Progress theme

Tolerance area

Project level

Stage level

Work Package level

Product level

Benefits:
Define targets in terms of ranges.
Business Case
NA
NA
NA
Cost:
+/- amounts of planned budget.
Project Plan
Stage Plan
Work Package
NA
Quality:
Define targets in terms of ranges.
Project Product Description
NA
(Note 1)
NA
(Note 1)
Product Description
Risk:
Limit aggregated value of risks to a % of budget.
Limit on any individual threat.
Risk Management Strategy
Stage Plan
(Note 2)
Work Package
(Note 2)
NA
Scope:
Permitted variation of the scope of the project. Use MoSCoW.
Project Plan
(Note 3)
Stage Plan
(Note 3)
Work Package
(Note 3)
NA
Time:
+/- days, weeks, months, … on target completion dates.
Project Plan
Stage Plan
Work Package
NA
Note 1 - Quality tolerances are not summarily defined at the Stage or Work Package level, but are defined per Product Description within the scope of the plan.
Note 2 - more specific stage level risk tolerances may be set by the Project Board when authorising a stage or by the Project Manager when commissioning Work Packages, especially from external suppliers.
Note 3 - The scope of a plan is defined by the set of products to be delivered. Scope tolerance should be in the form of a note on or reference to the product breakdown structure for the plan. Scope tolerance at the stage or Work Package level is of particular use if applying a rime-bound iterative development method such as Agile.

Purpose

To Establish mechanisms to:

  • monitor and compare actual achievements against those planned;
  • to provide a forecast for the project objectives and the project’s continued viability;
  • to control any unacceptable deviations.

Definitions

Progress

A measure to compare the actual achievement against the planned level of achievement of the objectives of a plan; It can be monitored for the Project Plan, Stage Plan and Work Package level.

Progress controls

The controls put in place to ensure that each level of the Project Management Structure can control the level below.

Tolerance

The deviation allowed for each of the six variables: Benefits, Cost, Quality, Risk, Scope and Time, without escalating the deviation to the next level of management. Tolerances are defined for each level in the Project Management Team.

Exception

A situation where it can be forecast that there will be a deviation beyond the agreed tolerance levels.

Approach to Business Case

The progress control tools used in PRINCE2 are:

  • Delegating authority from one level of management to the level below.
  • Dividing the project into management stages and authorising the project stage by stage.
  • Progress reports and reviews, both time driven and event driven.
  • Raising exceptions.

Progress Control Tools

Delegating authority

Authority is delegated from each level to the level below in the form of tolerances

Management Stages

Are partitions of the project with management decision points.
The Project Board authorises each stage separately. In that way it can closely monitor the project progress in time.

Reporting Progress

Time driven reports take place at predetermined periodic intervals:

  • Checkpoint Reports: show the progress of a Work Package for the Project Manager.
  • Highlight Reports: show the stage progress for the Project Board.

Event driven reports take place when a specific event occurs:

  • End Stage Report: Compare stage performance to Stage Plan.
  • End Project Report: Compare project performance to Project Plan.

Raising Exceptions

Work Package level exceptions: The Team Manager raises an issue
Stage level exceptions: Issue Report / Exception Report. If requested, an Exception Plan.
Project level exceptions: Exception Report. This level of exception has to be reported to the Corporate/Programme Management by the Project Board.

Project Board controls

Authorisations:

  • Initiation
  • Project
  • Each Stage
  • Project Closure

Progress updates:

  • Highlight reports - regular progress reports
  • End Stage reports

Exceptions and Changes:

  • Exception Reports - if expected to go out of tolerance
  • Issue Reports - if out of tolerance or in need of advise

Project Manager controls

Authorisations:

  • Agreeing and authorising work - Work Packages

Progress updates:

  • Checkpoint reports - regular reports from Team Managers

Exceptions and Changes:

  • Registers and Logs - compare plans with actuals; deal with issues and risks or escalates

At the end of each Management Stage, the Project Board:

  • Checks is the project is still viable
  • Checks overall progress by looking at the Project Plan
  • Reviews the End Stage Report and the next Stage Plan
  • Decides whether to continue on the next stage or not
  • Commits resources and delegates authority for the next stage.

Technical Stages:

  • Specialist work is done in technical stages
  • Usually typified by the use of particular set of specialist skills or release
  • Technical Stages can overlap, but Management Stages cannot
  • A Technical Stage can span a management stage boundary.

The use of Management Stages is mandatory in PRINCE2.

The number of stages is flexible and is a process of balancing the:

  • Planning horizon
  • Key decision points
  • Amount of risk in the project
  • Amount of control required
  • Confidence of the Project Board and the Project Manager.

The length of stages depends on the:

  • level of risk
  • Complexity
  • Planning horizon
  • Technical stages.

The Project Manager monitors and controls the Controlling a Stage process

  • Use the plans (Project, Stage and Team plans) as baseline
  • Receive Checkpoint Reports from Team Managers with progress information on Work Packages.
  • Use other management products for review and control:
    • Daily Log
    • Issue Register
    • Product Status Account
    • Quality Register
    • Risk Register

Capturing and Reporting lessons:

  • Lessons Report.

Roles and Responsibilities

Corp. Or Prog. Mgmt
Provide project tolerances via Project Mandate.
Review and make decisions on Exception plans when project-level tolerances are forecast to be exceeded.
Executive
Provide stage tolerances.
Ensure business progress.
Make decisions on Exception Plans when stage-level tolerances are forecast to be exceeded.
Recommend actions to the Corporate or programme management is project tolerance is forecast to be exceeded.
Senior User
Ensure progress remains consistent from the user perspective.
Senior Supplier
Ensure progress remains consistent from the Supplier perspective.
Project Manager
Authorise Work Packages.
Monitor progress against stage plans (and project plan).
Produce Highlight, End Stage, End Project and Lessons Reports.
Product Exception Reports (either stage or project level).
Maintain project registers and logs.
Team Manager
Agree on Work Packages.
Inform Project Support on completed quality activities.
Product Checkpoint Reports.
Notify Project manager on any forecast deviation from Work Package tolerances. Raise issues.
Project Assurance
Verify Business Case against external events and project progress.
Verify changes to Project Plan for any impact on the needs of the Business or Business Case.
Confirm stage and project progress against agreed tolerances.
Project Support
Assist in creation of Reports.
Assist Project Manager in maintaining Issue Register, Risk Register and Quality Register.
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Lessons Log

Purpose:
The Lessons Log is a project repository for lessons that apply to this project or future projects. Some lessons may originate from other projects and should be captured on the Lessons Log for input to the project’s strategies and plans. Some lessons may originate from within the project - where new experience (both good and bad) can be passed on to others via a Lessons Report.
Composition:
The Lessons Log tab contains the contents of the log.
Derivation:
- Lessons Reports from other projects
- Project mandate or Project Brief
- Daily Log, Issue Register, Quality Register and Risk Register
- Checkpoint Reports and Highlight Reports
- Completed Work Packages
- Stage Plans with actual's
- Observation and experience of the project’s processes.
Format and presentation:
A Lessons Log can take a number of formats, including:
- Document, spreadsheet or database
- Stand-alone log or a carry forward in progress review minutes
- Entry in a project management tool
- Part of an integrated project register for all risks, actions, decisions, assumptions, issues, lessons etc.
Quality Criteria:
- The status indicates whether action has been taken
- Lessons are uniquely identified, including to which product they refer
- A process is defined by which the Lessons Log is to be updated
- Access to the Lessons Log is controlled
- The Lessons Log is kept in a safe place.
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Daily Log

Purpose:
A Daily Log is used to record informal issues, required actions or significant events not caught by other PRINCE2 registers or logs. It acts as the project diary for the Project Manager.
It can also be used as a repository for issues and risks during the Starting up a Project process if the other registers have not been set up.
There may be more than one Daily Log as Team Managers may elect to have one for their Work Packages, separate from the Project Manager’s Daily Log.
Composition:
The Daily Log tab contains the contents of the log.
Derivation:
Entries are made when the Project Manager or Team Manager feels it is appropriate to log some event.  Often entries are based on thoughts, conversations and observations.
Format and presentation:
A Daily Log can take a number of formats including a Document or Spreadsheet; Desk diary or log book; Electronic diary/calendar/task lists or Entry in a project management tool.
Quality Criteria:
Entries are sufficiently documented to be understandable later (a short note might make sense at the time, but will it in several months’ time?)
Date, person responsible and target date are always filled in
Consideration has been given to access rights for the Daily Log (e.g. should the Daily Log be visible to everyone working on the project?).