framework, with established processes, for defining and tracking benefits realisation?

6. To what extent are business requirements linked to and influenced by benefits?

7. On a scale of 1 to 9, where 1 is not embedded at all and 9 is thoroughly embedded, how well embedded is benefits management within programme management and the development of organisational strategies?

8. Please provide a sample of completed benefits management products, specifically:
• Benefits maps
• Benefits registers
• Benefits management strategies
• Benefits realisation plans
• Benefits profiles

9. If you do not use a structured benefits management approach, please provide a reason as to why this decision has been taken.

Thank you in advance for providing this information and I look forward to receiving your reply.

Yours faithfully,

James Crutchley

FOI, Arts Council England

Dear Mr Crutchley

 

Thank you for your request for information from the Arts Council.

 

I can confirm that this request will be dealt with in line with the
requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  This means that we
will respond to your request in full as soon as possible and, at the
latest, within 20 working days from the day we received your email. 
Consequently you will hear from us no later than 4 March 2013.

 

If you would like to know more about how we will deal with your request
for information, you can find information on our website
[1]http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/who-we-are...

 

Alternatively for a more comprehensive look at information rights
legislation, please visit the Information Commissioner’s website
[2]http://www.ico.gov.uk/

 

If you have any further queries in the meantime please do not hesitate to
contact me.

 

Kind regards

 

Debbie Stephenson

Senior Officer, Freedom of Information

Arts Council England, National Office

Direct + 44 (0)207 973 6844

[email address]

 

www.artscouncil.org.uk

 

 

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FOI, Arts Council England

Dear James

 

Thank you for your request for information.  However we have not dealt
with this under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  This is because your
email contains an enquiry rather than a request for recorded information
held by the Arts Council.  This is in line with [1]guidance provided by
the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which states that requests
which are not for recorded information, but instead ask questions, such as
“please explain your policy on x” or “please explain your decision to do
y” are not requests under the Freedom of Information Act and should be
dealt with as routine correspondence. 

 

Please find below our responses to your questions.

 

1) Do you currently or have you in the past used structured benefits
management methodologies when delivering a programme, including any of the
following; Benefits Realisation Management (Bradley, 2006, OGC, 2004); The
Cranfield Process Model of Benefits Management (Ward 1996); Management of
Value (OGC, 2010); Active Benefits Realisation (Remenyi & Sherwood-Smith,
1998).

 

We do not currently use these methods.  We do not keep a record of
historical evaluation methods used.

 

2) What is the most commonly used method and why is this method used
rather than any of the other methods available?

 

Our current evaluation processes are tailored to individual programmes and
the needs of the organisation.

 

3) Do you have a benefits management centre of excellence?  

 

No – we have no department/team/directorate that is a “benefits management
centre of excellence”

 

4) Do you have a specialist benefits management resource? Please indicate
whether this is a permanent or contingent resource.

 

We have permanent staffing posts that have programme evaluation as part of
their job description.

 

5) Does your organisation have a centrally managed and consistent
framework, with established processes, for defining and tracking benefits
realisation?

 

No, as mentioned above, our evaluation processes are tailored to
individual programmes.

6) To what extent are business requirements linked to and influenced by
benefits?

 

New programmes and initiatives are developed and implemented on a regular
basis and built into this process is an evaluation of the benefits and
risks involved.  This is one of the key areas that will be assessed when
deciding to authorise a new funding stream or programme of work.  In
addition, we have to report against our official commitments each year and
this will influence our priorities in terms of benefits assessments.  You
can find information about this evaluation process in our [2]annual
reports under “Reporting against our official commitments”

 

7) On a scale of 1 to 9, where 1 is not embedded at all and 9 is
thoroughly embedded, how well embedded is benefits management within
programme management and the development of organisational strategies?

 

We do not hold any information which we can provide you with in response
to this question.

 

8) Please provide a sample of completed benefits management products,
specifically: Benefits maps; Benefits registers; Benefits management
strategies; Benefits realisation plans; Benefits profiles.

 

We do not hold any information which we can provide you with in response
to this question.

  

9) If you do not use a structured benefits management approach, please
provide a reason as to why this decision has been taken.

 

We are happy with the evaluation methods we currently use and consider the
flexibility afforded by tailoring our approach to the programme in
question to be essential.

 

If you are not satisfied that the Arts Council has complied with the
Freedom of Information Act in responding to your request you have the
right to an internal review.  Please contact me at the address above,
explaining what you would like us to review under the Act.  Alternatively
you can detail your concerns in writing and send them to the Chief
Executive, Arts Council England, 14 Great Peter Street, London, SW1P 3NQ
or email to [3][email address]

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF.

 

Kind regards

 

Debbie Stephenson

Senior Officer

Arts Council England, National Office

Direct + 44 (0)207 973 6844

[4][email address]

 

[5]www.artscouncil.org.uk

 

 

 

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