Project and Stage Planning
Project and Stage Planning within the Progress Theme provides the framework for defining what the project needs to deliver, how it will be delivered, and how progress will be measured and reported. PRINCE2 advocates detailed planning at both project and stage levels, with stage plans containing more detail than the overarching project plan. The planning process establishes baselines against which actual progress can be measured, thus enabling effective progress monitoring. Within PRINCE2, planning follows the principle of progressive elaboration, with the project plan providing a high-level roadmap while stage plans offer detailed short-term planning horizons. This approach recognizes that planning far into the future has diminishing accuracy. Each stage plan outlines products to be delivered, activities required, resources needed, quality methods to be employed, and dependencies to be managed. Plans also define tolerances for time, cost, scope, risk, quality, and benefits, establishing the parameters for measuring acceptable progress. The concept includes defining appropriate progress reporting formats and frequencies based on management information needs. Plans incorporate milestones and checkpoints that facilitate progress tracking and serve as trigger points for progress evaluation. They also contain risk provisions and management reserves to accommodate uncertainty. Effective planning enables objective assessment of progress, supports forecasting of future performance, and provides a basis for corrective action when deviations occur. By creating realistic and achievable plans with clear progress metrics, project managers can monitor progress effectively, identify variances early, and implement corrective actions to maintain project momentum, all while providing stakeholders with confidence that progress is being monitored and controlled effectively.
Project and Stage Planning in PRINCE2 Foundation
Why Project and Stage Planning is Important
Project and Stage Planning is a crucial component of the Progress theme in PRINCE2. It provides the foundation for establishing what needs to be delivered, how much it will cost, when it will be delivered, and who will be responsible for delivery. Effective planning enables:
• Clear communication of objectives
• Defined responsibilities
• Realistic schedules and resource allocation
• Baseline for monitoring progress
• Proactive risk management
What is Project and Stage Planning?
In PRINCE2, planning happens at multiple levels, with two key levels being:
1. Project Planning: This is high-level planning that covers the entire project lifecycle. It outlines the overall approach, timelines, major products, resource requirements, and costs.
2. Stage Planning: This involves detailed planning for the upcoming stage only. Stage plans provide more specific information about activities, resources, and timescales for the immediate stage.
Planning follows the PRINCE2 principle of Manage by Stages, which advocates breaking the project into manageable chunks (stages) to enhance control.
How Project and Stage Planning Works
The Planning Process:
1. Design the plan: Decide how to approach planning based on the project's scale and complexity
2. Define and analyze products: Create Product Descriptions and develop a Product Breakdown Structure and Product Flow Diagram
3. Identify activities and dependencies: Determine what activities are needed to create each product and how they relate to each other
4. Prepare estimates: Estimate the effort required for each activity
5. Prepare the schedule: Sequence activities and assign resources
6. Analyze risks: Identify potential risks and incorporate contingency
7. Document the plan: Finalize and document the plan
Planning Levels:
• Project Plan: Owned by the Project Board, covers the whole project
• Stage Plans: Owned by the Project Manager, more detailed plans for each management stage
• Team Plans: Optional, created by Team Managers for complex work packages
• Exception Plans: Created if a stage or project is forecast to exceed tolerances
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Project and Stage Planning
1. Understand the levels of planning: Know the differences between project plans, stage plans, team plans, and exception plans.
2. Remember planning steps: Memorize the seven steps in the planning process and their sequence.
3. Know who's responsible: The Project Manager creates stage plans, the Project Board approves them, and Team Managers may create team plans.
4. Focus on product-based planning: PRINCE2 emphasizes product-based planning with three components: Product Breakdown Structure (PBS), Product Description, and Product Flow Diagram (PFD).
5. Recognize planning principles: Plans should be created to meet the needs of those who will use them, and they should be approved by the appropriate authority.
6. Understand tolerances: Know how tolerances relate to planning and how exception plans are triggered when forecast to exceed tolerances.
7. Be familiar with planning techniques: Understand Gantt charts, critical path analysis, and resource histograms.
8. Connect to other themes: See how planning links to other themes like Risk, Change, and Progress.
9. Learn standard content: Familiarize yourself with the standard content of a PRINCE2 plan (e.g., prerequisites, assumptions, monitoring and control).
10. Apply context: Remember that planning should be appropriate to the project's scale, complexity, and risk.
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