PRINCE2 Issue Definition – Part 3 – Managing Issues
Step Four – deciding the managing issues actions
Managing issues and their actions would be entered into the Issue Register and all the relevant Issue Reports. If the issue has been escalated to either the Project Board or a Change Authority the decision will be taken at that level.
The decision could be as simple as a “yes or no “, but it may be an agreement to defer a decision until they obtain more information. In such a situation the project manager will collect the information and return for a decision. This will help in managing issues.
Such a deferment could be to review later in the current stage, or if near the end of the project, there are sufficient funds left in the Change Budget, or it could be done in a later stage, or even be done in a future project. If the latter action is decided, then the follow-on action would be used and passed to a responsible role to carry that through after the project has finished.
Step Five – implementing the work
If a decision is made to proceed with the project, then the project manager needs to manage this, and this includes managing issues.
It is often the case that some form of re-planning is needed within the Stage Plan or a Work Package. Once the work is complete, the issue can be closed down within the Issue Register and the Issue Report, or if it was being managed informally, within the Daily Log.
The Change Budget
I have mentioned a Change Budget, and it is worth mentioning how that is set up. It can be set up and authorized on a stage-by-stage basis, or for the project as a whole.
A Change Budget is a good idea as it will allow the project manager to accommodate any unforeseen changes without having to constantly go back to the Project Board to approve every single change no matter how small it is. Such a point should be made clear to the Project Board if they are hesitant about approving a separate Change Budget. Having sufficient funds in place for issue analysis and action is vital in managing issues.
Another option the Project Board has during the initiation is to appoint a Change Authority who would act on their behalf to manage and deal with any changes. This would free up the Project Board to direct more appropriate areas rather than tie them down to long and detailed meetings concerning the approval or otherwise of changes.
Whenever any form of delegation regarding changes is agreed, it is important that the “rules of engagement “are made clear to all those involved.
I want to make one other point here, and it could be a better approach rather than just implementing issue resolution actions. This is particularly useful for complex issue management resolution actions.
The option I’m talking about is to create an Exception Plan that replaces the rest of the current stage plan. The project manager would produce a new plan showing all the work necessary to implement the change and then present to the Project Board for approval.
In summary, then, the Issue Register is ready to use to record the existence, the progress and the outcome of issues that are being handled formally within the project. The Issue Register is maintained and used throughout the whole of the project and is Included within the last delivery stage of the project. The Issue Register plays a central part in managing issues.
Indeed, the End Project Report contains the ongoing issues that need to be passed on to operational management rather than be dealt with during the project before closure.
These are called follow-on actions. The lessons learned report which forms part of the end project report, will include any lessons learned from specific issues or their issue management throughout the project.
The contents of an Issue Register are fairly logical. You would need to record who sent the issue, when it was sent, a brief description of what the issue is about, the current status for example under review, and finally when it is closed. This last point is important as it advises you which issues have been resolved and which ones are still being worked on.
The Issue Register is set up in the initiation stage, and ready for use in the delivery stages. Indeed, there is no problem in setting the Issue Register up at the very start of the initiation stage as there may be several issues raised during that time which require formal resolution.
As you can see, when managing issues, it is not always just about problems, but also about good ideas as well. The exact procedure that you use for formal issue management should be laid out clearly within the configuration management strategy created during the initiation stage.
Dealing with issues
As the project manager you can expect to receive project issues – often many of them. Although within PRINCE2, Issues are covered under change control, you must understand an issue that doesn’t have anything to do with a change.
For example, perhaps a member of the team is passing on a good idea. Remember too, that an issue can come from anyone within the project or anyone with an interest in it. It can be sent in are any time and can be about anything relevant to the project.
As a project manager, when you first receive an issue, you need to decide whether to deal with it formally or informally. If the latter, then you can simply note it within the Daily Log.
It may be that It is an issue that needs to be dealt with and managed formally and therefore needs formal tracking. In this case, the Issue Register is used. Your first action having entered it into the Issue Register is to then transfer the details of the issue into an Issue Report.
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