Module 11: Making Sense of the PRINCE2 Plans Practice plus how Tailor the application of Plans

Lesson 1:  11.1 PRINCE2 7 Plans Practice Purpose

Here you will learn the definition of a plan and how plans enable understanding and communication, and how the development of a plan enables the project management team to assess and understand the why, what, when, where, how and who

Members Only 11.2 The Planning Horizon

Here you will learn how plans provide the backbone of the information required to manage a project and provide control by creating an approved plan provides a baseline against which progress can be measured and issues assessed. From this you will see how a plan provides a reference point to monitor and control scope, benefits, quality, risks, issues, and progress. You will understand why a plan can never be 100% accurate. This period is the planning horizon – a timeframe within which the project’s scope, activities, and resources can be reasonably predicted and planned. The PRINCE2 manage by stages principle addresses the need to keep plans within reasonable planning horizons by breaking the project into manageable stages, each with its own plan, which allows for more accurate planning and control.

Members Only 11.3 Plan Levels

You will learn the three plan levels plus exception plans and how they relate to each other. The high-level project plan showing the major products of the project and when, how, and at what cost they will be delivered, providing confidence to the project board that the project will fulfil its business case You will understand the stage plan is a detailed plan used for project management control throughout a stage, and the team plan is an optional plan used for organizing and controlling the work of a team when executing a work package Learn how the exception plan follows an exception report and explains the project response to the exception. You will then learn how PRINCE2 manages by stages.

Members Only 11.4 Stages and the Stage Plan

You will learn that the number of stages can vary, based on the nature of the products and the necessary delivery activities. More stages increase the degree of control, but every stage boundary requires effort to manage, requiring a balance between the degree of control and the level of management overhead on the project. You will learn how the focus on products principle, managing by stages helps the project management team to plan and deliver what is required when it is required, and how a stage plan is created and its typical content, and how the appropriate stage length is a matter of assessing five key criteria.

Members Only 11.5 Plans and Work Packages

You will learn the creation and use of a team plan and how it differs from a stage or project plan, then you will deep-dive into the exception plan with a focus on remedial actions. You will then grasp the interplay and options between stages and work packages.

Members Only 11.6 Tolerances in Planning

You will learn that many projects are driven by various constraints, such as schedules and resources, you will grasp the trade-offs between end/schedule driven and resource driven projects, and why effective planning includes prioritization of such constraints, the appropriate approaches to use and tolerances for control. You will understand use of the time, cost and scope tolerances, and references to the PRINCE2 product-based planning technique.

Members Only 11.7 Completing the Plan

You will learn that a plan is typically a document and completing a plan requires project and team managers to prepare estimates based on people, resources, activity durations, resource costs, benefits and risks. You will grasp the preparing of schedules and budgets, analysing risks and documenting the plan.

Members Only 11.8 Supporting Techniques

In this lesson you will deep-dive into the various supporting techniques used in the plans practice. These include the prioritization MoSCoW method, product backlog approach (agile), pairwise comparison, the kano model and Eisenhower matrices. You will learn how to use spreadsheets, product checklists and activity flow boards (Kanban).In addition you will grasp the use of the critical path and critical chain scheduling methods.

Members Only 11.9 Estimating Techniques - Part ONE

In this, the first of two lessons you will deep-dive into learning many of the common estimating techniques used in project planning. Here, you will learn how to apply top-down estimating, bottom-up estimating, comparative/analogous, and parametric estimating techniques.

Members Only 11.10 Estimating Techniques - Part TWO

In this, the second of two lessons you will deep-dive into learning many of the common estimating techniques used in project planning. Here, you will learn how to apply three-point estimating (both beta triangular distribution), the data analytics technique, the use of subject matter experts, and the use of Fibonacci sequence-based planning poker in agile projects.

Members Only 11.11 Context and Delivery Methods

Here you will learn how Project planning is often influenced by organizational context, including policies, procedures, programmes, and support. Other contextual factors include the commercial context including the use of external suppliers and contracts.

Members Only 11.12 Sustainability and Scale

Here you will learn how PRINCE2 plans can address sustainability in at least three different ways: product sustainability: determining the environmental impact of the product through its full lifecycle, including disposal where appropriate, delivery sustainability: choices made in planning work packages and stages affecting the climate impacts of the delivery activities, and benefits sustainability where some projects fail to achieve the expected benefits because there are only limited means to sustain these benefits You will grasp how The PRINCE2 planning technique supports a wide range of projects, and although this always applies, the level of planning effort can be easily scaled up or down based on the project characteristics and needs, and learn how planning aspects of project scale include duration, multi-year projects, team size, complexity, novelty and cost. Finally, you will learn the purpose and content structure of a PRINCE2 plan.

Members Only 11.13 Plans Practice Key Roles

You will learn how the plans practice uses the key roles and responsibilities, and these include the business/commissioning layer, project executive, senior user and supplier roles, project manager, team manager, project assurance, and project support.

Members Only 11.14 Plans Practice Principle Relationships

Here you will learn how the directing a project process purpose enables the project board to be accountable for the project’s success by making key decisions and exercising overall control while delegating day-to-day management of the project to the project manager You will grasp the directing a project objectives support that purpose, and how the project executive and project manager applies the process.