PRINCE2 Flashcards
FOUNDATION
What is different about Agile to PRINCE 2
Agile can be used for projects and Business as usual
What are a projects characteristics?
Temporary
Team is created
Difficult
A degree of uncertainty
What are the BAU characteristics?
Ongoing
Stable team
Routine
A degree of certainty
What does BAU look like?
BAU is repeatable routine tasks that can be carried out with the appropriate technical skills without needing to be managed by a Project Manager. An example would be the modifications or enhancements of an existing product and the timescales are relatively short.
What does a project look like?
A project is a temporary situation where a team is assembled to address a specific problem, opportunity or change that is sufficiently difficult that cannot be handled as BAU
Who are projects managed by?
Project manager
What are a few challenges a project faces in its lifecycle?
Team based in different locations
Team personnel may change
may last a long time
it may be part of a wider programme of work
How can a project be agile?
An agile project is responsive, incremental, flexible and responds to the environment.
Define a timebox
A finite period of time when work is carried out to achieve a goal or meet an objective.
What is a low level timebox?
A low level time box lasts days or weeks (e.g. a sprint)
What is a high level timebox?
A high level time box acts as an aggregated timebox and contain low level timeboxes (e.g. stages)
The list of work in a BAU environment is known as what?
Timebox
what is the strength of PRINCE 2 framework?
It provides project direction and management
What is the weakness of PRINCE 2?
It provides little focus on product delivery.
BAU is…
routine ongoing work and does not need a project manager.
Is a scrum effective in PRINCE 2 or BAU?
BAU
What are the four integrated elements of PRINCE 2?
Principles
Themes
Processes
Project environment
Principles?
the guiding obligations and good practices which determine whether the project is genuinely being managed using PRINCE 2?
Themes?
Describe aspects of project management that must be addressed continually and in parallel throughout the project
Processes?
Describe a progression through the project lifecycle, from getting started to project closure
Project environment
tailoring PRINCE 2 to create a project management method for a specific organisation
Key principles of PRINCE 2?
- Continued business justification
- learn from experience
- defined roles and responsibilities
- manage by stages
- manage by exception
- focus on products
- tailor to suit the project environment
Benefits of PRINCE 2?
Best practice and governance
Tailored to meet specific needs and scaled to the size and complexity
ease of use
stakeholders are properly represented
promotes continual improvement
PRINCE 2 definition of a project?
A temporary organisation that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to an agreed business case
5 characteristics for project work
Triggered by a project mandate?
Starting up a project
Used by project manager to authorise work packages?
Controlling a stage
team managers and team members work in the process
managing product delivery
Here we plan post project benefit reviews?
Closing a project
prepare the project initiation documentation?
initiating the project
used by the project board to make decisions?
directing a project
after the initiation stages the business case is updated with the latest information?
managing a stage boundary
Develop the project brief?
Starting up a project
The project manager plans the detail of the next management stage?
managing a stage boundary
The team manager reports progress via checkpoint report?
managing a product delivery
Covers the project boards activities?
directing a project
The projects performance is assessed against its original plan?
Closing a project
the project manager checks the work is going according to plan?
controlling a stage
Used in the first stage?
initiating a project
Which management product must be updated to allow the Project Board to assess the ongoing viability of the project?
Business case
Who assigns work to be done to the Team Manager?
Project manager
In which process are the activities necessary to make sure the project is worthwhile and viable undertaken?
Starting up a project
In which process is a robust business case developed?
Initiating a project
What is the output of the initiation stage?
Project initiation document
In which stage do the Project Board check that the recipients of the products are able to own them and use them on an ongoing basis?
Final stage
Which regular report does the Team Manager send to the Project Manager to keep him/her informed of progress during the execution of a work package?
Checkpoint report
What name is given to a piece of work undertaken by a Team Manager and his/her team?
Work package
Which process does the Project Manager use to monitor and control the day to day work of the project?
Controlling a stage
Which regular report does the Project Manager send to the Project Board to keep them informed of progress during a stage?
Highlight report
In which process are the activities necessary to decommission a project planned?
Managing a stage boundary
Which process is used exclusively by the Project Board?
Directing a project
What is the idea or need that triggers a PRINCE2 project called?
Project mandate
Which management product sign-posts the benefits reviews?
Benefits management approach
Which process is used during the initiation stage to plan the next management stage in detail?
Managing a stage boundary
When are benefits normally realized?
After the project has closed
Who decides whether to initiate the project and states the level of authority to be delegated to the Project Manager for the initiation stage?
Project board
In which process does the Project Manager prepare the information necessary to enable the Project Board to assess the continuing viability of the project?
Managing a stage boundary
Why is the initial version of the project initiation documentation preserved?
So it can be used as an input to later performance reviews
What is the output of starting up a project?
Project brief
Continued business justification
Any project should be driven and underpinned by a viable business case
What is a business case?
The reason for the project and the justification for its undertaking
What should a business case state?
Benefits
costs
risks
timescales
When is the business case developed?
At the start of a project, and reviewed throughout the life of the project
Business case reviewed by?
Project board at end stage assessments and exception assessments
what does the business case provide for project board?
desirable
viable
achievable
Who realised benefits?
Senior user
What do project outputs enable?
Business changes
What do business changes create?
Desired outcomes
Desired outcomes are measured in?
Benefits
What the side effects and consequences of an outcome?
Disbenefit
What are the Executives responsible for?
Executives are responsible for the VFM and aligned to objectives
What are the minimum requirements for a PRINCE 2 project?
Create and maintain business justification using business case
Review and update the justification in response to decision and events that impact desirability, viability and achievability
Define the management actions to ensure the outcomes are achieved and the benefits realised
define and document the roles and responsibilities for the business case and benefits management
What does develop mean in terms of business case?
getting the right information
What does verify mean in terms of a business case?
assessing whether the project is worthwhile
What does maintain mean in terms of business case
updating the business case with the latest information about costs and benefits
What does confirm mean in terms of business case?
assessing whether the intended benefits have/will be realised
Purpose of the business case?
document the business justification for the project based on estimated cost, implementation and ongoing operation and maintenance
When is a business case developed?
Starting up a project
When is a business case refined?
Initiating a project
When is the business case approved by the Project board?
Directing a project (DIP)
When are the business cases issues and risks assessed?
Controlling a stage (CS)
When are business cases reviewed and updated?
managing a stage boundary
Business cases are reviewed at the end of the project known as
Closing a project
Define the benefits management approach?
the actions and benefits reviews that are required to ensure that the outcomes and benefits are achieved
When is the benefits management approach prepared
initiating a project
If the project is apart of a bigger programme, how are benefits captured?
programme benefits realisation plan
After the project, the benefits are maintained by..
corporate or programme management
Definition of achievable?
whether using the products is likely to result in the envisaged outcomes and resulting benefits
business case sections: Executive summary?
Key points
benefits
return on investment
Business case sections: reasons
reasons for the project (problem to be solved)
Enable of corporate strategies and achievements
Business case sections: Business options
analysis and reasoned recommendations: do nothing, do minimum, do something
Business case sections: expected benefits
benefits to accrue from project are identified and described and tolerances should be said for each benefit.
requirement for benefit realisation
Business case sections: expected disbenefits
outcomes perceived to be negative to stakeholders
Business case sections: Timescales
actual project duration
feeds into prep for project plan, stage plan and benefits
Business case sections: costs
summary of project costs, include ongoing cost of operations, maintenance
Business case sections: investment appraisal
compares aggregated benefits and disbenefits with costs of project and ongoing operation/maintenance costs. Techniques to develop IA, return on investment, net present value, sensitivity analysis (not PRINCE 2)
Business case sections: major risks
view of aggregated risk and summary risk profile
Responsibility of the executive?
project objectives, costs and benefits are aligned to business strategy or programme objectives.
What does the project mandate contain?
basic elements of the business case, sketchy and incomplete
In the starting up a project stage, what is a project mandate used for?
information required to develop the outline of the business case and send to project board for approval.
In what stage do the project board approve the business case?
Directing a project
Where is the detailed business case fully developed?
Initiating a project
What is the Project initiation documentation derived from?
Outline business case, project plan, and risk register
when the business case is reviewed by the project manager, what is it called?
impact assessment
How regularly is the business case reviewed by project manager?
At the end of each stage
What is the benefits review?
determine whether the project outcomes have successfully realised the expected benefits
What is the purpose of the organisation theme?
define and establish the project structure of accountability and responsibility. D
What is the organisation theme directly linked to?
Defined roles and responsibilities principle, and define roles which relate to the projects interest being the business, user and supplier.
What are the three main stakeholder groups?
Business, users, suppliers
What is a stakeholder?
Any individual, group or organisation that can affect or be affected, or perceive itself to be affected by an initiative
Key information on Business
projects products should be meet business needs that justifies the investment and project should represent value for money. This is known as business interest and represented by Executive
key information on user
represents stakeholder from user community. This group define requirements and use outputs to create outcomes and benefits
key information on supplier
provides the skills and build products. Suppliers need to understand standards, and can be internal or external to the organisation
What are the four basic levels of management in projects?
Corporate/programme management, directing, managing, delivering
What does the corporate/programme management do?
Commissions the project, identifies the executive and defines project tolerances
What does the directing do?
activities of the project board where major decisions on the future of the project are made
what does the managing do?
activities of the project manager, produce the right products at the right time, on budget and to a required standard.
What does the delivering entail?
work is undertaken to build or develop project products.
What is the project board?
overall authority for the project and responsible for initiation, direction, review and eventual closure.
Who do the project board report to?
Board of directors
What are a board of directors known as?
Corporate/programme management or the customer
what is handed down from the board of directors to the project board?
project mandate
What are the three roles of a project board?
senior user, senior supplier and executive
If a project is big or small, what will change in terms of representation at the project board level?
multiple members of a senior supplier, or combine roles of user and executive
Role of the executive
ultimately responsible for the entire project and supported by other two roles. The exec owns the business case and brings value, and chairs project board meeting.
Who appoints the exec
Programme director
what is the senior user role?
represents the interest of individuals who will use or be affected by project and products, specification of user needs and commitment of user resources. Tends to be multiple senior users to represent all user interests.
what is an important aspect of the senior user role?
identification and realisation of benefits, and this role will continue to operational environment and beyond lifetime of project
what is the senior supplier role?
represent the interests of those designing, developing, facilitating, procuring and implementing the project products. Tend to be external.
What is the group responsible for creating outcomes on the project board?
senior user
At which level of management are products produced?
Delivery
Project manager responsibilities?
plan and oversee all the day to day work and ensure project is producing the right products, at the right time, to the right quality and within cost.
If there is a lot of work on the project, what might a project manager do?
appoint team managers
overall tasks for the project manager?
Planning the project
staff motivation and leadership
liaise with programme management over related projects
define responsibilities for specialists
report progress to project board
responsibility of the team manager?
manage the creation and delivery of specialist work packages and products
The issues from the team managers are shared with?
project manager
team managers provide the project manager with
checkpoint reports and meetings
from checkpoint meetings and reports, what does the project manager create?
A highlight report for the project board
who is responsible for administrative tasks?
Project support
what does the project support role enable?
allows project managers to focus on the management of project instead of getting caught up.
main tasks of project support
setting up and maintaining documentation and filing, updating plans, and assessing impacts of changes, defining and maintaining project management standards, configuration management and change control, minutes and compiling reports.
what is the means of assessing projects performance products?
quality assurance
what are the three types of quality assurance in project board?
business assurance
user assurance
supplier assurance
who cannot be responsible for quality assurance
project management
who are the change authority?
group responsible for changes in requirements or scope of project, typically with project board but can be delegated to another body.
minimum requirements for PRINCE 2 (organisation)
define organisation structure and roles making sure each role are represented
document the rules for delegating the responsibilities of change authority
define the approach for communicating and engaging with stakeholders
what two documents are produced to support organisation theme?
the project initiation documentation which sets the team structure
communication management approach means and frequency of communications
what is the communication management approach
means and frequency of communications, facilitates engagement with stakeholders (who, when, what)
what can the project board delegate to others?
quality assurance
without a plan..
there is no control
planning provides information on…
what products need to be delivered
the risks - opportunities and threats
issues with definitions of scope
which people, equipment and resources are needed
are targets achievable
what questions does a PRINCE 2 plan aim to accomplish
what has to be produced
what has to be done to produce it
what has to be done to be produced correctly
when will it be produced
how progress will monitored
what has to be done to control risks
why is planning for a 12 month period silly?
usually not possible to plan all the detail and will be out of date in only a few weeks. Typically known as manage by stages.
What are the three stages of a plan?
project plan
stage plan
team plan
what are the key components of a project plan?
provides high level view, key milestones, resource requirements and overall costs and time estimates
project plan definition
A high level plan showing the major products of the project, when they will be delivered and at what cost. An initial project plan is presented as part of the project initiation documentation or PID. This is revised as information on actual progress appears. it is a major control document for the Project Board to measure actual progress against expectations.
what PRINCE Principle focuses on planning
manage by stages
what is the detailed plan for each quarter/stage called?
stage plan
what is the stage plan?
A detailed plan used as a basis for project management control throughput a management stage
What is a team plan?
covers the work of the team during the stage - team plans are optional in PRINCE2
Why is having the right number/length management stages in a project is useful?
control for project manager, key controls for PB to continue or not
what 2 stages must a PRINCE 2 project include?
initiation stage (thinking), rest of the project (doing)
when we define stages, we must balance…
how far ahead is it sensible to plan, where the key decision points are needed, the amount of risk in a project, too few long stages or too many short ones, how confident the Project Board and the project manager are in proceeding.
what delivery stages would we align to management stages?
design, build and test
what is the key difference between management stages and delivery stages
management is sequential, delivery can overlap
If the delivery stage crosses the management stage boundary, what must be completed?
products descriptions concern
why is the delivery stages dissected into smaller chunks?
to be clear and align to the management stages
what are the seven planning steps?
designing a plan, defining and analysing the products, identifying activities and dependencies, preparing estimates, preparing a schedule, analysing risks, document the plan
what is completed in designing a plan?
decide the number of stages, the format of the plan, links to the programme or portfolio where appropriate. Prerequisite.
what should you do at every stage of the plan?
analyse any potential risks
why is documenting the plan important?
short narrative to describe what the plan constraints, the constraints, and monitoring and controls. The approach can be repeated for any stage of the plan (project plan, stage plan, team plan(optional)).
what are the minimum requirements for a PRINCE 2 project when planning?
ensure that plans enable the business case to be realised
have at least two management stages (initiation and rest)
produce a project plan for the whole project and a stage plan for each management stage
use the product based planning technique for project, stage, team and exception plans
produce specific plans for managing exception
define the roles and responsibilities for planning
use lessons to inform planning
what are the four products that need to be produced and maintained?
project product description, product description, product breakdown structure, plan (5th is product flow diagram)
when is the project plan created?
initiating a project
when is the initiation stage plan created?
start of the starting of a project
when are subsequent delivery stage plans created?
managing a stage boundary
what does a project plan identify?
products, activities and resources
what does a project plan provide?
a statement of how and when a projects time, cost, scope, and quality targets are to be achieved.
how do the project plan and business case relate?
project plan provides business case with planned costs and timescales, identifies major control points - stages and milestones.
why does the project board use the project plan?
to monitor the project stage by stage, and observe alignment to the corporate and programme managements plan
how often is a stage plan created?
at the start of each stage
How does a stage plan provide the project manager with confidence?
these are closer to the time where the planned events will take place, much shorter duration, developed in the hindsight of earlier stages.
when are team plans created?
in parallel with a stage plan or during the managing product delivery process
when a project is unlikely to be completed within specific tolerances what is produced?
exception plan
what plans does an exception plan replace?
project or stage
if a project or stage plan does not reach tolerances, an exception plan becomes…
the new baselined plan, picking up on the current plan actuals and continues to the end of that plan.
who is the exception plan approved by if it replaces a stage plan and project plan?
Project board if a stage plan, Corporate/programme management if a project plan
what is the first thing to think about when planning?
PRINCE 2 says a better starting point is to determine and fully understand all the products or deliverables which the project is to create.
what are the four main steps for analytsing and defining products
project product description, product breakdown structure, writing of the product description, product flow diagram.
what is a product?
anything that is produced by or on the way through a project. not just physical and tangible entities that create final deliverable, all paper work to ensure managed correctly. Physical products: records (risk register, issue register), baseline products (business case, plan) and reports (checkpoint reports, end project report)
what is the product breakdown structure
a top down view of all the products which the project is going to generate. Starting at the top with the finished deliverable and outcome of the project. Hierarchical structure.
what is written before a product breakdown structure?
project product description
who is responsible for defining the project product?
senior user
who will contribute to the products descriptions throughout the project?
Senior user, project manager, executive
what is the benefit of the product description being created by the senior user, project manager and executive.
provide a high level scope for the project, which will ensure the top levels of the product structure to be completed.
how is the product breakdown structured formatted?
PRINCE 2 has no clear defined way, it can be a mind map, hierarchical, list and depends on organisational preferences.
what are the products from outside of the project called?
external products
how are the external products managed?
project manager records in the risk register if there is potentially any threat to the plan (late or do not meet required spec)
what levels are product breakdown structures used?
project plans and stage plans, optionally used in team plans
what are the benefits of product based planning?
consistently identified products - reducing risk of overlooking key aspects of project
clear requirements - avoids ambiguity and improves communication
clarify scope boundary
manage risk
creates a basis for work packages for suppliers
approval procedures
what are the main headings in a product description?
identifier - unique key
title - name of product
purpose - why do we need this product
composition - what will make up the product
derivation - where will the product come from
format and presentation - what form will it take
development skills required - what skills will be required
quality criteria - what are the key quality factors
quality tolerance - is the quality of the product acceptable
quality method - how will quality be judged
quality skills required - who is qualified to check the product
quality responsibilities - who are the producers, reviewers and approvers
what is the product flow diagram?
the technique used to show the order in which products must be created
how does a product flow diagram help?
becomes relatively straightforward to schedule all the activities that are required for the project.
in a product flow diagram what shape represents the projects products?
rectangles
PFD - what does a circle represent?
external products
why are arrows used?
shows the sequence
time flows in what direction?
it flows in one direction, either top to bottom or left to right
what does the START and END of a PFD represent?
The start will be the product or products that are available right at the start of the project. The end will be the final deliverable of the whole project.
where does START not appear?
On a product breakdown structure
Before work can start on any products what needs to happen?
an external product - government approval in order to proceed
what impacts the delivery of products?
if there are no dependencies
within each product on a flow diagram what happen?
a lot of activities
what are two steps in defining and analysing products?
writing product descriptions, creating a product flow diagram
what is the first step in defining and analysing products?
writing project product descriptions
what PRINCE 2 plan is optional?
team plan
what is risk? PRINCE 2
An uncertain event that, should it occur, will have an effect on the achievement of objectives. It consists of a combination of the probability of a perceived threat or opportunity, and the magnitude of its impact on objectives
what is a threat?
a risk with a negative impact
what is an opportunity?
a risk with a positive impact
what is risk management?
is the systematic application of procedures to the tasks that identifying and assessing risks and planning and implementing risk responses
for risk management to be effective risks will need to be…
identified - clearly defining risks so there is a common understanding
assessed- ranking risks in terms of estimated probability, impact or timing or proximity
planned for - identifying suitable responses for risks and assigning owners
controlled - making sure responses are implemented, monitored and controlled
what are the 9 PRINCE 2 principles associated to risk?
understanding project context
involve stakeholders
establishing clear project objectives
developing a project risk management approach
reporting on risks regularly
defining clear roles and responsibilities
establishing a support structure and supportive culture for risk management
monitoring for early warning indicators
establishing a review cycle and seek continual improvement
risk - minimum requirements
define risk management approach:
- the way we identify and assess risks, implement responses and communicate risk
- assess whether the risks might affect the business justification
- the roles and responsibilities
We must also maintain a risk register
Ensure risks are identified, assessed, managed, and reviewed
Use lessons to inform risk identification and management
what are the two approaches associated to risk
risk management approach and risk register
what is the risk management approach?
how will the risk be managed inclding any processes, techniques, procedures and responsibilities
what is the risk register
provides a record of identified risk, their status and history
when are the risk management approach and risk register created?
initiating a project
at the start of all projects, what should you do to understand risk?
understand whether there is a risk management policy to define risk management approach
why is understanding the risk management policy useful?
to understand the organisations attitude to risk, and how much you are willing to take - risk tolerance
all risks should be captured in …
the risk register
what does the risk register do
capture all the identified threats and opportunities relating to the project
when is the risk register opened
initiating a project
any risks identified at the start of the project should be captured in the PMs …
daily log and then transferred to the risk register once the project is approved by Project board
the risk register should contain the following information…
risk identifier - unique identifier (numeric or alpha numeric)
risk author - person who raised risk
date registered - date identified
risk category - type of risk in terms of projects chosen categories (quality, legal, schedule)
risk description - cause, the event, threat or opp, likely effect describe impact in words
probability, impact and expected value - estimate inherent values or pre response action at residual values or post response action, recorded in response to the projects chosen scales
proximity - how close to the present time is the risk event anticipated to happen (immanently, within this stage, within the project, beyond the project)
risk response categories - document how the project will treat the risk in terms of the project chosen categories, contingent plan/accept/share/transfer. For a threat you can chose to avoid or reduce risk, for opportunity you can exploit or enhance risk.
risk response - document any identified actions to resolve the risk aligned to the chosen response categories, and possible more than one risk response may apply to a risk
risk status - whether the risk is active or closed
risk owner - person responsible for managing risk (one owner!)
risk actionee - person or persons who will implement actions described in the risk response
how many risk owners can there be?
one
risk register: type of category
type of risk in terms of projects chosen categories (quality, legal, schedule)
risk register: risk description
cause, the event, threat or opp, likely effect describe impact in words
risk register: probability, impact and expected value
estimate inherent values or pre response action at residual values or post response action, recorded in response to the projects chosen scales
risk register: proximity
how close to the present time is the risk event anticipated to happen (immanently, within this stage, within the project, beyond the project)
risk register: risk response categories
document how the project will treat the risk in terms of the project chosen categories, contingent plan/accept/share/transfer. For a threat you can chose to avoid or reduce risk, for opportunity you can exploit or enhance risk.
risk register: risk response
document any identified actions to resolve the risk aligned to the chosen response categories, and possible more than one risk response may apply to a risk
what are the five steps in risk management procedure
identify* context and risk
Assess* evaluate and estimate
Plan*
implement*
communicate*
what step in the risk management procedure runs in parallel to the other four?
communicate
why is identifying the context important?
to ensure an appropriate risk management approach can be established
what is the first step in risk management procedure?
identify
what helps establish the risk management approach?
project mandate, project brief and project product description
what is the purpose of risk management?
risk management is not about elimiating risk, its about understanding risk and where appropriate to take action to bring risks to an acceptable level.
once the context and approach to risk has been established…
the threats and opportunities should be identified and recorded in the risk register
ways to identify risks?
review lessons, risk checklists, risk prompt lists, brainstorming, risk breakdown structures.
it is very important to express the risk in terms of its…
cause : situtation giving rise to risk
event: threat that may occur
effect: the result
identifying risk techniques: review lessons
review similar projects to see threats and opportunities affected them
identifying risk techniques: risk breakdown structure
hierarchical decomposition of the project environment to illustrate sources of risk. PESTLE analysis .
what is step 2 in the risk management procedure?
assess
risk management procedure: assess
risks should be assessed in terms of their probability (how likely to occur), impact (what will happen if it does?), proximity (when will it happen).
what can be used to assess the probability and impact of risk
probability impact grid
how many PRINCE 2 principles?
7
how many PRINCE 2 themes?
7
how many prince processes?
7
how many integrated elements in prince 2?
4
how many characteristics of a project in PRINCE 2
5
How many aspects, variances and tendencies in PRINCE 2
6
What does PRINCE not provide?
specialist aspects - entirely generic applied to any project
detailed techniques
leadership capability - negotiation, conflict management, delegation does not use these skills
who is responsible for the business case
executive - part of PB
what distinguishes a project from BAU
change, temporary, cross functional, unique, uncertainty
what are the aspects, variances and tolerances
costs, timescales, quality, scope, benefits, risks
what is a tolerance?
an allowable deviation, if it is more than the planned timescale you must escalate
where do we record lesson?
lessons log
when is a lesson log created
starting up a project
what are the two minimum stages for PRINCE 2
initiation stage, delivery stage
Project board gets regular updates, if there is something going wrong …
manage by exception
two types of products in PRINCE 2
management and specialist
what is a management product
used to control project
what is the specialist product
unique to the project
ways of tailoring projects
merging roles
Drives decision-making to ensure the project remains aligned with the benefits
continued business justification
Provides review at key decision points and ensures the delegation of authority to the project manager
manage by stages
Provides for very efficient use of senior management time
manage by exception
Seek opportunities to implement improvements during the life of the project
learn from experience
Common understanding of quality expectations of what is to be delivered
Focus on products
Answers the question - what is expected of me?
defined roles and responsibilities
Ensures that the project method and controls are appropriate
Tailor to suit the project
definiton of taoloirig
adapting a method or process to suit the situation in which it will be used
definiton of embedding
the act of making something an integral part of a bigger whole. Embedding is what an organisation needs to do to adopt PRINCE 3 as its corporate management method and encourage widespread use
who is responsible for tailoring?
project manager
where is tailoring managed?
project initiation documentation
who are project managers advised by in PID
project assurance, project support (and centre of excellence - not included in PRINCE 2)
Who can suggest tailoring to PM
team managers can help and input about work packages
processes take us through..
the life of our project
what is a benefit
seen as positive by stakeholders, e.g. increase in sales, cost savings
business case?
how the idea is delved into a viable investment proposition for the organisaiton and how PM maintains the focus on the organisations objectives throughout the project. answering WHY?
Organisation?
allocating work to managers who will be responsible and steer to completion. describes the roles and responsibilities. WHO?
quality?
how the outline is developed so that all participants understand quality attributes of the products to be delivered and how its delivered. WHAT?
plans?
project
one of the reasons for stage boundary
to observe whether the project should carry on
business case theme
establish mechanisms to judge whether the project is (and remains) desirable, viable and achievable as a means to support decision making in its (continued) investment.
PRINCE 2 projects deliver..
outputs in the form of products and results in changes in the business.
what is the responsibility of the senior user
for specifying the benefits and subsequently realising the benefits through the se of the products provided by the project.
what is the exec responsible for?
for ensuring that those benefits specified by the senior user represent value for money, are aligned with corporate, programme management and customer objectives and can be realised.
business justification is not just developed at the beginning of the project but
it is kept under regular review and updated in response to decisions and events that might impact the desirability, viability or achievability of the project
if the business justification cases to be valid..
the executive must stop or change the project following review by PB
Requirements for business case theme
create and maintain a business just for the project (business case)
review and update in response to decsions and events that might impact desirability…
two products of business case theme?
business case and benefits management approach
business case is developed when?
justification
benefits management approach is developed when
what is the pre project process
starting up a project
the process of developing a business case
outline in start up
detailed in initiation
verify updated in delivery stages
who maintains the business case? (costs, timescales)
project manager, PB verifies it
where is the business case developed?
starting up and initiation stage.
where do you confirm benefits
after delivery stage - benefits management approach
who has a business case
everybody
what processes are in initiation stage
initiating a project, managing a stage boundary, directing a project
what is a organisation
the purpose of the organisation theme is to define and establish the projects structure of accountability and responsibilities (the who?)
Definition of a stakeholder
any individual, group or organisation that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by, an initiative (programme, project, activity, risk)
who are the main categories project stakeholders?
business, user, supplier
what is the comms plan for PRINCE
communication management approach
how many members in the project management team?
directing (PB), managing (PM), delivering (team manager)
what is the role that works in every role
project assurance
organisations theme minimum requirements
define organisation structure and roles
document the rules for delegating change authority, responsibilities
define its approach
two products of organisation theme
PID and communication management approach
roles and responsibilities of project board
being accountable to the business, user and supplier interests for the success or failure of the project
*providing unified direction to the project
*delegating, using the PRINCE2 organizational structure and controls designed for this purpose
*facilitating integration of the project management team with the functional units of the participating corporate, programme management or customer organizations
*providing the resources and authorizing the funds necessary for the successful completion of the project
*effective decision-making
*providing visible and sustained support for the project manager
*ensuring effective communication both within the project team and with external stakeholders.
what two roles of the project board are from the customer (customer wants it)
senior user and executive
what two sets of responsibilities do project board have?
business assurance (role done correctly) and individual responsibilities
who is not involved in project assurance?
team managers, pm, project support and team member
who is accountable for the overall project
executive
what is an essential component of exec?
value for money, ensuring cost conscious approach, balancing demand of the business user and supplier
responsibility of senior user
is responsible for specifying the needs of those (including operations and maintenance services) who will use the project product for user liaison with the project management team and for monitoring that the solution will meet those needs within the constraints of the business case in terms of quality, functionality and ease of use., specify benefit and accountable
responsibility
who works for the senior supplier
team manager
PB project assurance
is responsible, via its project assurance role, for monitoring all aspects of the project’s performance and products independently of the project manager.
who may the change authority be allocated to?
the project manager and/or the people with delegated project assurance responsibilities may act as the change authority.
project manager
is the single focus for day-to-day management of a project. This person has the authority to run the project on behalf of the project board within the constraints laid down by the project board. The role of the project manager must not be shared.
who does the PM manage
the project manager manages the team managers and project support, and is responsible for liaison with project assurance and the project board. In projects with no separate individual allocated to a team manager role, the project manager will be responsible for managing work directly with the team members involved. In projects with no separate project support role, the support tasks also fall to the project manager, although they may be shared with team members.
when do you need a team manager
Among these are the size of the project, the particular specialist skills or knowledge needed for certain products, geographical location of some team members and the preferences of the project board. The project manager should discuss the need for separate individuals as team managers with the project board and, if required, should plan the role at the start of the project during the starting up a project process, or for each management stage in the preceding managing a stage boundary process.
project support
Project support is the responsibility of the project manager. The role of project support is not optional, but the allocation of a separate individual or group to carry out the required tasks is. The role defaults to the project manager if it is not otherwise allocated.
constraints to combining roles
*the executive and project manager roles cannot be combined
*there cannot be more than one executive or project manager
*the executive’s accountability for project success cannot be delegated
*the project board should not assign any project assurance roles to the project manager, team manager or project support.
*Also, it is not recommended to combine the roles of senior user and senior supplier as this can create conflicts of interest for an individual.
one reason why the defined roles and responsibilities principle must be applied?
because more than one function my be involved in the project
purpose of the benefits management approach
to provide a schedule for measuring the achievements of benefits
what is an output
any of the projects specialist products
can you tailor the principles
no
what do the processes
project lifecycle, from the beginning to the closure of the project
why you close a project?
completed everything, at one of the stage boundaries not to proceed (premature closure)
4 integrated elements?
themes, processes, principles and environment
what are outputs?
specialised products
why do we need team managers
specialist work, geographical, size of product, PB says
what is project support
logs register and version control
which role works in all processes
project assurance
stage boundary process
good place to review
purpose of quality
is to define and implement the means by which the project will verify that products are fit for purpose
definition of quality
the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of a product, service, process, person, organisation, system, or resources fulfils requirements
what is quality concerned with ?
ensures that the project product meets business expectations and enables the desired benefits to be realised.
define quality management
the coordinated activities to direct and control an organisation with regard to quality.
quality
explicitly agree the customer’s quality expectations and acceptance criteria for the project product
*identify the project’s products (i.e. to the level at which the project intends to exert control)
*define the project product and its components in product descriptions, including the quality criteria by which they will be assessed, the quality methods to be used in designing, developing and approving them, and the quality responsibilities of those involved
*implement and track the quality methods employed throughout the project.
product description
something created for the specialist products in project, tell me about product creating
definition : customers quality expectations
A statement about the quality expected from the project product, captured in the project product description.
definition acceptance criteria
A prioritized list of criteria that the project product must meet before the customer will accept it (i.e. MEASUREABLE definitions of the attributes required for the set of products to be acceptable to key stakeholders).
definition quality criteria
A description of the quality specification that the product must meet, and the quality measurements that will be applied by those inspecting the finished product.
Project product and product difference
kitchen, kitchen cabinet, floor, handle, worktop
quality planning
Quality planning is about defining the project product and its components, with the respective quality criteria, quality methods (including effort required for quality control and product approval) and quality responsibilities of those involved.
purpose of planning
- to obtain agreement by the project board on the overall quality expectations, the products required with their associated quality criteria (including corporate and other standards to be observed), the means by which quality will be achieved and assessed and, ultimately, the acceptance criteria by which the project product will be judged
*to communicate these agreements unambiguously so that all the project stakeholders have a common understanding of what the project is setting out to achieve
*for control (i.e. establishing an effective baseline for the project’s quality controls, including the quality tolerances) and a secure means of achieving products that are fit for purpose.
what is quality control
Quality control focuses on the operational techniques and activities used by those involved in the project to:
*check that the products meet their quality criteria (e.g. by quality inspections, testing or review)
*identify ways of eliminating causes of unsatisfactory performance (e.g. by introducing process improvements as a result of previous lessons). continous improvement
quality assurance
Quality assurance is a planned and systematic process which provides confidence that outputs will meet their defined quality criteria when tested under quality control. It is carried out independently of the project team. The process must comply with relevant corporate, programme management or customer standards and policies.
project assurance
Project assurance is the project board’s responsibility to assure itself that the project is being conducted correctly. The project board members each have a specific area of focus for project assurance, namely business assurance for the executive, user assurance for the senior user(s) and supplier assurance for the senior supplier(s). Project assurance is therefore independent of the project manager but not independent of the project
minimum requirements for quality management approach
define its quality management approach. This approach must minimally cover:
the project’s approach to quality control
*the project’s approach to project assurance
*how the management of quality is communicated throughout the project lifecycle
*the roles and responsibilities for quality management (PRINCE2’s defined roles and responsibilities principle)
specify explicit quality criteria for products in their product descriptions (PRINCE2’s focus on products principle)
maintain records to provide evidence that the planned quality activities have been carried out, and summarize those activities that are planned or have taken place in some form of quality register
*specify the customer’s quality expectations and prioritized acceptance criteria for the project in the project product description (see Appendix A, section A.21)
*use lessons to inform quality planning, the definition of quality expectations and quality criteria (PRINCE2’s learn from experience principle).
two products created from quality
Quality management approach A quality management approach describes how quality will be managed on the project.
This includes the specific processes, procedures, techniques, standards and responsibilities to be applied.
*Quality register A quality register is used to summarize all the quality management activities that are planned or have taken place, and provides information for the end stage reports and end project report.
who works out the target dates for the quality register?
project manager
who is responsible for the actual date
team managers
when should the customers quality expectations?
should be agreed early in the starting up a project process.
a customers quality expectations should cover:
the key quality requirements for the project product
*any standards and processes that will need to be applied to achieve the specified quality requirements, including the extent to which the customer’s and/or supplier’s quality management system should be used
*any measurements that may be useful to assess whether the project product meets the quality requirements (e.g. existing customer satisfaction measures).
The customer’s quality expectations are often expressed i
broad terms as a means to gain common understanding of the general quality requirements. These are then used to identify more detailed acceptance criteria, which should be specific and precise.
quality criteria is
a small part of the overall project with measurable
product description will show the
quality criteria for the products
when a project is being closed..
there is an acceptance criteria
purpose of plan theme
The purpose of the plans theme is to facilitate communication and control by defining the means of delivering the products (the where and how, by whom, and estimating the when and how much).
definition of plan
A detailed proposal for doing or achieving something which specifies the what, when, how and by whom it will be achieved. In PRINCE2 there are only the following types of plan: project plan, stage plan, team plan and exception plan.
can you plan the whole project
PRINCE2’s principle of manage by stages reflects that it is usually not possible to plan the whole project from the outset.
what is the planning horizon
There will be a time period over which it is possible to plan with reasonable accuracy; this is called the ‘planning horizon’. It is seldom possible to plan with any degree of accuracy beyond the planning horizon.
definition of a project plan
A high-level plan showing the major products of the project, when they will be delivered and at what cost. An initial project plan is presented as part of the PID. This is revised as information on actual progress appears. It is a major control document for the project board to measure actual progress against expectations. Not detailed enough for PM. One version.
definition of stage plan
A detailed plan used as the basis for project management control throughout a management stage.
product based planning
PRINCE2 has a principle to focus on products. The philosophy behind this is that what needs to be delivered (the products) must be identified before deciding what activities, dependencies and resources are required to deliver those products
benefits of product based planning
clearly and consistently identifying and documenting the products to be produced by the plan and the interdependencies between them: this reduces the risk of important scope aspects being neglected or overlooked
*removing any ambiguity over what the project is expected to produce
*involving users in specifying the product requirements, thus increasing buy-in and reducing approval disputes
*improving communication: the product breakdown structure and product flow diagram provide simple and powerful means of sharing and discussing options for the scope and approach to be adopted for the project
*clarifying the scope boundary: defining products that are in and out of the scope for the plan and providing a foundation for change control, thus avoiding uncontrolled change or ‘scope creep’
*identifying products that are external to the plan’s scope but are necessary for it to proceed, and allocating them to other projects or organizations
*preparing the way for the production of work packages for suppliers
*gaining a clear agreement on production, review and approval responsibilities.
minimum requirements for plans theme
ensure that plans enable the business case to be realized (PRINCE2’s continued business justification principle)
*have at least two management stages: an initiation stage and at least one further management stage. The more complex and risky a project, the more management stages that will be required (PRINCE2’s manage by stages principle)
*produce a project plan for the project as a whole and a stage plan for each management stage (PRINCE2’s manage by stages principle)
*use product-based planning for the project plan, stage plans and exception plans. It may be optionally used for team plans. PRINCE2 recommends the steps shown in Figure 9.2 for product-based planning although alternative approaches may be used. PRINCE2 recommends the steps shown in Figure 9.6 for defining and analysing the products to produce a product breakdown structure, although alternative approaches may be used
*produce specific plans for managing exceptions (PRINCE2’s manage by exception principle)
*define the roles and responsibilities for planning (PRINCE2’s defined roles and responsibilities principle)
*use lessons to inform planning (PRINCE2’s learn from experience principle).
what are the four products for plan
Project product description A description of the overall project’s output, including the customer’s quality expectations, together with the acceptance criteria and acceptance methods for the project. As such it applies to a project plan only.
*Product description A description of each product’s purpose, composition, derivation and quality criteria.
*Product breakdown structure A hierarchy of all the products to be produced during a plan.
*Plan Provides a statement of how and when objectives are to be achieved, by showing the major products, activities and resources required for the scope of the plan. In PRINCE2, there are three levels of plan: project, stage and team. In addition, PRINCE2 has exception plans, which are created at the same level as the plan they are replacing.
whats the first plan ever created in PRINCE
Initiation stage plan (starting up a project)
how many levels of plan are there?
project, stage and team(optional)
what plans do exception plans replace
exception plan only replaces a project plan or stage
definition exception plans
A plan that often follows an exception report. For a stage plan exception, it covers the period from the present to the end of the current management stage. If the exception is at project level, the project plan will be replaced.
purpose of an exception plan
Exception plans must be produced to show the actions required to recover from or avoid a forecast deviation from agreed tolerances in the project plan or a stage plan.
if a stage plan is replaced…
this needs to be approved by the project bord
definition of work package
The set of information relevant to the creation of one or more products. It will contain a description of the work, the product description(s), details of any constraints on production, and confirmation of the agreement between the project manager and the person or team manager who is to implement the work package that the work can be done within the constraints.
definition of team plan
An optional level of plan used as the basis for team management control when executing work packages.
what runs in parellel in product based planning
defining management stages is fundamentally a process of balancing:
how far ahead in the project it is sensible to plan
*where the key decision points need to be on the project
*the amount of risk within the project
*too many short management stages (increasing the project management overhead) versus too few lengthy ones (reducing the level of control)
*how confident the project board and project manager are in proceeding.
the format of a plan - defining and analysing the products
writing a project product description
creating a product breakdowns trcuture
wiriting a product descripotionn
creating a product flow diagram
what part of the plan is for project plan only
writing a project product description
Identifying activities and dependencies
Simply identifying products is not sufficient for scheduling and control purposes. The activities required to create or change each of the planned products need to be identified to give a fuller picture of the plan’s workload.
Definition: Dependency
A dependency means that one activity is dependent on another. There are at least two types of dependency relevant to a project: internal and external.
Preparing estimate
A decision about how much time and resource are required to carry out a piece of work to acceptable standards of performanc
Preparing a schedule
A plan can only show the ultimate feasibility of achieving its objectives when the activities are put together in a schedule that defines when each activity will be carried out.
Documenting a plan
Calculating total resource requirements and costs
The resource requirements can be tabulated, and the cost of the resources and other costs calculated to produce the plan’s budget. The budget should include:
*costs of the activities (including people, equipment and materials) to develop and verify the specialist products, and the cost of the project management activities
*risk budget (see section 10.3.7)
*change budget (see section 11.3.6)
*cost tolerances.
) Which aspect of project performance must be managed in order to have a clear understanding of what the project is to deliver?
scope
What must be produced, as a minimum requirement for applying the plans theme?
A hierarchy of all the products to be produced during a plan
Which principle is being applied when a project product description is produced?
B. Focus on products
) Which is a purpose of the risk management approach?
A. To define the techniques to be used when assessing project risks
What is a risk cause?
D. A known situation which creates uncertainty
What must be recorded in the quality management approach, as a minimum requirement for applying the quality theme?
C. The approach to managing project assurance
PRINCE2’s requirements for the risk theme
define its risk management approach, which must minimally cover:
*how risks are identified and assessed, how risk management responses are planned and implemented and how the management of risk is communicated throughout the project lifecycle
*assessing whether identified risks might have a material impact on the business justification of the project (PRINCE2’s continued business justification principle)
*the roles and responsibilities for risk management (PRINCE2’s defined roles and responsibilities principle)
*maintain some form of risk register to record identified risks and decisions relating to their analysis, management and review
*ensure that project risks are identified, assessed, managed and reviewed throughout the project lifecycle
*use lessons to inform risk identification and management (PRINCE2’s learn from experience principle).
two products for risk
Risk management approach Describes how risk will be managed on the project. This includes the specific processes, procedures, techniques, standards and responsibilities to be applied.
*Risk register Provides a record of identified risks relating to the project, including their status and history. It is used to capture and maintain information on all the identified threats and opportunities relating to the project.
five risk management procedure steps
The procedure consists of five steps, the first four of which are sequential:
*identify: context and risks
*assess: estimate and evaluate
*plan
*implement.
‘Communicate’, the fifth step, operates in parallel as the outputs of any of the other steps may need to be communicated to stakeholders at any point in the process.
Which is a purpose of the ‘controlling a stage’ process
purpose of risk
The purpose of the risk theme is to identify, assess and control uncertainty and, as a result, improve the ability of the project to succeed.
Definition: Risk
An uncertain event or set of events that, should it occur, will have an effect on the achievement of objectives. A risk is measured by a combination of the probability of a perceived threat or opportunity occurring, and the magnitude of its impact on objectives.
Definition: Risk management
The systematic application of principles, approaches and processes to the tasks of identifying and assessing risks, planning and implementing risk responses and communicating risk management activities with stakeholders.
Definition: Risk exposure
Definition: Risk exposure
definition of threat and opportunity
Threat For uncertain events that would have a negative impact on objectives.
*Opportunity For uncertain events that would have a positive impact on objectives.
when is the risk register created
initiating
what is meant by a risk tolerance
risk threshold that triggers a response
who is the primary risk taker?
executive
how does PRINCE define risk?
an uncertain event (threat/opportunity)
who escalates risk to Corporate or programme management
Executive
what management product doe the risk management apprpach form part of?
pid
PID
