Initiating a project

• Purpose
• Objective
• Context
• Activities
  • Overview
  • Prepare the Risk Management Strategy
  • Prepare the Configuration Management Strategy
  • Prepare the Quality Management Strategy
  • Prepare the Communication Management Strategy
  • Set up the project controls
  • Create the Project Plan
  • Refine the Business Case
  • Assemble the Project Initiation Documentation

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

Activities

Prepare the Configuration Management Strategy

Configuration management is essential for the project to maintain control over its management and specialist products.

The level of control required will vary from project to project.
The maximum level of control possible is determined by breaking down the project’s products until the level is reached at which a component can be independently installed, replaced or modified.
However, the level of control exercised will be influenced by the importance of the project and the complexity of the relationship between its products.

The initial set of Configuration Item Records will be created during this activity.
The Configuration Management Strategy will define the format and composition of the records that need to be maintained (see the folder ‘Product Description outlines’ as part of the product package).

For more details on configuration management, see the section covering ‘Change’.

Diagram 1 shows the inputs to, and outputs from, this activity.

© Crown copyright 2005 Reproduced under licence from OGC

Diagram 1

PRINCE2® recommends the following actions:

• Review the Project Brief to understand whether any corporate or programme management strategies, standards or practices relating to configuration management need to be applied (in particular whether the customer and/or supplier has an existing configuration management system that should be applied)
• Seek lessons from similar previous projects, corporate or programme management, and external organizations related to configuration management. Some of these may already have been captured in the Lessons Log.
• Review the Risk Register and Daily Log for risks and issues associated with configuration management
• Define the Configuration Management Strategy, including:
• The configuration management procedure (e.g. Planning, identification, control, status accounting, verification and audit)
• The issue and change control procedure (e.g. capturing, examining, proposing, deciding, implementing)
• Tools and techniques that will be used
• Records that will be kept
• How the performance of the procedures will be reported
• Timing of configuration management activities and issue and change control activities
• The roles and responsibilities for the procedures. Consider whether a Change Authority and/or change budget should be established
• The scales for priority and severity of issues
• Consult with Project Assurance to check that the proposed Configuration Management Strategy meets the needs of the Project Board and/or corporate or programme management
• Create the initial Configuration Item Records (at this point there will only be Configuration Item Records for the management products that have already been created and any pre-existing project documentation that needs to be controlled, e.g. feasibility study, request for proposal etc.)
• Create the Issue Register and consider whether any issues already captured in the Daily Log need to be managed formally and therefore transferred
• If any new risks or issues are identified (or existing ones have changed), then update the Risk Register, Issue Register and/or Daily Log
• Seek Project Board approval for the Configuration Management Strategy (the Project Board may prefer to review it later as part of the Project Initiation Documentation)

Diagram 2 shows the responsibilities for this activity.

© Crown copyright 2005 Reproduced under licence from OGC

Diagram 2