A Stage Plan is a fundamental component of the PRINCE2 7 Plans Practice that provides detailed planning for a specific management stage within a project. It serves as the primary working document that the Project Manager uses to control and monitor day-to-day activities during that particular stage…A Stage Plan is a fundamental component of the PRINCE2 7 Plans Practice that provides detailed planning for a specific management stage within a project. It serves as the primary working document that the Project Manager uses to control and monitor day-to-day activities during that particular stage.
The Stage Plan contains a higher level of detail compared to the Project Plan, as it focuses on a shorter timeframe and specific deliverables. It typically covers a period of a few weeks to a few months, depending on the project's complexity and risk profile. This detailed planning approach allows for more accurate scheduling, resource allocation, and cost estimation.
Key elements included in a Stage Plan are the schedule of activities, resource requirements, budget allocation, risk assessment specific to that stage, and product descriptions for deliverables. The plan also identifies dependencies between activities and highlights any constraints that may affect progress.
The Project Manager creates the Stage Plan towards the end of the current stage, presenting it to the Project Board for approval during the Managing Stage Boundaries process. This rolling wave approach ensures that detailed planning occurs when more information is available, leading to greater accuracy.
Stage Plans support the management by exception principle by establishing tolerances for time, cost, scope, quality, benefits, and risk. If the Project Manager forecasts that these tolerances will be exceeded, they must escalate to the Project Board through an exception report.
The plan also serves as a baseline against which actual progress is measured, enabling the Project Manager to identify variances early and take corrective action. Regular checkpoint reports and highlight reports reference the Stage Plan to communicate progress to team members and the Project Board respectively.
This approach ensures controlled progression through the project while maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances within defined boundaries.
Stage Plan - PRINCE2 Foundation v7 Complete Guide
What is a Stage Plan?
A Stage Plan is a detailed plan that provides the basis for management control throughout a stage. It is created by the Project Manager and approved by the Project Board before each management stage begins. The Stage Plan describes how and when a stage's objectives are to be achieved, identifying the major products to be delivered, activities, and resources required.
Why is the Stage Plan Important?
The Stage Plan is crucial for several reasons:
1. Day-to-Day Management: It provides the Project Manager with a detailed baseline against which to monitor and control the stage on a daily basis.
2. Authorisation: The Project Board uses it to authorise the stage, delegating authority to the Project Manager to proceed.
3. Resource Allocation: It enables accurate allocation of resources and scheduling of activities for the upcoming stage.
4. Progress Monitoring: It serves as the benchmark for measuring actual progress against planned progress through Checkpoint Reports and Highlight Reports.
5. Risk and Issue Management: It incorporates responses to risks and allows for better anticipation of potential problems.
How Does the Stage Plan Work?
The Stage Plan operates within the PRINCE2 framework as follows:
Creation: The Stage Plan for the first delivery stage is created during the Initiating a Project process. Subsequent Stage Plans are created near the end of the current stage during the Managing a Stage Boundary process.
Level of Detail: Stage Plans contain more detail than the Project Plan because they cover a shorter timeframe and are used for day-to-day management.
Components: A Stage Plan typically includes: - Plan description and approach - Product descriptions for major products - Schedule showing timings and dependencies - Budget and resource requirements - Risk assessment - Tolerances for time, cost, scope, quality, benefit, and risk
Approval: The Project Board reviews and approves the Stage Plan at each stage boundary before authorising work to proceed.
Updates: The Stage Plan is not routinely updated. If changes are needed beyond tolerance, an Exception Plan may replace the Stage Plan.
Relationship with Other Plans
The Stage Plan sits between the Project Plan and Team Plans in the planning hierarchy: - Project Plan: High-level plan covering the entire project - Stage Plan: Detailed plan for each management stage - Team Plan: Optional detailed plans for Work Packages
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Stage Plan
Tip 1: Remember that Stage Plans are created by the Project Manager, not the Project Board. The Project Board approves Stage Plans but does not create them.
Tip 2: Know when Stage Plans are produced. The first delivery Stage Plan is created during Initiating a Project. Later Stage Plans are created during Managing a Stage Boundary.
Tip 3: Understand the difference between Stage Plans and Exception Plans. An Exception Plan replaces a Stage Plan when the stage is forecast to exceed its tolerances.
Tip 4: Stage Plans are more detailed than Project Plans because they cover a shorter time period and are used for day-to-day control.
Tip 5: The initiation stage may have a Stage Plan, which would be created during Starting up a Project as part of preparing the Project Brief.
Tip 6: Watch for questions about who uses the Stage Plan. The Project Manager uses it for day-to-day management, while the Project Board uses it to authorise stages.
Tip 7: Remember that tolerances are set for each stage within the Stage Plan, providing the boundaries within which the Project Manager can operate.
Tip 8: If a question asks about monitoring progress during a stage, the Stage Plan is the baseline against which progress is measured.