Plans

• Purpose
• Defined
  • What is a plan?
  • What is planning?
  • Levels of plan
  • The Project Plan
  • Stage Plans
  • Team Plans
  • Exception Plans
• The PRINCE2 approach
  • Philosophy
  • Prerequisites for planning -
    design the plan
  • Define and analyse the products
• Prerequisites for planning
  • Write the Project Product Description
  • Create the product breakdown structure
  • Write the Product Descriptions
  • Create the product flow diagram
• Identify activities and dependencies
  • Activities
  • Dependencies
• Prepare estimates
• Prepare the schedule
  • Overview
  • Define activity sequence
  • Assess resource availability
  • Assign resources
  • Level resource usage
  • Agree control points
  • Define milestones
  • Calculate total resource requirements and costs
• Analyse the risks
• Document the plan
• Responsibilities

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

Plans defined

Exception Plans

An Exception Plan is a plan prepared for the appropriate management level to show the actions required to recover from the effect of a tolerance deviation.
If approved, the Exception Plan will replace the plan that is in exception and it will become the new baselined Project Plan or current Stage Plan, as appropriate.

If a Stage Plan is being replaced, this needs the approval of the Project Board.
Replacement of a Project Plan should be referred by the Project Board to corporate or programme management if it is beyond the authority of the Project Board.

An Exception Plan is prepared to the same level of detail as the plan it replaces.
It picks up from the current plan actuals and continues to the end of that plan.
Exception Plans are not produced for Work Packages.
Should a Team Manager forecast that the assigned Work Package may exceed tolerances, they will notify the Project Manager by raising an issue.
If the issue relating to the Work Package can be resolved within stage tolerances, the Project Manager will take corrective action by updating the Work Package or issuing a new Work Package(s) and instructing the Team Manager(s) accordingly.

For more explanation of the types and the use of tolerance in PRINCE2®, see the section covering ‘Progress’.

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