Plans

PRINCE2 Plans Practice: A Comprehensive Guide

Why PRINCE2 Plans Practice is Important

The Plans theme is a core component of PRINCE2 methodology because planning is essential for project success. Effective planning helps:

• Define what needs to be delivered and how
• Establish reliable time and cost estimates
• Secure stakeholder commitment
• Enable monitoring and control throughout the project
• Provide a baseline for measuring progress
• Facilitate communication with stakeholders

What is the PRINCE2 Plans Practice

PRINCE2 recognizes that planning is not just a one-time activity but an ongoing process throughout the project lifecycle. The Plans theme defines a multi-level approach to planning:

1. Project Plan: High-level overview covering the entire project
2. Stage Plans: Detailed plans for each management stage
3. Team Plans: Focused plans for specific work packages
4. Exception Plans: Created when a plan needs significant revision

Each plan contains:
• Products to be delivered
• Activities required to create those products
• Resources needed
• Timeline and dependencies
• Tolerances for time, cost, quality, scope, risk, and benefits
• Controls and monitoring mechanisms

How PRINCE2 Plans Practice Works

PRINCE2 recommends a product-based planning technique with these steps:

1. Design the plan
• Understand the context and requirements
• Select the planning format and tools
• Determine planning horizons and timescales

2. Define and analyze products
• Create a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS)
• Write Product Descriptions
• Create the Product Flow Diagram (PFD)

3. Identify activities and dependencies
• Identify activities needed to create each product
• Determine dependencies between activities

4. Prepare estimates
• Estimate effort required for each activity
• Estimate resources needed

5. Prepare schedule
• Calculate start and end dates for activities
• Identify critical path
• Optimize resources

6. Document and analyze risks
• Identify and assess potential risks to the plan
• Implement risk responses

7. Complete the plan
• Finalize and document the plan
• Get necessary approvals

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Plans

Common Question Types:

1. Matching questions - Connecting planning terms with their definitions or purposes
2. Scenario-based questions - Applying planning principles to a project scenario
3. Multiple-choice questions - Testing knowledge of planning principles and techniques

Key Areas to Focus On:

• Levels of planning - Know the differences between Project, Stage, Team, and Exception Plans
• Product-based planning - Understand PBS, product descriptions, and PFD
• Planning steps - Know the sequence and components of the planning process
• Roles and responsibilities - Understand who is responsible for creating and approving different plans
• Relationship with other themes - Particularly with Progress (monitoring against plans) and Change (impact on plans)

Strategies for Success:

• Memorize the product-based planning technique steps
• Understand how tolerance levels apply to different plans
• Know when different types of plans are created and updated during the project lifecycle
• Recognize how management products related to Plans (like Product Descriptions, Configuration Item Records) are used
• Practice applying planning principles to different scenarios
• Be familiar with planning tools and techniques mentioned in PRINCE2

Remember that PRINCE2 emphasizes the scalability of planning - adjusting the formality and detail based on project complexity and organizational context. This principle is often tested in exams, so be prepared to demonstrate your understanding of how planning might be scaled for different scenarios.