Beyond Delivery. When "Done" Is Not the Same as "Successful"
Last week, the PMI Mauritius Chapter hosted its monthly meetup at Flying Dodo, Bagatelle, on 29 September 2026. Our speaker was Deepika Seeam, Head of Change and Automation at Rank Interactive, a PMP certified project manager and Prosci change practitioner. Her talk was titled "Beyond Delivery. From Project Success to Change Adoption".
The question at the heart of her talk was simple. If a project is on time, within budget, fully scoped and handed over, was it successful?
Most of us would say yes. Deepika made us think twice.
Two examples that hit home
She started with a Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout. Licences were assigned. Training was completed. Yet the expected productivity gain never showed up. Work was not faster or better. Access was high but value was inconsistent.
Then came a local example that got the room talking. The Beau Vallon Skate Board Park. Construction started in March 2023. The facility opened in April 2024 for BMX, cycling and skateboarding. By May 2026 it was temporarily closed due to underuse and safety concerns.
Completed and operational. But was it a success?
The delivery to value chain
Deepika walked us through a chain that every project should follow. A deliverable creates a capability. That capability allows work or behaviour to change. People then adopt it. Adoption leads to better outcomes. And outcomes produce value that justifies the investment.
Her key point was that each link needs its own evidence. Most projects stop measuring at the first link.
ADKAR as a diagnostic tool
She then introduced the ADKAR model. Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement. It looks at change from the point of view of one person. Do I understand why we are changing? Am I willing to take part? Do I know what to do? Can I do it in my daily work? What helps me keep doing it?
Applied to the Copilot case, low usage was only the symptom. ADKAR helps find the real barrier. One team may not trust the output. Another may simply not have time to learn.
She also reminded us that resistance is data. Comments like "I do not see the benefit" are signals worth listening to, not noise to push past.
Five questions to take away
She closed with five questions I will be using on my own projects.
- Whose behaviour must change for the benefits to happen?
- What will they do differently in real work or daily life?
- What is the earliest barrier to that change?
- Who owns support and reinforcement after go-live?
- What evidence will show adoption, outcomes and value?
A great evening
Thank you to everyone who came. It was a pleasant evening of learning, networking and good conversation with professionals from many different fields.
