Why knowing the difference between “do you agree with the decision” and “can you support the decision” matters for Benefits Realisation Management
Benefits Realisation Management (BRM) is a set of processes structured to close the gap between strategy planning and execution by ensuring the implementation of the most valuable initiatives.
The output of BRM is the creation of strategic value for the business.
Project management practitioners recognise projects as a structured way to implement business changes. However, the majority thinks business changes are hard because is is difficult to come to a consensus about particular issues.
One issue is coming to a consensus on the definition of project success.
Consensus is a tricky word. As Kupe Kupersmith puts it, consensus building can have some negative scenarios:
- A decision never gets made or is delayed — By trying to get everyone to agree, stubbornness can kick in and individuals can stall or stop decisions from being made.
- A weaker solution can be determined — By trying to include something for everyone the best solution can be watered down.
So, in the end, you don’t want consensus — you want buy-in from the group. The definition of buy-in is “agreement to support a decision”, as opposed to “a position reached by a group as a whole”.
This is knowing the difference between “do you agree with the decision” which is trying to build consensus and “can you support the decision”, which is the buy-in.
It really makes a difference to understand how a simple phrase can support an effective BRM.
Read the following to get inspired:
