Time-driven controls are a fundamental aspect of the Progress practice in PRINCE2 7, designed to ensure regular monitoring and reporting throughout a project's lifecycle. These controls operate on a predetermined schedule, triggering reviews and assessments at fixed intervals regardless of what is …Time-driven controls are a fundamental aspect of the Progress practice in PRINCE2 7, designed to ensure regular monitoring and reporting throughout a project's lifecycle. These controls operate on a predetermined schedule, triggering reviews and assessments at fixed intervals regardless of what is happening within the project.
The primary purpose of time-driven controls is to maintain consistent oversight and provide stakeholders with regular updates on project status. They create predictable checkpoints where progress can be evaluated against plans, enabling early identification of potential issues or deviations from expected performance.
Key examples of time-driven controls include:
1. Checkpoint Reports: These are regular reports produced by team managers at predetermined intervals during a stage. They communicate progress to the project manager and highlight any issues requiring attention.
2. Highlight Reports: Produced by the project manager at regular intervals, these reports inform the project board about stage progress, covering achievements, plans for the next period, and any concerns.
3. Regular progress meetings: Scheduled gatherings where team members discuss current status, challenges, and upcoming work.
Time-driven controls complement event-driven controls, which are triggered by specific occurrences such as completing a work package or reaching a stage boundary. Together, they form a comprehensive control framework that keeps projects on track.
The frequency of time-driven controls should be determined during project initiation and documented in the relevant management products. Factors influencing frequency include project complexity, risk levels, stakeholder requirements, and organizational standards.
Effective implementation of time-driven controls ensures that decision-makers receive information at appropriate intervals, allowing them to make informed choices about project continuation, resource allocation, and corrective actions when needed. This systematic approach to monitoring helps maintain project momentum while providing assurance that objectives remain achievable.
Time-driven Controls in PRINCE2 Foundation v7
Why Time-driven Controls are Important
Time-driven controls are essential mechanisms that ensure projects maintain momentum and stay aligned with their objectives. They provide regular checkpoints for reviewing progress, identifying issues early, and making timely decisions. These controls prevent projects from drifting off course by establishing predictable review points that stakeholders can rely upon for governance and oversight.
What are Time-driven Controls?
Time-driven controls are governance activities that occur at predetermined intervals throughout a project, regardless of what is happening in the project at that moment. Unlike event-driven controls (which respond to specific occurrences), time-driven controls are scheduled and predictable.
The main time-driven controls in PRINCE2 include:
• Highlight Reports - Regular status reports from the Project Manager to the Project Board, typically produced at intervals defined in the Communication Management Approach (e.g., weekly, fortnightly, or monthly)
• Checkpoint Reports - Regular progress reports from Team Managers to the Project Manager during a stage
• Stage boundaries - End-stage assessments that occur at the conclusion of each management stage
How Time-driven Controls Work
Time-driven controls operate on a regular schedule:
1. Highlight Reports: The Project Manager gathers progress information and produces a report at the agreed frequency. This keeps the Project Board informed about stage status, achievements, issues, and forecasts.
2. Checkpoint Reports: Team Managers report to the Project Manager at defined intervals within Work Packages. These provide granular visibility into team-level progress.
3. End Stage Assessments: At each stage boundary, the Project Board reviews the completed stage, approves the next Stage Plan, and confirms the project remains viable.
The frequency of time-driven controls should be appropriate to the project's needs - too frequent creates administrative burden, while too infrequent risks losing control.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Time-driven Controls
• Remember the distinction: Time-driven controls happen at regular intervals; event-driven controls happen when something specific occurs (like an exception)
• Know the key examples: Highlight Reports and Checkpoint Reports are the primary time-driven controls you need to remember
• Understand the reporting chain: Checkpoint Reports go from Team Manager to Project Manager; Highlight Reports go from Project Manager to Project Board
• Frequency matters: Questions may ask about appropriate reporting frequencies - the answer typically relates to project complexity, risk, and stakeholder needs
• Watch for scenario questions: If asked which type of control applies to a situation involving regular scheduled reporting, choose time-driven; if it involves responding to a tolerance breach, choose event-driven
• Link to management by exception: Time-driven controls complement the exception-based approach by providing regular assurance between exception situations
• Common trap: Do not confuse Exception Reports (event-driven) with Highlight Reports (time-driven) - both go to the Project Board but are triggered differently