Issues

Question 1

What is the purpose of the issues practice?

Answer 1

The purpose of the issue practice is to collect and assess issues and control changes to the project’s BASELINE.

The baseline is the current approved version of the management products and project products that are subject to change control.

Question 2

What is change?

Answer 2

Change is defined as a modification to any of the approved management products that constitute the project baseline

Question 3

What are examples of different types of issue?

Answer 3

• A request for change
• An off-specification
• A problem or concern
• An event external to a project
• A business opportunity

Question 3

What is an issue?

Answer 3

An issue is an event relevant to the project that requires project management consideration – these are captured informal in the daily log or formally in the project log (in the issue register)

Question 4

What is a request for change?

Answer 4

A request for change is a request to change what we have previously agreed in the baseline management product.

Question 5

What is an off specification?

Answer 5

Off specification is something that is delivered that is not right e.g. quality

Question 6

What is a business opportunity?

Answer 6

Something which has already happened with an unanticipated positive consequence

Question 7

What is change control?

Answer 7

This describes how changes to the project baseline are controlled

Question 8

What is the issue management approach?

Answer 8

One of the 9 MAs in the PID. Issue management approach needs to be set out in the initiating a project phase and updated if needed in the managing a stage boundary. This approach documents the procedure for the change control and issue management, set roles, records, etc

Question 8

What are the management products in the change control process?

Answer 8

1. Issue management approach
2. Daily log
   a. Issue register
   b. Issue report

Question 9

Who is responsible regarding change?

Answer 9

The project board has the ultimate responsibility for agreeing to implement a change, however they can delegate this and grant ‘change authority’ to someone else on the team – likely not used for severe changes.

Question 10

What is a change budget?

Answer 10

The method for funding of changes is known as the change budget and is optional – it is a ringfenced pot of money for approved changes. Day to day changes which are trivial will be done by the PM and logged in the daily log

Question 11

What is a daily log?

Answer 11

This records problems/concerns

Question 12

What is an issue report?

Answer 12

This records information on one formally managed issue

Question 12

What is the project log?

Answer 12

This is a ‘container’ for all the logs and registers

Question 13

What is an issue register?

Answer 13

This records information on all formally managed issues

Question 14

What is the Issue management technique PRINCE2 method?

Answer 14

1. Capture issues - Via communication report and in the issue report
2. Assess - Two questions should be considered – does it impact the project, and how does it impact the project? Some might be more advisory but some severe ones might need an integrated assessment and consider the approved tolerances – what is the impact on benefits or other work packages
   c. Whole team approach should be considered - Consider the impacts on time, cost, programme, quality
3. Recommend - Use information from the assessment, PM should recommend at least 2x options and clarify consequences of the recommendation
4. Decide - To approve, reject of request more information or accepting an off specification is a concession
5. Implement - Be recorded in project log and issue register

Question 15

Who is responsible for issues?

Answer 15

Business layer provides overall strategy for change control but the project executive determines if and where delegated authority is needed, determines if a change budget is required, gets help from PM. Senior user and senior supplier can also raise issues