Directing Projects with PRINCE2

• Introduction
• Overview of PRINCE2
  • Key definitions
  • Structure of PRINCE2
  • The role of senior management in PRINCE2
  • Overview of PRINCE2
• Project Board duties and behaviours
  • Overview
  • Be accountable for the project
  • Provide unified direction
  • Delegate effectively
  • Facilitate cross functional integration
  • Commit resources
  • Ensure effective decision making
  • Support the Project Manager
  • Ensure effective communication
• Starting up a Project
  • Purpose
  • Context
  • Confirm the understanding of the project mandate
  • Appoint the Executive and Project Manager
  • Capture previous lessons
  • Design and appoint the project management team
  • Prepare the outline Business Case
  • Prepare the Project Brief
  • Prepare the Initiation Stage Plan
  • Summary
• Authorize initiation
  • Purpose
  • Context
  • Approve the Project Brief
  • Approve the Initiation Stage Plan
  • Communication
  • Suggested Project Board agenda
  • Summary
• Authorize the project
  • Purpose
  • Context part 1
  • Context part 2
  • Context part 3
  • Communication
  • Review the End Stage Report for initiation
  • Approve the Project Initiation Documentation
  • Approve the next Stage Plan
  • Suggested Project Board agenda
  • Summary
• Authorize a Stage or Exception Plan
  • Purpose
  • Context part 1
  • Context part 2
  • Review End Stage Reports
  • Approve Stage or Exception Plans
  • Assess project viability
  • Suggested Project Board agenda
  • Summary
• Give ad hoc direction
  • Purpose
  • Context
  • Respond to requests
  • Respond to reports
  • Respond to external influences
  • Focus of individual board members
  • Communication
  • Summary
• Authorize project closure
  • Purpose
  • Context
  • Confirm handover and acceptance
  • Approve the End Project Report
  • Approve the Benefits Review Plan
  • Communication
  • Suggested Project Board agenda
  • Summary
• Reviewing benefits
  • Purpose
  • Context
  • Hold benefits reviews
  • Close the Business Case
  • Communication
  • Suggested agenda for benefit reviews
  • Summary
• Tailoring PRINCE2
  • Purpose
  • Introduction
  • Environmental factors
  • Project related factors
  • What does tailoring involve?Adapting the themes

Key sections

• Introduction
• Business case
• Organization
• Quality
• Plans
• Risk
• Change
• Progress
• Introduction to processes
• Starting up a projectDirecting a project
• Initiating a project
• Controlling a stage
• Managing Product Delivery
• Managing a Stage Boundary
• Closing a Project
• Tailoring PRINCE2 to the project environment
• Directing Projects with PRINCE2

Project Board duties and behaviours

Commit resources

Project Board members are responsible for committing the resources necessary for the successful completion of the project.

In selecting Project Board members, it is an important criterion that, collectively, they should be able to deliver all the resources required for the success of the project.

Project Board members may be motivated to trim resources in order to cut costs.
This is not unreasonable, but planning decisions should be carefully thought through, examining relevant assumptions, experience and lessons learned.
The costs and penalties caused by under-resourcing a project can often be out of proportion to the initial (perceived) savings.

The Project Manager is responsible for assembling the plans, and for identifying, communicating and agreeing the resource requirements with suppliers.
The Project Board must approve the plan for the work to commence.
It is important that Project Board members understand that, by approving a Project Plan or Stage Plan, they are endorsing it as a realistic plan and undertaking to commit the resources required.
Project Board members cannot subsequently distance themselves and blame the planners.

Nevertheless, many factors can disrupt the process:

• It may not be possible to agree a resource plan that allows the project to meet other constraints, e.g. on budget or schedule
• Resources that have been agreed may, in the event, become unavailable
• Project delays or other changes may alter the timing of resource requirements with the result that they cannot be met
• Where personnel are committed part-time, project work may be interrupted by competing business-as-usual activity or contributions on other, higher-priority projects.

Many of these problems, particularly with internal resource providers, arise from competing business or line management priorities, and Project Board members must decide where the project fits in relation to the competing priorities.
By the same token, Project Board members will also carry more weight in negotiations and disputes with external suppliers.

Resourcing issues are typically the ones most frequently escalated to Project Board members, and resourcing generally provides the best opportunities for Project Board members to demonstrate senior management commitment and support for the Project Manager.

Where Project Board members fail to provide adequate support, resources may get deployed on the basis of whoever shouts loudest, resulting in unnecessary antagonism and at the expense of rational decision making.

All references above are in Directing Successful Projects with PRINCE2® unless stated otherwise.

PRINCE2® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.