15 : Controlling a Stage Flashcards
These questions are based on the Controlling a Stage podcast. Remember, the objective of these questions is to get you to think from a PRINCE2 point of view, learn about PRINCE2 at the same time and hold on to this knowledge.
What is the purpose of the Controlling a Stage process? (Tip: Just describe the main actions that the Project Manager does in this process.)
The purpose of the Controlling a Stage process is for the Project Manager to assign the work to be done, monitor this work, deal with issues, report progress to the Project Board and take corrective action to ensure that the stage remains in tolerance.
List 2 of the Objectives of Controlling a Stage, in other words, what does the PRINCE2 manual say are the important things to keep in mind for the Project Manager during this stage?
The objective of the Controlling a Stage process is to:
• Focus attention on the delivery of the products
• Keep Risks and Issues under control
• Keep the Business Case under review
• Deliver the products for the stage to the agreed quality, within agreed cost and time & achieve the defined benefits
How many times does the Project Manager carry out each activity in the Controlling a Stage process?
There is no one answer to this as it depends on the amount of tasks to be done, tolerance level, quality requirements, risk, complexity etc… Normally the Project Manager will carry out each activity multiple times.
What does a Project Manager use to group tasks together and assign to the Team Manager?
The Project Manager uses a Work Package to group tasks together and assign to the Team Manager.
Who creates the Team Plan, when is it created who reviews it?
The Team Plan is created by the Team Manager. It is usually created after the Project Manager discusses the Work Package with the Team Manager. The Team Plan can be reviewed by the Project Manager.
What is the name of the report produced by the Team Manager and given to the Project Manager?
This is the Check Point report and is created by the Team Manager. The Project Manager compares the Check Point Report to the Team Plan and the Quality Register.
What document does the Project Manager update for each product when the product changes status, e.g., developed, passed quality testing, delivered & accepted?
This is the Configuration Items Record or CIR. It is usually a one page document and provides a record for each product, e.g., identifier, owner, location, status, version number, history, relation products, short description, etc… The Project Manager also updates the Stage Plan.
Once the products have been produced, quality checked and approved, can they be easily changed?
PRINCE2 recommends that products cannot be changed without using the change control process. This helps to manage change and ensure quality.
The frequency for the Project Manager to create the Highlight Report is listed in which document?
The Communication Strategy document will dictate how often the Project Manager must create and send a Highlight report to the Project Board. This is decided during the Initiation Stage of the project.
Who can raise an issue or risk?
Any stakeholder in the project can raise a risk or an issue. They inform the project manager. The next step is for the Project Manager to examine this risk or issue.
In which documents will it describe how risks and issues should be handled?
Issue management falls under change control and this is documented in the Configuration Management Strategy document. This also includes how to report issues and the Risk Management Strategy document describes how Risk should be handled.
Name two more steps for the Project Manager when capturing and examining issues. The first step is to enter the issue into the Issue Register.
The steps to capture and examine issues are:
- Enter the issue in the Issue Register as soon as it is captured
- Categorize it: Is it a Change, Off Specification, Problem or Concern?
- Assess the Severity and Priority of the issue
- Assess the Impact of the issue on the Stage plan, Project plan & Business Case
- Create Issue Report – See Issue Report product description for more information
- Report the issue in accordance to the Configuration Management strategy and the Communication Management Strategy documents
Name one of the steps for handling capturing and examining risks.
The steps to capture and examine risks are:
• Enter the Risk in the Risk Register as soon as its captured
• Identify the Risk and describe it – cause and effect information
• Assess the Risk against the Stage Plan, Project Plan and Business Case
• Report in accordance with the Risk Management Strategy and Communication Strategy documents
What 3 options does the Project Manager have after capturing and assessing a risk or issue than needs further attention? (Tip: Action, Advice & Escalate)
The 3 options that the Project Manager has are:
• Take Corrective Action – so the Project Manager creates a Work Package to address this and keeps the stage within tolerance
• Seek advice from the Project Board
• Escalate to Project Board using the next Activity “Escalate issues and risks”
What is the connection between Tolerance and Escalating Issues & Risk?
The Project Manager will escalate an issue or risk if the risk or issue is likely to take the stage out of tolerance. So when the issue or risk does not take the stage out of tolerance, the Project Manager can take corrective action to solve this and doesn’t need to escalate this to the Project Board.
