The scope of P2 and PMBoK are from well formed project definition to transition of deliverables. A marked contrast to the scope of benefits management: from nascent ill-formed idea competing with other demands on capital to steady future_state_business_as_usual (fs_bau).

The longer journey to fs_bau includes the shorter. The operational manger’s tool kit needs tools suited to the whole journey.

Project manager’s need (and are only provided with) a subset of the whole journey’s worth. The Whole includes those tools that frame end-point and techniques to communicate vision and allow the emotional cycle of Shock/Anger/Resistance/Acceptance/ Helping, also to interact with See/Feel/Change Think/Analyze/Justify. The operational manager needs the means to prioritize between uncertain future benefit streams, to institutionalize new behaviours and a focus on the purpose not the process. The whole journey’s tools must be comfortable and powerful in the hands of the finance director, the HR director, CEO and board chair.

Start by knowing what drives return to shareholder, taxpayer, customers and staff – your Value Drivers. Know the behaviours that deliver today’s bau. Paint a picture (better yet film a video) of the future operational state that pushes and pulls the levers of your value drivers – a viseral description of recognisable future events – business milestones (#pm_ngt uses Dimension Four® to provide insight into how/ why/who/ when/ etc to do this – D4 calles them Recognition Events® and Value Flashpoints®).

Chain backward (plan Right to left) the journey from the future behaviours required to today (Backcast planning) through behavioural change and enabling facilities. Let those folk who will live in that future identify the steps and the motivations to take those steps. Combine with forecast planning – #pm_ngt uses PMBoK Guidance to provide insight. Be aware of which acttractors (inspired from Complex Adaptive Systems thinking) are attractive to which agents (stakeholders) in order to monitor for emergent positive and negative behaviours.

Delegate the authority to take steps to travel from today to the next tipping point and the next. In delegating recognize the creation of accountability within one’s self and the control structures for management ‘by objectives’ and ‘by exception’ (inspired by Druker and PRINCE2).

The recipie of well defined & shared vision, freedom to act and motivation to act is a well know success script. #pm_ngt populates the space with mind-set & philosophy, with structure, framework and governance, with techniques, templates and tools. #pm_ngt is holistic covering needs from end to end of the investment time-frame and from top to bottom of the boardroom to boiler-room™ decision making architecture and back again