Progress Flashcards
What is the purpose of the Progress theme in PRINCE2?
To establish mechanisms for monitoring actual results against plans, predicting project feasibility, and controlling deviations from plans.
How is progress controlled in a PRINCE2 project?
By measuring actual progress against time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, and risk objectives and managing deviations.
What role does the exception management principle play in the Progress theme?
Managing deviations that exceed established tolerances, requiring intervention from higher levels of management.
What are the PRINCE2 requirements for progress management?
Defining an approach to progress control in the Project Initiation Document (PID), managing the project in stages, setting and managing tolerances, and reviewing the business justification for exceptions.
What are the key techniques for progress management in PRINCE2?
Delegation of authority, project phasing, regular reporting and reviews, and exception management.
What are the six types of tolerances in PRINCE2?
The six tolerances are: Time, Cost, Quality, Scope, Benefits, and Risk. Each has specific tolerance levels depending on the project level, phase, work package, or product.
How are project-level tolerances managed in PRINCE2?
Project-level tolerances are set by the corporate, program management, or the customer and managed by the project board, which intervenes as needed for corrective action decisions.
What is the role of the project manager regarding stage-level tolerances in PRINCE2?
The project manager has day-to-day control over a management stage within the tolerance limits set by the project board and must report to the project board for deviations that exceed these tolerances.
How are work package-level tolerances managed?
The team manager manages the work package within the tolerances agreed with the project manager and reports to the project manager for deviations that exceed these tolerances.
How does exception management relate to tolerances in PRINCE2?
Exception management is based on the principle that deviations beyond the established tolerances should be escalated to the higher management level for corrective actions.
What are the two types of progress control in PRINCE2?
PRINCE2 uses event-driven controls, which occur in response to specific events, and time-driven controls, which occur at predefined periodic intervals.
What are event-driven controls in PRINCE2 and when do they occur?
Event-driven controls occur in response to specific events, such as the end-stage assessment, completion of the Project Initiation Document (PID), or the creation of an exception report.
What are time-driven controls in PRINCE2 and when do they occur?
Time-driven controls occur at predefined periodic intervals, such as the production of monthly highlight reports for the project board or weekly checkpoint reports.
What management products are used to establish baselines for progress control?
Management products include the project plan, which sets project-level objectives and tolerances, the stage plan, which forms the basis for day-to-day stage control, and the work package, which allocates work between the project manager and team manager.
What is the role of monitoring and reporting in progress control in PRINCE2?
Monitoring and reporting require a time-based approach, while control (decision-making) is an event-driven activity.
What is the main procedure for progress review in a PRINCE2 management stage?
The project manager regularly reviews progress through checkpoint reports and updates the project registers.
What tools are used to assist in progress review in PRINCE2?
Issue log, product status log, quality log, and risk log.
How does trend identification aid in progress review?
Examining trends, such as an increase in unresolved issues or quality problems, can provide insight into the overall “health” of the management stage.
What is the role of the daily log in PRINCE2?
Recording daily actions, informal issues, and observations to identify potential issues or risks.
How are lessons captured during progress review?
Using the lessons log to record and report lessons learned for the implementation of improvements.
How is the frequency of progress reporting determined in PRINCE2?
The reporting frequency reflects the level of control required and may vary throughout the project, depending on the team’s experience.
What management products are used for progress reporting in PRINCE2?
Checkpoint report, highlight report, end-stage report, and end-project report.
What is the purpose of the checkpoint report in PRINCE2?
To provide the project manager with details of progress against the work package, typically produced by the team manager.
How are exceptions managed at the work package, stage, and project levels in PRINCE2?
At the work package level, the team manager informs the project manager; at the stage level, the project manager provides an exception report to the project board; at the project level, the project board reports to corporate, program management, or the customer.
What is the purpose of the highlight report in PRINCE2?
To provide the project board with details of progress for the entire project or a management stage, produced by the project manager.
Who sets project tolerances in PRINCE2 and decides on exceptions at the project level?
Corporate, Programme Management, or the Client
What is the role of the Executive in monitoring progress in PRINCE2?
Provides tolerances for management stages and makes decisions on exceptions at the stage level.
What is the role of the Senior User and Senior Supplier in progress monitoring?
Ensure that progress is consistent from the user’s and supplier’s perspectives.
What are the primary responsibilities of the Project Manager in progress control in PRINCE2?
Authorize work packages, monitor progress against stage plans, produce highlight reports, end-stage reports, end-project report, exception plans and reports, and maintain project registers and logs.
What are the tasks of the Team Manager and Project Assurance in the progress theme?
Team Manager: Manage work packages and report deviations. Project Assurance: Verify the business case and project progress.
How does a PRINCE2 project align with corporate governance processes?
By identifying the timing of corporate, program, or client governance processes and aligning project control processes with those timelines.
What is the impact of program and portfolio controls on PRINCE2 projects?
If the project is part of a program or portfolio, progress controls are generally established by the program or portfolio, including common controls, processes, tolerances, and timelines.
How does the project delivery approach influence progress management in PRINCE2?
The approach to progress management must support the project delivery approach. For example, in an Agile context, the focus will be on tracking the delivery of requirements rather than time and cost overruns.
What is a milestone chart, and what is its purpose in PRINCE2?
A graphical chart that displays key planned and actual milestones in a management stage, useful for visualizing key progress points.
What does the S-curve represent in PRINCE2, and how is it used?
A chart that shows cumulative actual data (e.g., costs or hours) over time. It is useful for identifying potential cost overruns or areas where tolerances may be exceeded.
What is Earned Value Management (EVM) in PRINCE2?
A technique for measuring scope, schedule, and cost performance against plans by comparing completed products to actual costs and times against estimates.
What are burn-down and burn-up charts in PRINCE2?
Techniques for displaying progress, where completed work and work remaining are represented by lines on a regularly updated chart. Burn-down charts show remaining work, while burn-up charts show work completed.
What is a Kanban board, and how is it used in PRINCE2?
A visual management tool that limits the number of work items in circulation, visually displaying work in progress through various columns representing different states of completion.
What is the purpose of peer reviews in a PRINCE2 project?
To provide an objective assessment of project progress and practices, ensuring alignment with established standards and objectives.
What is a peer review in PRINCE2?
An external assessment of the project conducted by experts in project management but not part of the project management team itself.
What is the OGC Gateway™ process in PRINCE2?
A peer review process that evaluates the project at key points in its lifecycle to ensure readiness to proceed to the next phase.
What are some key stages of OGC Gateway Reviews?
Strategic assessment, business justification, investment decision, and service readiness.
What is the main difference between OGC Gateway Reviews and decision points in PRINCE2?
OGC Gateway Reviews provide external assurance, while decision points are internal to the project management process.
