The ultimate of planning is to build a model that allows you to predict which tasks and resources are critical to the timely completion of the project. Strategies may then be implemented to ensure that these tasks and resources are managed properly, thus ensuring that the project will be delivered within tolerances, or more traditionally described as delivered on time and within budget.
A PRINCE 2 tolerance is the permissible deviation from plan without bringing the deviation to the attention of the next higher authority. This may be negative or positive and be defined in values such as costs, time, quality, scope and risks.
Planning aims to:
- Identify the products and activities required to deliver a project
- Evaluate different project delivery methods
- Identify and optimize the use of resources
- Optimize time and evaluate if target dates may be met
- Identify risks and set priorities
- Provide a Baseline plan against which progress is measured
- Communicate the plan to all stakeholders, including what is to be done, when and by whom
- Provide early warning of potential problems and enable proactive and not reactive action to be taken.
- Assist management to think ahead and make informed decisions.
- Increased project costs or reduction in scope and/or quality
- Additional changeover and/or operation costs
- Extension of time claims
- Loss of your client's revenue
- Contractual disputes and association resolutions costs
- The loss of reputation of those involved in a project
- Loss of a facility or assets in the event of a total project failure
2. Definition of Plan
PRINCE2 defines a plan as a document identifying all the Products to be delivered by a
project and their associated timescale, cost, quality and targets for the production of each. A PRINCE2 Project Plan must at all times be able to deliver the expected benefits identified
in the Business Case. PRINCE2 also states that all plans must have the approval and commitment of all the appropriate management levels. A plan is therefore not just a GANTT Chart (bar chart), although a GANTT Chart is an important output of the planning process.
3. Plan level
PRINCE 2 defines four levels and five types of plans:
- Programme Plan, a Project Plan may be a stand-alone plan or part of a portfolio of multiple projects within a programme.
- Project Plan, this is mandatory and updated throughout the duration of a project.
- Stage Plan, there are a minimum of two Stage Plans: an Initiation Stage Plan and First Stage Plan. (There would be usually one Stage Plan for each Stage.)
- Exception Plan, which is at the same level and detail as a Stage Plan and replaces a Stage Plan at the request of a Project Board when a Stage is forecast to exceed
- Team Plan is optional and would be used on larger projects where Teams are used for delivering Products which require detailed planning. A typical example is a contractor’s plan that would be submitted during the bidding process.
A Programme Plan contains a large amount of information including:
- The Vision Statement, a statement of the target or targets of an organisation and the performance measurements of the new capabilities.
- The Blueprint, the outline of practices, processes, information and technology required to deliver the Vision Statement.
- Benefits, a statement of the benefits that the programme will deliver the Organization. Benefits may be scheduled and monitored using Project management software with tasks in a programme level.
- Projects, which may be grouped under Tranches.
- Resources, which outlines the people, equipment, funding and all other assets required to deliver the Projects. This allows the management of resources amongst projects; it is possible to share a Project management software Resource pool over more than one project.
- Stakeholders, identification and communication with the stakeholders to ensure that the right products are delivered; their acceptance is very important.
- Risks, managed at both Programme and Project level. A sound Risk Management Plan and supporting processes are required to successfully manage a Programme.
- Timetable, this outlines deadlines and the timeline that the programme must work to. This timeline would usually impose start and completion dates for projects. The programme work may be scheduled with Project management software and include tasks for Benefits Realisation.
- Progress monitoring, established in a programme. Programmes may be divided into Tranches, which are distinct steps of a Programme, they may be tied to a financial instalment and provide a point where the business benefits of completed projects may be evaluated.
- Transition addresses the cultural changes required in an organisation from the Project Approach through to the smooth operation of a new process.
• The Portfolio of projects should be designed.
• The Projects and the Programme Benefits Realisation are scheduled and the Benefits
B). Realisation should be aligned with the programme strategic objectives.
• The Project plans should show an increasing level of detail as they are executed and progress is reflected back into the Programme Plan.
• The Programme schedule will have to be monitored, reviewed and revised as the projects progress and the effects of external events and emerging risks impact on theProgramme.
5. Project Plan
The Project Plan is the overall control document for the Project Board, who is responsible
for directing and monitoring the project in terms of Product, Cost, Timing, Resources and
Control Points. Quality is documented in the Project Quality Plan. The Project Plan is part
of the Project Initiation Document (PID) and the Project Plan is Baselined after the project
has been authorised in DP2 – Authorising a Project.
The Project Plan is updated at least:
• At the end of each Stage, and
• When a Project has exceeded Tolerances and the Project Board has requested the Exception Plan.
6. Stage Plan
There are a minimum of 2 Stages in a PRINCE2 project and each have a plan:
• Initiation Stage Plan, created during Starting Up a Project, and
• First Stage Plan, created during the Initiation Stage.
A Next Stage Plan is created towards the end of the previous Stage and approved by the
Project Board before the next Stage commences.
A Stage Plan provides the Project Manager with a tool for day-to-day management of the
project. It would have a greater level of detail than the Project Plan and would fit into the
timing of the Project Plan. A Stage Plan may be created in Microsoft Project in several
ways:
• Granulating the Project schedule into more detail in the Projects schedule file , thus
creating a single schedule that contains both Project and Stage schedules, or
• Creating a stand-alone schedule for each Stage that is manually aligned to the Project
Plan. This allows the Project Manager to set tighter time Tolerances on a Stage schedule
than the Project schedule. Thus creating a Stage schedule with a tight Stage Tolerances
to force Team Managers to deliver the products on time, or
• Creating a stand-alone schedule for each Stage that is inserted into a Project Schedule.
7. Exception Plan
When a Stage exceeds Tolerances, normally identified as a breach of time or cost but couldinclude Scope, Quality, Risk or Benefit, then the project is in Exception. If a Stage breaks
Tolerances:
- The Project Manager may create an Exception Report in the sub-process CS8 – Escalating Project Issues and would submit the Exception Report, which should include options for the future course of the project, to the Project Board.
- The Project Board may request an Exception Plan from the Project Manager in DP4 – Giving Ad Hoc Direction.
- The Project Manager would produce an Exception Plan in SB6 – Producing an Exception Plan and submit it for approval by the Project Board,
- Should the Project Board approve the Exception Plan in DP3 – Authorising a Stage or Exception Plan, this plan would replace the current failed Stage Plan
Team Plans are optional plans for detailing out the delivery of one or more products
included in a Work Package and would typically be represented by:
• A subcontractor plan for the delivery of a product which could be submitted with a bid
for work, or
• A plan supplied by another team, group or department for the internal delivery of
products.
A Team Plan should be approved as part of Accepting a Work Package and progress
would be reported in Checkpoint Reports from a Team Manager to the Project
Manager. In a similar way to the development of a Stage Plan from a Project plan, a Team
Plan may be integrated into a Stage Plan in several ways. For example:
• A single task may be manually inserted in the Stage schedule to represent all the tasks
from a Team schedule, and manually updated.
• A single task representing each of the Team schedule summary tasks may be manually
inserted into the Stage schedule and manually updated, thus providing a summary of the
Team schedule with more than one task.
• When a Team schedule is received electronically it may have all its tasks copied and pasted into the Stage plan as long as all the activities and resources are common.
• When a Team schedule is received electronically it may be inserted into the Stage
schedule and look like a sub-project.
9. Controlling a Project
9.1 Controlling a project ensures:
• The work is being authorized in accordance with the plan
• The required products are being produced
• The required quality is being met
• The products are being produced on time, with the planned resources and to the planned costs
• The project products will achieve the Business Case
10.2 Controlling a project provides the next level of management with information allowing
them to:
• Monitor the progress of products Compare the progress with the plan
• Review options
• Forecast problems as early as possible enabling corrective action to be taken as early as
possible
• Authorized further work
9.2 Project Board Controls
The Project Board controls the project using the following processes:
• DP1 – Authorizing Initiation where an Initiation Stage Plan would be reviewed and
approved.
• DP2 – Authorizing a Project where the Project Plan and First Stage would be reviewed
and approved.
• DP3 – Authorizing a Stage Plan where:
- A Stage would be reviewed and approved, or
- After receiving an Exception Plan and holding an Exception Assessment meeting, the Exception Plan would be reviewed and approved.
- Highlight Reports from the Project Manager produced in CS6 – Reporting Highlights which would include an update of the Stage Plan, or
- Review Exception Reports created by the Project Manager in CS8 – Escalating Project Issues, which would show Tolerances being exceeded.
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