Project Benefits Realization: Academics’ Aspiration or Practitioners’ Nightmare

Project Management (PM) literature increasingly calls for making project outcomes (benefits) rather than outputs as criteria for project success. Therefore, PM literature proposes a number of frameworks and measures for effective benefits realization (BR). There is not substantial evidence, particularly in the public sector organizations, as to how benefits are identified, what frameworks are being applied, what role governance plays in effective benefits realization and what are the factors that inhibit and or drive benefits realization? This study aims to address these issues through a qualitative research, based on case study method and uses semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that there is widespread awareness about the significance of BR in the public sector
and BR frameworks do exist but rarely used. This research also finds that Project governance does not play effective role in promoting BR. This research highlights the lack of adequate funding, human resources and skills that are haemorrhaging efforts for the implementation of BR. This research also points out that the top management is neither fully committed to the cause of BR nor ready to provide resources and leadership for the implementation of benefits realization in the public sector organizations.