Visual mapping of benefits

As promised in my post yesterday, here is a description of how to build an Outcome Relationship Model. For materials, in workshops we usually use good old Post-Its and flipchart paper. When we get serious, we transfer these to Visio.

Linear Logic and Language

When we engage with complex strategic change, we soon encounter a limitation with our language. Conventions of grammar encourage us to simplify cause and effect into simple linear explanations. The subject-verb-object inclines us into explaining a complex situation simplistically.

 

We need to think systems. Systems respect the complex, non-linear sequence of the forces at play whenever we engage with major change. Reality may look rather more like this:

 

Let’s consider an example from the MSP Guide. We could say, “Improved teacher motivation will improve teacher retention.” No doubt there is some truth in this; but it is only partially true.

The ‘What Else’ Question

We can ask the simple question, “What else – good or bad – will it lead to?” Then we could get something that looks like this:

 

By asking the ‘what else’ question we have identified another potential derivative benefit.

 

The ‘So What’ Question

We can take this further. What if we asked another question of the ‘effects’, in this case, ‘improved retention’ and ‘improved teaching’? Let’s ask, “So what?” “So what if we retain more teachers? So what if we improve teaching?” These derivative/dependent benefits may seem so obvious that they may not seem worth stating; but they are worth mapping. It drives out ambiguity. We are less likely to settle on intermediate benefits and more likely to drive through to identify truly end benefits. In our example, we might then get something like this:

 

 

 

Now, notice that the diagram is now no longer simply flowing left to right. There could be an amplification effect in realising ‘Improved teaching’ as we make the other three happen.

 

The Necessary Pre-Requisites

There is one more step we can take to develop this model further. For each entity on our model, we can ask this question: “What are all the necessary things that must happen or be in place for this to happen?” Now our model could look like this:

The full diagram in the MSP Guide looks like this, the final model:

(c) Crown Copyright 2007 Reproduced under licence from OGC

Open Systems

Or is it the final model? Like all open systems, it is a matter of judgement as to how wide and deep your map of the systems extends.

Comments

[Matt Whyndham]

Nice illustration of one the paradigm shifts that is part of systems thinking.

[Andy]

I like the visual representation of the benefits mapping/definition process. May pilot this on my next project.

Cheers,
Andy.

Check out my blog on benefits realization and business cases - benefitsrealization.blogspot.com

[Patrick_Mayfield]

Andy,

Let me know how it goes. Also, I will subscribe to your blog - very useful. Thanks.