9 Success KEYS for PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance are based on a solid understanding from the Project Board.
The Project Board is responsible for ensuring that PRINCE2 7 project assurance is provided in some way within their project. Each of the three project roles has its assurance responsibilities, the project board executive, senior user, and senior supplier roles with the responsibilities of business assurance, user assurance and supplier assurance respectively.
These three aspects of PRINCE2 7 project assurance combine within a PRINCE2 project within the phrase project assurance.
The best and clearest way to understand exactly how to apply PRINCE2 project assurance is to consider it as an audit function. As such project assurance is a vital part of PRINCE2, but unfortunately is often misunderstood both in its purpose and its application to an individual PRINCE2 project.
Many organizations seem to think that it is not worth bothering with a ‘project audit’, and also senior management may confuse it with a financial audit often done with a ‘policing’ mentality.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key ONE – Independence
The PRINCE2 Manual says quite clearly that Project Assurance must be kept separate from the Project Manager and their team. This is great advice as it would cause a conflict of interest.
Imagine asking an architect to design a new building, and then asking them to quality review it to ensure it is the best design possible. The right approach would be to find an independent architect to carry out such a review or audit. The same is true with project assurance.
Projects support is a role that supports the project manager, and as such cannot also provide project assurance, not only because they would be assuring their support work, but also because they are being asked to assure the project manager (their ‘boss’).
Another point worth making is not to use project managers to carry out project assurance on other project manager’s projects, as this may lead to competitiveness.
It is worth mentioning here, but it is not only the project’s specialist products that should be assured, but also the project, its management products, and the individuals involved with providing management to the project.
An example of this would include the use and application of the project plan document within the project.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key TWO – Ownership
Just because project board members may choose to delegate their assurance responsibilities, they must understand that they are still responsible for ensuring that the project is being run correctly.
Put another way, project assurance individuals carry out their work on behalf of the project board role but they are not ultimately responsible for the provision of such assurance.
If a project board member delegates their project assurance responsibility, they must ensure that good communication occurs between them and that any actions required are carried out by the board member themselves.
Also, if project assurance is delegated, those individuals are not themselves board members, and would not be expected to technical lead attend project board meetings.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key THREE – Trivia Hunting
You will remember that I stated project assurance should be carried out in the spirit of cooperation, and not individuals who are just searching to criticize small unimportant problems.
I am sure that you will have some experience of being in a meeting with a particular individual who tries to hijack the meeting down their particular ‘rat-hole’ while over-emphasizing its importance.
An example here might be an individual carrying out an audit on the project document and raising several issues about its grammatical correctness even though it reads well and would be clearly understood.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key FOUR – Experience
This builds on the above key but adds some extra criteria.
It comes back to the PRINCE2 mindset, and choosing the right people who can be accepted at providing project assurance:
Auditing projects is different from auditing business functions. Those chosen must understand projects and how they function to deliver their end product and business benefits. They must have an empathy with how projects should be structured and managed.
They must understand that PRINCE2 is a flexible and adaptable method that is intended to be tailored according to a project’s size, complexity, importance, and risk.
If those performing project assurance believe that PRINCE2 should be applied ‘by the book’ or ‘by the numbers’ then they are highly likely to load the project with unnecessary bureaucracy.
Project assurance should have individuals who have an instinct for the common problems and risk areas within a project and be able to detect root cause problems from the symptoms.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key FIVE – Delegation
So let me get you in the right mind-set – project assurance should be carried out in the spirit of cooperation, and since this is the responsibility of the project board members to ensure that it is carried out, this is a key message for those senior managers at the project board level.
Another key point is that those filling the three roles at the project board level may perform their project assurance or it to others. But there is a third option, they may choose to do some of their project assurance while outsourcing others.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key SIX – Audit Areas
So what exactly should project assurance audit?
The correct time to define and agree on this is at planning time – both at project and stage levels.
Make sure when planning the initiation stage, that the initiation stage plan contains activities and resources to define the project assurance audit areas.
During the Initiation stage as part of creating the project initiation documentation (PID) due consideration should be made to such audit areas.
The nine management approach documents ( including risk, configuration management, quality, and communication) should include aspects of project audit.
The Project Plan will include project assurance activities and resources.
Remind yourself that project assurance consumes time and resources, plus the very act of assuring/auditing may cause (quite rightly) a delay before the next activities in the plan can be implemented.
Also, consider all these aspects when creating the next Stage Plan for the same reasons.
Like all things, the correct balance should be found while providing the right level of Project Assurance.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key SEVEN – Co-operation
I have mentioned several times already had project assurance should be carried out in the spirit of cooperation.
To emphasize this still further, I want you to imagine that you are having your document reviewed by a knowledgeable, experienced friend and colleague.
Suppose that they found some inaccuracies and pointed these out to you. You would feel thankful and relieved that the inaccuracies had been picked up early and not found later.
That is exactly the right spirit that project assurance needs to foster and implement on your project.
PRINCE2 Project Assurance Key EIGHT – Form Fillers
Project assurance needs to be done thoroughly and not just skimmed through ‘ticking lists’.
An important responsibility of project assurance is to ensure the right people are involved in carrying out quality checking for example. Just like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, those involved in quality checking should also be chosen for their knowledge, skills, and experience.
Giving project assurance to list tickers demonstrates a misunderstanding of the method but much of project assurance and can cause projects to come in late and over-spend budgets.
PRINCE2 7 Project Assurance Key NINE Independence – Delegation
As an individual filling one of the project roles, I would need to think of the following factors before considering accepting the role:
- My knowledge
- My experience
- My skills
- My availability
The same is true for deciding whether or not to perform my project assurance.
As an example, if I were the senior user and deciding whether or not user assurance, it may conclude that I have a great deal of knowledge and experience of the user environment, but perhaps more technical knowledge in the form of assurance is best delegated to one or more other individuals.
When tailoring PRINCE2 to a particular project, you should always include how it should be tailored in terms of the provision of project assurance.
PRINCE2® 7 Foundation and Practitioner
Learn PRINCE2® 7 Foundation and Practitioner Online
** Enhance your PRINCE2 career now **
PRINCE2® Masterclass gives you the skills necessary to manage projects effectively and achieve your objectives.
Get 7 days a week 12 months one to one coaching with ex PRINCE2 examiner Dave Litten.
PRINCE2® is a globally recognized project management framework. By completing both the Foundation and Practitioner courses through our self-paced e-learning, you will develop an understanding of the methodology and learn how to effectively adapt it to any project.
The PRINCE2® 7 Foundation and Practitioner Masterclass is PeopleCert Accredited and guarantees to take you from PRINCE2 Novice to PRINCE2 Practitioner with our famous video learning, study guides and practice exams.
What Does the Masterclass Cover?
The PRINCE2 Foundation examination assesses your knowledge and comprehension of the PRINCE2 project management methodology as detailed in the syllabus. The PRINCE2 Practitioner examination, on the other hand, gauges your ability to apply and tailor the PRINCE2 method. Candidates who pass the Practitioner exam should be able to start implementing the method on an actual project with some guidance. However, their effectiveness may differ based on their experience in project management, the complexity of the project, and the level of support they receive in their work environment.
