Controlling a stage

• Purpose
• Objective
• Context
• Activities
  • Overview
  • Authorize a Work Package
  • Review Work Package status
  • Receive completed Work Packages
  • Review the stage status
  • Report highlights
  • Capture and examine issues and risks
  • Escalate issues and risks
  • Take corrective action

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

Escalate issues and risks

A stage should not exceed the tolerances agreed with the Project Board.
The Project Manager can only take corrective action or maintain the status quo as long as the stage (or project) is forecast to be completed within the tolerances set by the Project Board.

This activity applies where any corrective action within the Project Manager’s control would not save the stage (or project) from going beyond the tolerances agreed.
This applies to all types of issue and risk (or aggregation of them) that cannot be resolved within the tolerances set by the Project Board.

As it may take some time to gather the information to create an Exception Report, it is recommended that the Project Board be alerted as early as possible.
Therefore, the Project Manager may wish to execute this activity in two steps: an early notification to the Project Board of the forecast exception situation in order to prepare them, followed by supporting information in the form of an Exception Report.

The Project Manager should execute any decision by the Project Board in response to the escalation.

Escalating issues and risks is good practice and should not be seen as failure.
The earlier that issues are escalated, the more time [see 'The Complete Time Management package'] is available to implement any corrective actions.

For more details on management of risk, see the section covering ‘Risk’.
For more details on issue and change control, see the section covering ‘Change’.
For more details on exception management, see the section covering ‘Progress’.

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:

• Examine the Stage Plan to define the extent of the deviation and the unfinished products, and to extrapolate what would happen if the deviation were allowed to continue
• Examine the Project Plan for the project status and overall effect of any deviation (using the current baseline of the Project Initiation Documentation)
• Determine the options for recovery and assess them against the Business Case
• Assess the impact of the options for recovery against the Stage Plan for the current stage. Consideration should be given to the availability of individuals or groups with the skills or experience to assess the impact
• Put the situation, options and the recommendation for a course of action to the Project Board in an Exception Report. The Project Board will then decide on an appropriate course of action (which may support or otherwise the Project Manager’s recommendation). This may include:
• Requesting more information or more time to consider their response
• Approving, deferring or rejecting a request for change
• Granting a concession for an off-specification, or deferring or rejecting it
• Increasing the tolerances that are forecast to be breached
• Instructing the Project Manager to produce an Exception Plan, stating what will be acceptable (see the section covering ‘Managing a Stage Boundary’)
• Instructing the Project Manager to close the project prematurely (see the section covering ‘Closing a Project’)

Diagram 2 shows the responsibilities for this activity.

© Crown copyright 2005 Reproduced under licence from OGC

Diagram 2

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