Benefit vs value

In this blogpost, let's talk about benefit and value in a project. Both of them, value and benefit, are connected, but there are nuances between them. The ultimate goal of a project is to create value for the organisation and all the stakeholders.

Benefit must be delivered to achieve value for the organisation. The classical definition of benefit is the idea of cost (money, people, time, energy and materials). So maximising the benefits means to minimise the cost. The term benefits here can be expanded to include stakeholder requirements and goals, because typically both are interconnected.

Value includes all the positive impacts that the project is going to have on all the parts involved. Value however must be created at the beginning of the project through the development of the business case and in the selection of the options to be delivered. Value must be maintained throughout the project using, for example, risk management and project monitoring.


By definition, the project will try to maximise it's benefits and values. Because one of the goals of companies is to make profit, this two concepts are align with that idea. Now, the hard goal is to align the benefits and values of a project with different, but not least important, goals. For example, these goals can be sustainability, equality and responsibility with the customer.

I think this is a really key aspect of project management, planning and execution. I hope it help you when you execute your projects.