Authorize a stage or exception plan
It is important that a stage starts only when the project board says it should.
To make that informed decision, the project board needs to review the performance of the current stage (the stage that is just finishing) and improve the stage plan for the next stage.
The project board authorizes a stage by reviewing the performance of the current stage and approving the stage plan for the next stage. Approval of stage plans occurs prior to every stage.
The project board delegate project assurance by instructing a person or group to undertake some
of the reviewing and assessing actions, such as inspecting the stage plan to confirm it is viable.
Where project assurance activities are delegated, the project board remains accountable.
Recommended actions for the project board:
- review and approve the end stage report.
- review the stage plan or exception plan for which the project manager is seeking approval.
- make a decision to approve the plan or ask the project manager to revise the rejected plan or instruct the project manager to initiate premature closure of the project.
- communicate the status of the project to the business and keep other interested parties informed about project progress (in accordance with the communication management approach).
To do this effectively, the information presented must be at both stage and project levels, including reviewing the PRINCE2 business case.
PRINCE2 end-stage assessment
To help prepare for a PRINCE2 end-stage assessment, the project board may involve project assurance to conduct some of the reviewing and assessment.
As part of this review and assessment, the following PRINCE2 products will need to be created, updated, or distributed:
- Specialist products
- End stage report
- Lessons report
- Follow-on action recommendations
- Stage plan for the next stage
- Updated project initiation documentation
- Updated benefits review plan
All of the above will need to be ultimately approved by the project board executive. In the case of the updated benefits review plan, corporate/programme management will also need to approve it.
PRINCE2 end-stage assessment
The primary purpose is to ensure that the project board (including customers and users) agree that the products produced are acceptable and that the next stage plan is realistic and achievable.
In most cases, the end-stage assessment will be a meeting, allowing a free exchange of opinions, concerns and perceptions. In addition, it is an effective way to gain agreement to proceed or otherwise from the main project stakeholders.
The meeting should not be used to give out new information but merely to decide what to do next. For this reason, essential documentation should be circulated before the end-stage assessment so that all concerned understand the current stage and project status.
With this in mind, it makes sense to send out all such information before the meeting so that it can be reviewed in detail before the meeting.
An end-stage assessment agenda should be created, reviewed, and agreed upon by the project board executive.
The agenda should include all those who need to attend.
The two key documents here are the end-stage report and the next-stage plan. The project manager should highlight any aspects that require human or otherwise resources from internal or external suppliers.
The end-stage assessment should be based on presenting critical data within the end-stage report.
Typical information that will need to be presented and explained should include:
- Milestone reporting
- Planned and actual delivery dates
- Reporting of project finances
- key risks derived from the risk log
- Quality statistics
- Investment appraisal
Part of the presentation will include progress information, which should be no surprise to the project board since they have received regular highlight reports. Still, progress should be summarized at the stage and project level.
The appropriate representation must be made at the end stage of assessment by those providing resources for the next stage, as part of the decision-making process will include their agreement that such resources are available.
The project manager will most likely present the above points and should be prepared to explain any deviations from the approved plans. In addition, the project manager should highlight any severe risks relevant to the next stage and gain acceptance of the risk response actions.
Concerning quality statistics, the project manager should be prepared to explain any products requiring rework after the quality reviews.
All products accepted in the current stage may be stored safely or deployed into the life business area.
Such products should have been verified that the above storage or Handover has been carried out per the change management approach document, and if deployed, ensure that operational and maintenance arrangements exist for each product.
The investment appraisal extracted from the updated business case should also be summarized here and, in particular, highlight any metrics that I have changed since the last end-stage assessment, including explaining if required.
Since the next stage plan will have been given out before the meeting, it is to be expected that some questions or comments will be made, and the project manager should be prepared to provide a satisfactory answer or to agree that the next stage plan will be amended to include the information regarding their comments.
The next stage plan will include new or modified product descriptions, which will also need to be agreed upon, particularly the quality responsibilities and criteria.
Some other documents within the project initiation documentation will need to be updated based on current and forecast progress. In addition, from lessons learned, any strategies, processes, or techniques may also need to be modified in the light of experience.
The end stage assessment must include a decision as to whether the project is to proceed to the next stage, some form of corrective action taken and the meeting re-booked for a later date, or whether the project is to be stopped.
The project’s status should be communicated to corporate or programme management and other interested parties in the communication management approach document.
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