The Prince2 Journey

Question 1

What happens pre-project?

Answer 1

The project is triggered by an idea or need, which is called a “project mandate”.
You need to verify that the project is worthwhile and viable. This is set out in the project brief.
The Project Board reviews the project brief and decides whether to initiate the project, and states the level of authority to be delegated to the Project Manager for the initiation stage.

Question 2

What happens in the initiation stage?

Answer 2

• Project is planned at appropriate level of detail
• Funding needs to be obtained
  Controls need to be defined
• Planning, establishment of the project
  management approaches and controls, development of a robust business case, and a means of reviewing benefits are covered by the initiating a project process
• the managing a stage boundary process is used to plan the next management stage in detail.
• finished with the PID, which is reviewed by the Project Board to decide whether to authorize the project. The PID may change later, so this PID needs to be preserved as input for later performance reviews.

Question 3

What happens in subsequent stages?

Answer 3

• The Project Board delegates day-to-day control to the Project Manager on a management-stage-bymanagement-stage basis.
• The Project Manager needs to assign work to be done, ensure that products meet relevant specifications, and gain suitable approval where appropriate.
• The Project Manager also needs to ensure that progress is in line with the approved plan and that the forecasts for the project’s performance targets are within agreed tolerances.
• The Project Manager ensures that a set of project records are maintained to assist with progress control.
• The Project Manager informs the Project Board of progress through regular highlight reports. The activities to control each management stage are covered by the controlling a stage process.
• In the managing product delivery process, the Team Managers or team members execute assigned work packages and keep the Project Manager appraised of progress via checkpoint reports.
• Towards the end of each management stage, the Project Manager requests permission to proceed to the next management stage by reporting how the management stage performed, providing an update to the business case and planning the next management stage in detail.
• At all times, the Project Board must ensure that the project remains aligned to the business case.

Question 4

What happens in the final stage?

Answer 4

• The Project Board needs to be satisfied that the recipients of the project’s products are in a position to own and use them on an ongoing basis. Should this be the case, the products can be transitioned into operational use and the project can close.
• The project documentation should be tidied up and archived, the project should be assessed for performance against its original plan and
  the resources assigned to the project need to be released.
• Closure activities include planning post-project benefits reviews to take place for those benefits that can only be assessed after the products have been in use.
• The activities to decommission a project are covered by the closing a project process.

Question 5

What happens post-project?

Answer 5

• It is likely that many or all of the benefits will be realised post-project. You may hold one or more post-project benefits reviews. The reviews will be sign-posted in the project’s benefits management approach.
• If the project is part of a programme, then the post-project benefits reviews need to be covered by the
  programme’s benefits management activities.
• A post-project benefits review will focus on:
  1. confirming that the planned benefits have been achieved
  2. identifying which planned benefits have not been achieved and agreeing a follow-up action plan
  3. identifying any unexpected benefits that have been achieved and any dis-benefits that resulted
  4. providing lessons for future projects.