Understanding the Time and Effort Involved in IT Benefits Realization

IT benefits realization has attracted extensive interest from both practitioners and academics. While most benefits realization (BR) models prescribe a planning-oriented perspective, we present a case study were a combination of a plan-driven and an emergent approach was used. The case study concerns the implementation of technology to support online communication between public sector employees and vulnerable citizens in Danish social service. Based on the case study findings and extant research, we contribute with knowledge about the time and effort involved in BR in practice. We highlight the need to understand (a) technical implementation as merely a necessary starting point, as it is (b) the subsequent change management activities aimed at discovering and implementing new and appropriate IT-enabled work practices that is key to achieving benefits. We summarize the research findings in a conceptual model, which we refer to as a multi-project approach to BR.