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

Give ad hoc direction

Context

© Crown copyright 2005 Reproduced under licence from OGC

Project Board members may offer guidance or respond to requests for ad hoc direction at any time during the project (see the diagram) – the section covering ‘Project Board duties and behaviours’ describes how this occurs during Starting up a Project.

Ad hoc direction may be given by the Project Board collectively or by individual members, i.e. within their specific spheres of responsibility.

There are a variety of circumstances that might prompt ad hoc interventions, including:

• Responding to requests (e.g. when options need clarifying or where areas of conflict need resolving)
• Responding to reports (e.g. Highlight Report, Exception Report, Issue Report)
• Responding to external influences (e.g. changes in corporate priorities)
• Project Board members’ individual concerns

In PRINCE2®, the relationship between the Project Board and the Project Manager is centred on the plans.
In giving ad hoc direction, Project Board members must always bear in mind what has been agreed in plans and what impact any direction they may give may have on the plans.

Consultations

Project Board members should be accessible to planners to provide supportive guidance during planning activity, particularly during project initiation.
Each of the Project Board members will have their own focus of attention and their own sphere of expertise to bring to plans but, to fulfil their duty to provide unified direction, they must also ensure that the guidance offered by individual Project Board members is mutually consistent.
This means that Project Board members may need to check with each other and ensure that they are providing direction consistently with each other and with approved plans (ad hoc direction, not ‘knee-jerk’ direction’).

Once a plan has been established, Project Board members should adopt ‘management by exception’.
Needs for ad hoc direction may then arise in the course of the following activities:

• If the Project Manager has trouble keeping the effort in line with the plan
• If resources are not available to do the work
• If the Project Manager needs clarification for an aspect of the plan
• If the Project Assurance function or a Project Board member raises a concern about progress in relation to the plan

• If the Project manager needs clarification over aspects of quality, e.g. the relative priorities of different expectations
• If the Project Manager encounters persistent shortcomings in the quality of products, e.g. from a particular third-party supplier
• If there is a complaint about quality from outside the project
• If the Project Assurance function or a Project Board member has a concern about product quality

• If the Project Manager encounters a significant issue which may impact the plan If the Project Assurance function or a Project Board member raises a concern about whether some aspect of the plan is appropriate

• If the Project Manager identifies a significant new risk
• If the Project Assurance function or a Project Board member identifies a significant new risk
• If a combination of risks threatens the progress or viability of the project
• If the probability of a serious risk increases
• If a risk event actually occurs and planned countermeasures have to be implemented

• If benefits are considered at risk – or additional potential benefits have been identified
• If changes are proposed to benefits measurements or the Benefits Review Plan

• If there are any internal or external requests for more information
• If the Project Assurance function or a Project Board member is concerned about the wider awareness or perceptions of the project

So direction may either be requested by the Project Manager or the Project Assurance function, or it may be volunteered by the Project Board member(s).

However the ad hoc direction is prompted, the individual Project Board member should consider:

• Whether they can confidently give the direction on the Project Board’s behalf
• Whether the subject is really in another Project Board member’s sphere of interest (and whether that member needs to be consulted first)
• Whether the direction needs to be cleared with the Project Board as a whole

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.