Benefits of information system projects: The tale of two countries

International results emphasise that information systems (IS) projects fail at an alarming rate and do not contribute to the strategy of the organisation. The results also indicate that there is a shift in how IS project success is measured, i.e. towards benefits realisation. This raises the concern whether organisations understand the notion of benefits management. Secondly, does benefits management have an impact on the success rates of IS projects and ultimately the success of the organisation itself? Organisations within the Netherlands and South Africa were targeted to benchmark the benefits management process employed by the organisations against best practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted within 33 organisations and the interviewees expressed their views on the adoption of the benefits management process. The results indicate that although organisations are aware of and are implementing benefits management best practices, there is still a notion not to relate the delivered benefits back to the promised benefits within the business case. Benefits management also plays a role within individual projects and not just within programme management. Organisations can reap more benefits from IS projects when benefits are stipulated up front and are managed throughout the project/programme life cycle. Enhancing benefits realisation implies that the return on investment improves and that organisations ultimately are successful and sustainable.