PRINCE2 Dealing with the planning horizon
PRINCE2’s principle of manage by stages reflects that it is usually not possible to plan the whole project from the outset, and planning becomes more difficult and uncertain the further into the future it extends.
There will be a time period over which it is possible to plan with reasonable accuracy, and this is called the ‘planning horizon’. It is seldom possible to plan with any degree of accuracy beyond the planning horizon.
A great deal of effort can be wasted on attempts to plan beyond a sensible planning horizon. For example, a detailed plan to show what each team member is doing for the next 12 months will almost certainly be inaccurate often just a few weeks.
A detailed plan for the short term and an outline plan for the long term is a more effective approach.
PRINCE2 addresses the planning horizon issue by requiring that both high level and detailed plans are created and maintained at the same time, reflecting the relative certainty and uncertainty on either side of the planning horizon.
Certainty and uncertainty on either side of the planning horizon
These are:
A Project Plan for the project. This will usually be a high-level plan, providing indicative timescales, milestones, and cost and resource requirements based on estimates.
A detailed stage plan for the current management stage, aligned with the overall project plan timescales. This plan is produced before the start of that stage, and must not extend beyond the planning horizon.
The definition of a PRINCE2 project plan
A high-level plan showing the major products of the project, when they will be delivered and at what cost. An initial project plan is presented as part of the PID.
This is revised as information on actual progress appears. It is a major control document for the project board to measure actual progress against expectations
The definition of a PRINCE2 stage plan
A detailed plan used as the basis for project management control throughout a management stage
The management stages make up the project life cycle and other fundamental building blocks for the plans and governance of a project
The relationship between project life cycles, phases and stages
Project life cycles often described in terms of project phases, where the term ‘phase’ is used as an alternative to ‘stage’ or ‘management stage’
As an example, BS 6079-1:2010 states:
Most projects, irrespective of size and complexity, will that remove from a series of distinct phrases from conception to completion. This applies as much for sequence and development (for example analyse, design, build, and test), as for iterative and agile development.
Generally, the early phases comprise investigative work, which determines the work in the later implementation phases.
In BS 6079 Part 1, there is no assumption regarding the use of the words ‘phase’ and ‘stage’ with respect to level in the work breakdown structure. For example, a stage is not assumed to be a sub-part of a phase or vice versa
Pass Your PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam At First Try HERE!
This course is DEPRECATED
The old PRINCE2 6th Edition Foundation and Practitioner syllabus was upgraded in 2024. Check out the brand NEW PRINCE2 7th Edition Masterclass, covering all the current syllabus, training material and online exam benefits HERE
Your Route To PRINCE2 6th Edition Practitioner
Study PRINCE2 6 Foundation and Practitioner Exams with our famous on-line course with streaming HD Video Lessons, study guides and mock exams. In the last fifteen years we have had 6,000+ Academy students successfully transform their careers as PRINCE2 Practitioners.
