Pure PRINCE2 - Progress theme

Question 1

What are the four purposes of the Progress theme?

Answer 1

• Monitor and compare actual achievement against the approved business case
• Provide a forecast on the project objectives
• Provides a way of measuring a project’s progress and continued viability
• Control unexpected deviations from the plan / tolerances

Question 2

What five things does PRINCE2 require in terms of the Progress theme?

Answer 2

PRINCE2 does not specify policy regarding progress, but does have several requirements:

1. Define its approach to progress management in the PID
2. Set tolerances and Manage By Exception - essential to a project’s success
3. Be managed in stages
4. Maintain a lessons log and record progress-related lessons
5. Monitor progress against tole

Question 3

What do good project controls allow?

Answer 3

• Project process monitoring and assessment of CBJ
• Identification of risks and issues, and a plan of corrective action
• Control and authorise further work according to assessment against the CBJ

Question 4

How is progress monitored?

Answer 4

Progress is monitored via project controls, and any deviation is flagged.

Two types of project controls:

1. Event-driven - triggered by a specific event (eg. end of a stage)
2. Time-driven - progress report at regular, pre-determined intervals. Duration is variable, dependent on the level of management

The more reports, the more control over the progress, but the more resources needed.

Question 5

What are the management products of the Progress theme?

Answer 5

Management products of the progress theme:

• Exception Reports - produced when a project breaches, or is forecast to breach, its set tolerances
• Checkpoint Reports - reports on progress of the work package. TM to PM
• Lessons are captured in the Lessons Log
• Progress is monitored daily and recorded in the daily log, quality register and risk register
• A baseline is established to monitor progress

Question 6

What are the key responsibilities of the Progress theme?

Answer 6

Key responsibilities of the Progress Theme:

• C/P - provides project mandate and sets whole-project tolerances
• PE - sets stage tolerances for the PM and handles exception reports
• SU/SS - ensures the progress processes match the expectations of their party
• PM - authorises WP’s, measures the progress of stages, creates exception reports, and keeps within tolerances set by the PE / C/P
• PA - confirms project progress against the tolerances