QUICK THINKING THE POST-IMPLEMENTATION AUDIT they may take too much time, which adds to a project's cost and schedule. Second, post-implementation audits often require massive amounts of documentation to validate results. Lastly, uncovering unfavorable results may lead to a fear that someone will be blamed. How- ever, post-implementation audits serve an important role, especially during challenging economic times as organi- zations foel increased pressure to spend money efficiently and effectively Once an off-the-shelf Web-based procurement system was implemented, the CIO of a $405 million engineer- ing and construction company, Michael Baker Corp., was inundated by questions regarding the system's effectiveness. Unfortunately, the CIO didn't have any concrete proof that the system improved efficiency. As a result, he decided to conduct the company's first post-implementation audit that included a thorough eval- uation of the system's benefits, security, and project man agement processes. Although the CIO found out that the system's return on investment was lower than originally envisioned due to a miscalculation of the number of user licenses needed, the audit uncovered that the company was saving more than $150,000 a year. He also learned several valuable lessons on what not to do on future projects. While postimplementation audits are a useful tool to show the value of projects, it is estimated that only 20 percent of organizations conduct one. Many orga nizations are reluctant to make a post-implementation audit a standard process for three main reasons. First, 1. As a consultant, how could you convince your client that conducting a post-implementation audit is worth the added time and cost? SOURCE: Adapted from Levinson, M. "How to Conduct Complementation Audits." CIO Magazine. October 1, Smith, C. "Advice for Project Audits." Projectsatwork. January 10, 2008. Kothari, D. "Roadmap for Project Recovery." Projectsatwork. April 12, 2012