Benefits Management : Delivering Value from IS and IT Investments

This book considers the topic of achieving value from IT from both theoretical and practical perspectives. It is based on extensive research which produced a comprehensive understanding and analysis of the issues involved and innovative new approaches that addressed those issues plus considerable practical application, in a wide range of organisations of the ideas, processes, tools and techniques that were developed. The book describes how IS/IT investments can be aligned accurately with organisational strategy and how the approach and 'tool-kit' can be used by business managers and IS/IT specialists to identify the benefits available from different types of investments in a variety of organisational contexts. It describes how business cases can be developed that enable the benefits to be planned for and then realised through techniques and processes that overcome the organisational barriers that often prevent successful implementation. It also considers the strengths and limitations of existing methods, and shows how the approach can be integrated with best practice in the areas of project and change programme management. The book concludes by explaining how the key concepts in the approach have been extended and adapted to improve strategy development and decision making as well as an organisation's ability to implement its strategy successfully.

John Ward is Professor of Strategic Information Systems and Director of the Information Systems Research Centre at Cranfield School of Management. Prior to joining Cranfield, he worked in industry for 15 years and he currently acts as a consultant to a number of major organizations. As well as publishing many papers and articles, he is co-author of the book Strategic Planning for Information Systems, now in its 3rd edition. He has served two terms as President of the UK Academy for Information Systems and has been a member of its board since 1994.

Elizabeth Daniel is Professor of Information Management at the Open University Business School. Prior to joining OUBS in 2005, Elizabeth worked in the IS Research Centre at Cranfield School of Management where she researched and taught in the fields of e-business and IS strategies and benefits management. She has a particular interest in IOS and IS in marketing and supply chains. She has published many papers in leading academic journals and a number of management reports. Elizabeth has a first degree and PhD in Physics and an MBA from London Business School. She has spent over 10 years in industry, starting her career as a medical engineer and subsequently working as a strategy management consultant.