PRINCE2 – Tailoring Managing Product Delivery
The activities within Managing Product Delivery may be combined, split, or run concurrently to suit the context, but care should be taken to ensure the integrity of the interface to the controlling a stage process and the project manager.
This process is where the specialist work is undertaken, so work will be done using practices which are appropriate to the type of work and project.
It is important that monitoring and control the specialist work is done using controls and measures which are appropriate to that type of work, and that the project manager should incorporate these into the appropriate management products.
Work Packages come in all sizes – from small, simple and informal, to large complex and formal.
All the PRINCE2 principles apply to a Work Package as to a project, requiring appropriate governance and control. They often need a team manager who is skilled in project management.
For larger and more complex Work Packages, a team manager may create a hierarchy of smaller Work Packages to allocate to the team members.
In such a case, the process of Managing Product Delivery should be tailored to ensure the work in any lower level Work Packages is controlled.
Tailoring products in the PRINCE2 Managing Product Delivery process
Team Plans
These may be a subset of the stage plan, and may be informal or formal depending on the context.
The Team Plan may include components in any format appropriate to the level of complexity within the Work Package. A Work Package may simply be a list of accountabilities, products, activities and dates.
On the other hand, the Team Plan may consist of Gantt charts held with other information such as cost and resources within a planning tool.
Checkpoint report
Checkpoint reports may be informal all formal depending on the context.
If the project manager needs with the team managers regularly, then the checkpoint report need be nothing more than a verbal update captured by the project manager in a daily log.
The Daily Log can then be used at a future point to create the highlight report.
Additional information such as KPI’s, may be added if it helps in understanding the Work Package progress.
Tailoring roles in Managing Product Delivery
The project manager role may also undertake the team manager role.
The team manager is responsible for all activities, but may be supported by team members. If the team manager is responsible for a lower level Work Package, they may report to the high-level team manager who is responsible for the next higher-level Work Package.
Although the PRINCE2 processes define who creates, updates and approve the Work Package, these accountabilities may be changed provided both the team manager and project manager agree on what the Work Package comprises.
Managing Product Delivery on a simple project
For simple projects, the nature of the specialist deliverables is likely to mean that controls can be light or informal. For example, verbal checkpoint reports to be recorded by the project manager in the daily log.
If the project manager is also undertaking a team manager role, there may be no need for checkpoint reports (since the project manager does not need to report to themselves!)
The project manager may request individual team members to provide checkpoint reports, and these too may be verbal and noted in a daily log by the project manager.
Managing Product Delivery with Agile
Managing Product Delivery handles the important interface between the project manager and the delivery team who will be working in an Agile way.
The interface would need to be collaborative and transparent where there is a collective agreement on what is to be produced and how this will be achieved. This is in strict contrast to traditional projects where instructions are given and followed.
In Agile working, delivery is done iteratively.
Progress information would typically use an information radiator which is frequently updated by the daily activities of working in an Agile way. This provides the project manager with information to manage the project at the stage level by having clear and regular information across all the teams at the delivery level
Managing Product Delivery from a supplier perspective
All the contract and work to provide products from the supplier perspective, is likely to be managed as Work Packages within the customer’s project.
Please note there may be times when a supplier is providing specialist services within a Work Package is run by others, or has part of their own Work Package contracted to another supplier (sub-contractor).
The controls and reporting within the Managing Product Delivery process should be reflected in the relevant supplier contracts to ensure the project manager has visibility of progress and quality.
Managing Product Delivery on a project within a programme
The Managing Product Delivery process has no direct interface with programme management and so if the project forms part of a programme there is no consequence for this process.
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