Information AboutPrince2 |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT PRINCE2 | |
| project management | |
|
HISTORY PRINCE (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a project management Methodology for the organisation, management and control of projects. It was initially developed in 1989 by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) as a UK Government standard for Information Technology (IT) project management; however, it soon became regularly applied outside the purely IT environment. PRINCE2 was released in 1996 as a generic project management method. PRINCE2 has become increasingly popular and is now the ''de facto'' standard for project management in the UK. Its use has spread beyond the UK to more than 50 other countries. The most current revision was released in 2005 by the Office Of Government Commerce (OGC), which has replaced the CCTA. PROCESSES PRINCE2 is a process based approach to project management. It consists of eight high level processes:
A PRINCE2 project must consist of at least two phases, but will typically contain four:
The implementation phase can be broken up into multiple stages if, as is often the case, it proves sensible. The processes ''Starting up a project'', ''Initiating a project'' and ''Closing a project'' are specific phases in a project. Three processes are involved in the implementation phase - ''Controlling a stage'', ''Managing product delivery'' and ''Managing stage boundaries''. The process ''Directing a project'' applies for the length of the project, while ''Planning'' applies for all phases except the final one - ''Closing a project''. ''Starting up a project'' The purpose of this process is to set the project up in the right way. It is a pre-project process that ascertains if the project would be worthwhile and viable before seeking commitment of resources. Its major input is the Project Mandate. It involves identifying the senior decision makers required to make up the project board who will oversee the project. The project board selects a Project Manager . The reasons for the project are outlined in a ''Project Brief''. The project approach is decided, as is the plan for the initiation stage, to give the project a firm foundation. The actual elements of are:
''Directing a project'' This process defines the functions of the Project Board who are responsible for the project. The project manager keeps the Project Board informed with regular reports, who leave the day-to day-management of the project to the Project Manager. They only become involved at stage boundaries when they must approve progress so far and give the go ahead to the next stage. A fundamental principle of PRINCE2 is management by exception, which means the only other time the Project Board make decisions about the project is when the project is forecast to go off course. The actual elements of Directing a Project are:
''Planning'' Planning is a process involved throughout the project's life-cycle. The actual elements of Planning are:
''Initiating a project'' In order for a project to be approved it must be carefully planned to show how it will meet its goals. This requires making detailed estimations of costs. These go together to create the main product of this process, the PID or Project Initiation Document, which must be approved by the Project Board before implementation can commence. The actual elements of Initiating a Project are:
Detailed information on this process can be found at the PRINCE2 Initiating A Project (IP) Page. ''Controlling a stage'' PRINCE2 projects are divided into stages so the project can be more easily managed and controlled. The exact number of stages is not fixed; it depends on the size of the project and the degree of risk. This process covers the day-to-day management of the project by the Project Manager. The actual elements of are:
''Managing product delivery'' PRINCE2 is a product based system. A product can be a physical thing like a book, or it could be a more intangible thing like a service agreement. In fact everything created by PRINCE2 including documents is a product. The products defined by the PRINCE2 method are management products, in contrast to the specialists products. Products can be created by anyone including external suppliers. This process creates the products of the project and is where most of its resources are used. The actual elements of are:
''Managing stage boundaries'' According to PRINCE2 principles, each stage must be completed and approved by the project board before the go ahead is given to proceed to the next stage. The actual elements of Managing Stage Boundaries are:
''Closing a project'' Another principle of PRINCE2 is that projects must be closed down in a controlled and orderly way. This involves evaluating the project's result (The Post Project Review). Any lessons learned are recorded, a handover document is created if necessary and a post implementation review is planned. The actual elements of Closing a Project are:
COMPONENTS PRINCE2 recognises eight key concepts or what it calls components in project management: Business Case The purpose of the Business Case is to justify the project – it drives the business process and ensures the project’s progress is aligned with the business’ objectives. The Business Case must be valid for life of project. The owner of the business case is the project’s Executive . A major input to the business case will be the project mandate. The Organisation Defines all the roles and responsibilities for the people managing and executing the project. PRINCE2 assumes that projects take place in a Customer – Supplier environment. The main roles are:
Plans PRINCE2 plans need to be approved before they are put into action. There are three levels of plan:
A fourth type of plan, an exception plan, is used to replace the stage plan when a project deviation is predictated to occur. Controls Controls ensure the right projects are produced at the right time and that the project remains viable against the business case. PRINCE2 uses management by exception. Therefore there is no standard requirement to hold meetings with the Project Board, who will be informed immediately if there are exceptions. The main types of control used are:
Management of Risk Projects are unique undertakings and therefore are subject to unpredictability. Risk is “uncertainty of outcome” (whether positive opportunity or negative threat). The management of risk is about keeping risks within acceptable bounds, in an efficient and cost effective manner. Risk management has 3 main principles:
Quality in a Project Environment Firstly, it should be recognised that "quality" refers not to the every day meaning of the word, but is whatever quantifiable and measureable properties that the product has that makes it fit for purpose. For example, "the product must be ready by 9am on monday", "the product must be blue" or "the company logo must be printed at least 3 cm high" are all quality expectations. The aim of a project is to produce products that are fit for purpose and satisfy the needs and expectations of the customer. The quality expectations are stated in the Project Mandate, Project Brief and the PID. There are 4 main elements that make up quality management:
Configuration Management Configuration management is concerned with controlling all of the products of the project. Another non Prince term for Configuration Management is Version Control. A configuration is a logically related set of products that need to be managed as a composite set. In project management terms, this means all the products and deliverables of the project. Configuration management consists of 5 main functions:
Change Control Controlling change is dealt with by the technique change control (see below). TECHNIQUES PRINCE2 identifies three specific techniques for use on projects. ''Product based planning'' PRINCE2 uses product based planning. i.e. PRINCE2 plans and measures progress against objectively measurable products (e.g. "the wall") rather than more subjectively defined and measured activities (e.g. "50% of building the wall"). Only after measurable products have been identified in the planning sub-process PL2 (Defining and Analysing Products) are the activities to make the products planned in sub-process PL3 (Identifying Activities and Dependencies). Prince is often described as being Product based as opposed to being Activity based. This is true in so much as Prince focuses on indentifying the Products before the activities to make the products is planned. Product based planning involves the production of:
''Change control'' In PRINCE2 all changes are treated as Project Issues, of which there are three types:
All project issues are the responsibility of the Project Manager and are recorded in an Issues Log. Requests for change must be approved by the Project Board, who will require an impact analysis of the change. Off specifications can be dealt with directly by the project manager if they fall within pre-determined tolerance limits. The project board can approve an off specification without any change, known as a concession. ''Quality reviews'' PRINCE2 requires products to be reviewed for quality. This takes place in a quality review meeting, which identifies errors in the product. The quality review meeting will not attempt to solve the problems it identifies. STRENGTHS PRINCE2 has a number of strengths, namely:
WEAKNESSES PRINCE2 has the following weaknesses:
EXAMINATIONS There are two examinations in PRINCE2. ''Foundation Examination'' This is a knowledge check on the PRINCE2 manual and its project management methodology, taken through a one-hour multiple choice paper, composed of 75 questions. Candidates must achieve 38 correct answers to pass. ''Practitioner Examination'' Candidates for the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination must first have passed the Foundation examination. The Practitioner exam is a three-hour case-based examination, with a scenario background and 3 questions. Anyone taking this examination should be able to apply PRINCE2 to the running and management of a project. ''Accredited Training Organisations'' To train people for either of the PRINCE2 examinations, training organisations need to be properly accredited by the Office of Government Commerce's partner, the APM Group. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|