PRINCE2 Tailoring Managing a Stage Boundary
The Managing a Stage Boundary activities may be combined, split or run concurrently to suit the context, but care should be taken to ensure the integrity of the interfaces with the initiating a project, controlling a stage and directing a project processes.
The Managing a Stage Boundary process has two main purposes, the first and most obvious is to prepare for an end stage assessment, the second covers the preparation of an exception plan within a stage when tolerances are exceeded.
The PRINCE2 process model may therefore be changed to separate these two functions into two different processes.
Tailoring products in Managing a Stage Boundary
Stage Plan
If there are only two management stages, one for initiation and the other for delivery, the stage plan can be included in the project plan.
Product Descriptions
Project Product Description and Product Descriptions are key as they relate to the PRINCE2 focus on products principle.
Although PRINCE2 shows the Project Manager as responsible for creating Product Descriptions, in practice and may not have the requisite skills to define specialist products. Their role may be to see that the Product Descriptions are defined and reviewed rigorously enough to enable planning to be undertaken confidently.
End Stage Report
If there is only one delivery stage, then the end of that stage is also the end of the project. In this case an end stage report is not needed as its content would be covered in the end project report within the closing a project process.
This product may be split into two parts, one covering progress to date in detail, the other forming the basis of the decision to start the next stage.
Lessons Log
Lessons from the log or lessons report, if one has been created, may be combined with the end stage report.
Exception Plan
The plan may include components in any format commensurate with the complexity of the project, with views ranging from a simple list of accountabilities, products, activities and dates, to Gantt charts.
The plan may be held totally or partially within a planning tool such as Microsoft Project
Tailoring the roles in Managing a Stage Boundary
The Project Manager is responsible for the creation of all the new management products in this process, but may delegate work to others with the requisite skills, such as project support or a team manager, provided the Project Manager retains overall responsibility.
Managing stage boundaries on a simple project
If the project has just two management stages (the initiation stage and one delivery stage), the scope of this process is reduced to those activities relating to managing exceptions (if any), activities for creating the next stage plan are irrelevant as there is no ‘next stage’.
Managing stage boundaries when using an agile approach
In a perfect world, the managing stage boundaries process should not interrupt the natural flow of agile work, with releases and sprints synchronized within each management stage.
This process provides an opportunity to assess the ongoing viability of the project and to decide what the priorities are for the next management stage.
This is to ensure that high value (most beneficial) work from the product backlog is undertaken in preference to low value work.
Throughout the stage, the frequent delivery of products in an iterative and incremental style, will mean that it will be clear how many features have been delivered, the level of quality and value added, and which remain to be covered in later management stages.
Managing stage boundaries on a project from a supplier perspective
When working on work packages for a customer’s project, the suppliers input may be to help prepare any plans.
From the supplier’s project perspective, stage boundaries would normally represent its own decision points within its own project life cycle and these need to match the stage boundaries in the customer’s project.
The managing stage boundaries on a project within a programme
Although guidance provided above is applicable to a project within a programme, except that any decisions and plans will be made in the context of the program.
If possible, aligning the program review points with project management stage boundaries may help keep alignment across the program.
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