Prince2 - hands on how to...

Here is the order to which a project can be managed using the PRINCE2 process model:

1. The Programme Management developed a project charter, or has defined preliminary guidelines and goals for the project. This information will be used in SU (Starting Up a Project) to assign a PM, appoint a project team and to prepare project documentation for the project board to terminate/authorise the progression of the project to the next phase.

2. The project board will reject/authorise the project to progress to the initiation stage after reviewing the project brief & initiation stage plan for the project, as well as allocating resources for the project initiation phase. The project goes into the next phase if project board approves the initiation phase.

2a. If the project board rejects the team's proposed initiation stage plan, the process is restarted again.

2b. If the project board approves the team's proposed initiation plan, the project moves to the IP stage.

3. In the project initiation phase, the project team will plan the quality and develop an overall plan for the project. More importantly the Business Case, PID (Project Initiation Document), Project Controls and Plan for the next stage are created for the project. These are submitted to the project board for assessment and approval must be gained to proceed to the next stage.

3a. If the project board rejects the project team's proposed next stage plan, the process is restarted again.

3b. If the Project board approved the plan for the next stage, the project is now moving into a 'doing' phase where work package definitions are defined. Line managers are usually involved at this stage to give consultation on specific details on work packages.

3c. The Business Case, PID and next stage plan are reviewed by the project board that assesses if the project should continue by evaluating the viability of the updated Business Case. In addition, the next stage plan is reviewed and approved before the project can proceed to the next phase. Should the project board decide that the Business Case for the project is no longer viable; the project shall proceed to CP (Closing a Project) prematurely.

4. During CS (Controlling a Stage), the project manager and the line manager agreed on the specification and expected quality of the work package. It is then the responsibility of the line manager to coordinate his/her resources to get the work completed to the quality and specification of the work package. In some cases line managers can be contacts from external parties to the project team or project organisation.

5. Depending on the size of the work package, checkpoints may be used to monitor the progress of the work package.

6. Once the work package is completed, the completed work package is handed to the project manager who should get verification that the completed work package is consistent with the standard specified in the work package definition.

6a. If the work package fail to satisfy the quality or specification specified on the work package definition, the project manager can reject the package and the whole process is restarted again.

7. Step 4 to step 6 is repeated for all work packages planned to be delivered during the current stage. Multiple work packages can be initiated concurrently and with multiple line managers/3rd-parties providers.

8. Project controls are in place to highlight to the project manager any project issues and risks that were identified and/or realised during the current stage. The project manager should seek ad-hoc recommendation from the project board (through DP-Directing a Project) if realised issues/risks threatens the overall project.

9. Should the project board decided, after assessing the business case, that the project is no longer viable, the project shall proceed to close (CP-Closing a Project) prematurely.

10. The project board can give ad-hoc feedback and/or recommendation, in respond to the realised issues/risks, to the project manager to be implemented in the current phase.

11. During the implementation of the current phase, the project manager may realise that targets set within the current stage plan may not be realised as a result of unforeseeable internal and/or external issues. In this case the project manager should update all relevant project documentation and prepare an exception plan taking into account of the realised issue/s and its effect to the current stage.

12. The exception plan is presented to the project board for review and recommendation. The project board can either reject or approve the submitted exception plan, taking into the new plan's effect on the viability of the business case for the project.

13. The decision to reject or to approve the submitted exception plan is communicated to the project manager as feedback.

13a. If the project board rejected the initial exception plan, the project manager should submit subsequent exception plan incorporating project board's recommendation.

14. The project manager should inform project board if exception plan is un-workable with project board's recommendation, as ad-hoc feedback.

14a. If the project board, after evaluation, decided that the business case for the project is no longer viable, the project moves to CP (Closing a Project) to be closed prematurely.

15. When the current stage is approaching an end, the project manager should update all relevant project documentations;

15a. If the current stage is not the last stage, prepare project plan for the next stage.

15b. If the current stage is the last stage, initiate a notification of project end and proceed to CP (Closing a Project) to formally close the project.

16. The next stage plan is submitted to the project board for review.

17. The project board reviews the submitted next stage plan and assessing the viability of the business case to either approves or rejects the submitted next stage plan.

17a. If the project board rejects the submitted next stage plan, the project manager should submit subsequent next stage plan incorporating project board's recommendation.

18. Steps 3b to steps 17 should be repeated for all subsequent project stages.

19. Follow on from step 15b: The project manager should ensure that the project delivered all products, and in the quality standard specified in project specification documents. In addition the project manager should ensure users approved and signed off all delivered products and all post project responsibilities allocated. Project board should then approve the closure of the project by handing over responsibility of the product to users and release all resources assigned to the project. In addition the project board should inform corporate management of the project's closure.