Investment Logic Mapping – A New Approach to Assessing Project Proposals

Presentation Description

PMOs are under increasing pressure to more effectively prioritise projects in their organisations, and to reduce process burdens and business case costs for business owners.

Developed by the Australian state of Victoria’s Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF), and recently mandated by the New Zealand Government, the Investment Logic Mapping (ILM) method responds to these challenges so effectively that the method is now recommended for all project types.

What is Investment Logic Mapping and how does it work?

An Investment Logic Map (ILM) is effectively a “business case on a page”. Presented schematically, it tells the story of the problem that the organization is trying to solve, the interventions that have been considered, and the benefits (and KPIs)  that will result if the project (programme or portfolio) is approved.

Keys to the success of the ILM method include its simplicity and its no-nonsense focus on the business problem to be solved. ILM’s are also very cost effective – they are prepared from a single workshop taking just two hours, at the end of which stakeholder agreement is an expected outcome. 

This presentation:

• Explains what an ILM is, and presents worked case examples of ILMs to show how the method is applied in practice
• Explains the value of the ILM method to PMOs, in all three of project, programme, and portfolio management contexts
• Presents tips and tricks for successful use of the method, and the structured delivery of its facilitation.

About the Presenter

Grant Avery oversaw the introduction of Investment Logic Mapping into central New Zealand Government in 2009-2010 when he was Principal Advisor of project-portfolio management for the New Zealand Government’s State Services Commission (SSC.)

In his career Grant has worked closely with UK, USA and Australian Government departments on project management improvement initiatives, and is an experienced OGC (UK Government) Gateway^TM Reviewer of high-risk projects. Grant has an interest in the management of projects in high risk contexts, and his experience includes the management of the New Zealand Government’s Scott Base in Antarctica.

Grant is currently Director, Project Advisory for KPMG New Zealand.

Grant is a regular speaker at national and international conferences, has been a PMI certified Project Management Professional since 2001, and has an MBA (with Distinction) from New Zealand’s Victoria University.

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