ViewPoint Model (VPM)
The ViewPoint Model is a method to build scenarios which include the views of stakeholders. This method is valuable for decision-makers who have a need to mitigate risks on a current situation or programme in the phase of testing strategy, project planning or gaining insights during an implementation.
VPM – quantitative aspects (intro to video)
It measures the stakeholder’s collective dissonance against the backdrop of a business or project by the dimensions of priority, risk and benefits. It uses the value of the dissonance (expressed in percentage) as a delay factor thereby assigning time to cost. The cross-impact of the delay is computed in the simulation so as to establish consequential cost and overall project delay.
Consequently, it provides insights for the transformation planning agenda with readiness and complexity indices and informs cash flow adjustments for the project investment.
The Viewpoint Model is a systemic method that combines tangible (budget information, time schedules, etc.) and intangible information (such as risk rating perceptions) for calculating time horizons and financial impact.
Stakeholders have a crucial impact on the discourse of a project. In the literature of scenario building and risk mitigation, as well as deep research from national audit organisations around the world, it is evident that failing investment projects are a result of intangible driving forces with culprit number one being lack of oversight of driving forces.
We have observed that projects often fail, in spite of many attempts to get a better grip on project development. There is a strong need for a significant breakthrough in realistic planning by previewing the elements that cause projects to under-perform. The ISCM shows how the consequent application of Systems Thinking provides a methodology to connect stakeholders’ viewpoints with driving forces.
The Viewpoint Model copies the reality in a scenario simulation to provide oversight and insight into the parts causing delays and costs. This is achieved by focusing on:
- Behavior reproduction: the model matches the current observed behaviour
- Project symptoms: the model reproduces the symptoms of the problem—otherwise it will not be much use in the diagnosis or assessment of proposed corrective actions.
- Behaviour prediction: the model extracts and displays patterns of behaviour and this is used to guide decision-makers.
The methodology helps to reflect on the effects of the driving forces causing different course of events, away from the original plan using behavioural computer simulations. Through the VPM process, the stakeholders are not only made aware of each other’s behavioural effects but also involved in addressing the solution. The result is a visualisation of the managerial strategy that will be effective in achieving the desired goals and objectives.
