Tailoring PRINCE2 Processes and Themes
PRINCE2 Is tailored to suit the project environment, size, complexity, importance, team capability and risk.
The value of PRINCE2 is that it is a universal project management method that can be applied to take account of the projects environment, size, complexity, importance, team capability and risk, and can be used for any project type, geography or culture.
It can be used on any project because the PRINCE2 Method is designed to be tailored to suit each projects’ specific needs and context.
The purpose of tailoring your PRINCE2 project is to ensure that:
- The project management method used is appropriate to the project, that is, a line in the method with the business processes that they govern and support the project, such as human resources, finance and procurement.
- Project controls are appropriate to the project scales, complexity, importance, team capability, and risk. In other words, the project controls are appropriate to the frequency and formality of reports and reviews.
PRINCE2 tailoring requires the project board and the project manager to make proactive choices and decisions on how it will be applied.
When tailoring PRINCE2, it is important to remember that affected project management requires information – rather than documents, and decisions – Not necessarily meetings.
The project initiation documentation should describe how PRINCE2 has been tailored for that specific project so that all those involved on the project understand how PRINCE2 is to be used, and can carry out their responsibilities.
If PRINCE2 is not tailored, it is unlikely that the project management effort and approach would be appropriate for the needs of the project.
This can lead to ‘mechanistic’ Project management at one extreme where the method is forward without question, or ‘heroic’ Project management at the other extreme where the method is not followed at all.
Tailoring the PRINCE2 Themes
Tailoring influences how the themes are applied, and this may range from being rigid and prescriptive through two and are in the project management team a large degree of freedom as to how they implement each theme.
Each of the seven themes must be applied in a project but they should be tailored according to the risk, scale, nature, complexity or simplicity of the project concerned. This should be done and ensuring that any minimum requirements specified in a theme are satisfied.
When tailoring a PRINCE2 Theme, it should reflect any tailoring of the processes and terminology.
It is expected that the themes are normally implemented through the projects risk, quality, change control and communication management approaches (In previous versions of PRINCE2 these were called ‘Strategies’)
These approaches should contain procedures regarding how the themes are implemented in practice for that specific project. The level of control required will influence the degree of formality and frequency of monitoring, reviewing and reporting.
When applying the themes, account should be taken of risk and any relevant external factors such as corporate, portfolio, programme and customer’s policies and the standards, and capture them in the project’s management approaches.
Many of the themes imply that procedures may need to be developed, however PRINCE2 does not prescribe how they should be documented or published as they can range from being a simple set of activities to a fully developed procedure with a flow chart.
PRINCE2 provides a table of responsibilities relating to each theme and these may be reassigned provided they do not introduce any conflict of interest. This is particularly true between the roles associated with directing a project as opposed to managing a project.
Each theme contains suggestions for different timing options for implementing the theme in practice, together with ideas on how to deal with some common situations
The key message here is that tailoring allows the PRINCE2 Themes to be adapted to create appropriate procedures and controls, provided that:
- The PRINCE2 Principals are upheld
- The minimum requirements in each theme are satisfied
- The purpose of each theme is not compromised
- Tailoring the PRINCE2 Processes
PRINCE2 defines the project management processes, not the delivery approach Related to creating each specialist product, so consider showing how these processes relate to each other in a project lifecycle view.
PRINCE2 requires that project management processes are as simple as possible and that they reflect the needs of the project. Despite that, there may be some activities, especially relating to governance, which may need to be prescriptive.
This happens a specially where they interface to a higher-level organizations process is such as for procurement or finance, that is, when allocating funds at the start of the new PRINCE2 Management stage.
The advantages of tailoring, is that it enables flexibility in how the processes should be followed – ranging from being rigid and prescriptive, to where the project seeing a large degree of freedom as to how they undertake and activity and the format of the products.
Processes can be tailored ‘up’ or ‘down’. This refers to either additional detailed documentation and discipline being introduced for projects, or the converse, where concise bullet-point presentations and more informal processes may be adequate for low risk projects.
A tailored PRINCE2 process should reflect any tailoring on the roles, products, themes (as implemented through management approaches, procedures and controls), and terminology.
Since terminology can be tailored, then so can the names of the PRINCE2 processes.
It is usual that all the PRINCE2 processes remain relevant for even simple projects. What a change is, the way in which they are undertaken, the activities and the degree of formality. Informality, with the right mindset, does not necessarily mean less rigor.
The key message here is that tailoring allows the PRINCE2 Process model to be adapted, revising the processes, activities, their sequencing, and how the role responsibilities are allocated.
- This is true provided that:
- The PRINCE2 principles are upheld
- The purpose and objectives of the process are not compromised
PRINCE2 General Tailoring points
Each PRINCE2 Process has different tailoring options for implementing that specific process in practice, and these general points for consideration are:
- Amending the PRINCE2 process model to reflect the organizations project management methods or alternative ways of working
- Adopting methods all ways of working required by the commissioning organization – This refers to corporate, programme management or the customer
- Combining some activities which fulfill related purposes to simplify the process
- Splitting some activities into smaller parts for clarity, or to reassign different roles to the activities
- Changing which role is responsible for the activity
- Combining, splitting or amending management products
- Increasing the granularity of the process model to include more detailed activities where needed
PRINCE2 does not prescribe the format in which a process is documented or published.
As an example, processes held on a website or in documents are just as valid as each other. However, if using documents, it is important to ensure that they are subject to change control so that users know which version is current.
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