Projects need people, mainly those working on the project and those affected by the project. An understanding of the needs, capabilities, and motivations of the people involved and the relationships between them is crucial to how the project is established and managed.
People Context
The purpose of a project is to deliver change, which will affect people in their business as usual (BAU) activities, routines, and responsibilities.
How well the change is implemented, and therefore how well the project performs, depends on the capabilities of the project team, the strength of the relationships between them, and the people impacted by the change.
In PRINCE2, people covers those who are working on a project and the relationships between them, as well as those impacted by a project.
Organizations are a complex ecosystem of fluctuating relationships. Projects change organizations, regardless of whether or not it is their primary purpose.
The success of a project will depend on how well the project establishes strong relationships with the organizations that support its delivery, as well as how it fits into the organizational ecosystem to deliver the change.
Projects combine a unique set of people from across the business, user, and supplier communities for a limited period of time. To successfully deliver the project, all levels of leadership must establish a project culture that motivates people.
Decisions should be made close to where the relevant knowledge resides. They should be escalated only if there is a need to consider the impact on other parts of the project ecosystem, the organizational ecosystem, or to manage wider political implications.
Organizational ecosystem definition
The internal elements of an organization (including staff, board, owners, and other stakeholders) together with the organization’s external relationships such as customers, partners, suppliers, regulators, and competitors.
Project ecosystem: those elements of the business involved in or directly impacted by the project and the associated users and suppliers.
Leading successful change
All projects result in a change in how people, organizations, and systems operate the current state to a future target state that incorporates the use of the project products. Effective leadership is required to deliver this change.
Change management definition
Change management is the means by which an organization transitions from the current state to the target state.
The current and target states can be captured and described as a set of routines, responsibilities, relationships, cultures, and capabilities.
Identifying which areas of the organization will be impacted by the project as it transitions from the current state to the target state describes the change the project will deliver.
For some projects, there may be interim states the business will transition through, and these can also be described. PRINCE2 addresses change by creating and maintaining a change management approach for the project.
In determining the level of detail to capture in the change management approach, it is worth considering:
- what decisions the change management approach is supporting the project team to make
- the skills and capabilities required during and after the transition from current to target state
- which areas of the organizational ecosystem are likely to be impacted by the project
- the key relationships to be considered
- the evolving culture
- how best to transition; for example, through learning or upskilling, transitioning knowledge from the project team, or recruiting new people into the business.
The Change management approach
The change management approach is part of the project initiation documentation.
Its purpose is to establish the target organizational state required for the project to meet its objectives together with the means by which the business will shift from the current state and through any interim states.
Change management approach content
Scope: what changes will be delivered by the project; any exclusions
Change states: description of current, interim, target states
State characteristics: for each state, highlighting those that are changing: for example, routines, practices, process, culture, responsibilities, structure, capabilities
Enabling activities: before transition, during transition, after transition; for example, consultation, trials, training, and helpline
Resources: for the enabling activities
Responsibilities: for the enabling activities
Supporting tools and techniques: for the enabling activities; for example, modelling
Standards: any standards that apply to change management activities
References: for any associated documents or products.
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.
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.
