1 Ringbourne Management Ltd An Overview for Project Managers

2 Ringbourne Management Ltd Prince 2 Overview - Agenda Why use a method What is Prince Components Processes

3 Ringbourne Management Ltd Why use a project management method? Project failures are all too common some make the headlines, the vast majority are quickly forgotten. The reasons for failure are wide and varied. Some common causes are: lack of co-ordination of resources and activities lack of communication with interested parties poor estimation of duration and costs insufficient measurables inadequate planning of resources, activities, and scheduling lack of control over progress lack of quality control

4 Ringbourne Management Ltd Why use a project management method? Without a project management method, those who commission a project, those who manage it and those who work on it will have different ideas about how things should be organised and when the different aspects of the project will be completed those involved will not be clear about how much responsibility, authority and accountability they have, and as a result, there will often be confusion surrounding the project projects are rarely completed on time and within acceptable cost this is especially true of large projects.

5 Ringbourne Management Ltd What is PRINCE? PRINCE (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured method for effective project management The key features of PRINCE are: its focus on business justification a defined organisation structure for the project management team its product-based planning approach its emphasis on dividing the project into manageable and controllable stages its flexibility to be applied at a level appropriate to the project.

6 Ringbourne Management Ltd What does PRINCE provide? PRINCE provides projects with: a controlled and organised start, middle and end regular reviews of progress against plan and against the Business Case flexible decision points automatic management control of any deviations from the plan the involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time and place during the project good communication channels between the project, project management, and the rest of the organisation.

7 Ringbourne Management Ltd What does PRINCE provide? Project Managers using PRINCE are able to: establish terms of reference as a pre-requisite to the start of a project use a defined structure for delegation, authority and communication divide the project into manageable stages for more accurate planning ensure resource commitment from management is part of any approval to proceed provide regular but brief management reports keep meetings with management and stakeholders to a minimum but at the vital points in the project

8 Ringbourne Management Ltd What does PRINCE provide? Those who will be directly involved with using the results of a project are able to: participate in all the decision-making on a project if desired, be fully involved in day-to-day progress participate in quality checks throughout the project ensure their requirements are being adequately satisfied

9 Ringbourne Management Ltd

10 Ringbourne Management Ltd 8 Components Organisation –Structure and Role Descriptions Plans –Products, Activities and Resources Controls –Management, Team and Quality Stages –Management and Technical Management of Risk –Risk Assessment and Management Quality in a Project Environment –Quality requirements and Response Configuration Management –Tracking Products and Documentation Change Control –Capture and Assessment

11 Ringbourne Management Ltd 8 Processes

12 Ringbourne Management Ltd 8 Processes There are eight processes, each made up of a collection of processes. The processes are: Starting up a Project (SU) –Gathering basic information Initiating a Project (IP) –Getting agreement that we know what we are doing Controlling a Stage (CS) and Managing Product Delivery (MP) –Controlling development Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) –Taking stock and getting ready for the next part of the project. Planning (PL). –Common planning steps Directing a Project (DP) –Senior management taking decisions at key points of the project Closing a Project (CP) –Making sure the project has done the job

13 Ringbourne Management Ltd Summary of the Processes

14 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 1 - Organisation Project Assurance Project Support Team Resources Team Manager(s)Project Manager Project Board Senior User, Executive, Senior Supplier Corporate or Programme Management

15 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 2 - Planning Plans are prepared for the Project as a whole, for each stage within the project and, optionally for the teams work within each Management Stage. There is also an Exception planning process to handle divergences from the original plan Prince 2 method includes techniques for Product planning, Activity planning, Resource planning and Quality planning.

16 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 2 - Planning (2) Plan Text Product Breakdown Structure Product Descriptions Product Flow Diagrams PERT or Activity Network Gantt or Timescale Plan The Plan Text provides a high-level, overall view of the plan, summarising its key features Identifying the Products that will be produced by the Project. The Products will be categorised under the headings of “Specialist”, “Management” and “Quality” Products Describing the Products that will be produced by the Project. There is a prescribed format for Product Descriptions Describing the relationships that exist between each Product, and external entities Showing the relationships that exist between the Activities that will be undertaken to create the Products identified in the Product Breakdown Structure Derived from the PERT Network, this shows when Activities are planned to start and end. Major review points (End Stage Assessments) are also shown on this plan.

17 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 2 - Planning (3) Product Based Product Breakdown Structure Management Products Specialist Products Quality Products Concerned with planning, monitoring and reporting - Plans - Reports - Control Docs Determined by the scope and objectives of the project Relating to documents that control the quality of the outcome - Quality Plan - Issues - Logs

18 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 2 - Planning (4) Product Descriptions Product Title Purpose of the Product Compositions Derivation Format and Presentation Allocated to Quality Criteria Type of Quality Check Required People or Skills Required for –Reviewing the Product –Testing the Product –Approving the Product

19 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 3 - Controls The major controls for the Project Board are: –Project Initiation –End Stage Assessment –Highlight Reports –Exception Reports –Mid Stage Assessment –Project Closure The major control for the Project Manager is: –Work Package

20 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 4 - Stages Stages are partitions of the project with decision points. A stage is a collection of activities and products whose delivery is managed as a unit. As such it is a sub-set of the project, and in PRINCE terms it is the element of work which the Project Manager is managing on behalf of the Project Board at any one time. The use of stages in a PRINCE project is mandatory, the number of stages is flexible and depends on the needs of the project. Design has been broken into three activities. Part B falls within Stage 1. Part C of Design and part D of Training form the second management stage, and part E of Design is planned to be done in Stage 3.

21 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 5 - Management of Risk

22 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 6 - Quality What is Quality ? Quality is defined in ISO 8402 as the: “totality of characteristics of an entity which bear on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs” Within projects, quality is a question of identifying what it is about the project’s products or services that makes them fit for their purpose of satisfying stated needs. Projects should not rely on implied needs. These lead to uncertainty and, as such, are of little use.

23 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 6 - Quality Quality Expectations functional requirements performance practicability security compatibility reliability maintainability expandability flexibility clarity comparison to another product cost implementation date

24 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 6 - Quality Quality Review The objectives of a Quality Review are: to produce a product which meet business, user and specialist requirements to assess the conformity of a product against set criteria to provide a platform for product improvement to involve all those who have a vested interest in the product to spread ownership of the product to obtain commitment from all vested interests in the product to provide a mechanism for management control.

25 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 7 - Configuration Mgmt Definition Configuration Management may be thought of as product control. The construction of a car is a good example of the need for Configuration Management. What components have to be brought together in order to assemble this version of the car? What about that recent change to the fascia and the redesigned windscreen wipers? How can the assemblers be sure that they have the correct components? The answer is from the records held by Configuration Management. If a replacement window winder for a five-year old model is needed, the car’s serial number in conjunction with the records kept by Configuration Management will ensure that the right one is supplied.

26 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 7 - Configuration Mgmt Functions Configuration Management consists of five basic functions: planning identification control status accounting verification

27 Ringbourne Management Ltd Component 8 - Change Control Purpose Changes to specification or scope can potentially ruin any project unless they are carefully controlled. Change is, however, highly likely. The control of change means the assessment of the impact of potential changes, their importance, their cost and a judgmental decision by management on whether to include them or not. Any approved changes must be reflected in any necessary corresponding change to schedule and budget. In PRINCE all potential changes are dealt with as Project Issues.