PRINCE2 Tailoring Starting Up a Project
The activities in the Starting Up a Project process may be combined, split or run currently to suit the context, but care should be taken to ensure the integrity of the interface with the directing a project process when a request to initiate a project is submitted.
At this early point in the project lifecycle, it may not always be clear what output the project is intended to create. If this is the case, it should at least be clear what business problem is to be solved or what outcome is required.
Tailoring products in Starting Up a Project
Lessons log
The capturing of previous lessons is required as part of the PRINCE2 principle of learn from experience. The capturing of previous lessons may be done in a formal or informal manner.
PRINCE2- The Project Brief
This comprises two management products – the Outline Business Case, and the project product description.
The Project Brief may be a single document and it may reference corporate, portfolio, programme or customer documentation or reports such as a feasibility report.
The Project Brief may range from being a simple statement describing the project up to a full and detailed description.
The project management team structure may only be partially complete at this point in time. Any management team structure is allowable here, if the organization constraints are respected.
The options and solutions may yet to be defined, and in such a case, the project approach should describe how these will be determined.
Role descriptions may be in any form. If formal role descriptions exist already as part of an organization’s method, only a summary may be needed together with a reference to where the detail is. Alternatively, the role description may itself be amended to suit the needs of the project.
The Outline Business Case may range from being a simple statement of why the project is needed, up to a more detailed analysis and description.
The project product description may include a statement of desired outcomes, all related to solving a business problem, if the solution products have not yet been identified
PRINCE2 stage plan (initiation stage)
The plan may include components in any format relevant to the complexity of the project, with views such as a simple list of accountabilities, products, activities and dates or Gantt chart.
The plan may be held totally or partially within a planning tool such as Microsoft project.
The management product descriptions within a stage plan can themselves be tailored to suit the project.
Tailoring the PRINCE2 roles in Starting Up a Project
If a project manager has not been appointed at the start of this process, the required management products may be created by the executive or anyone appointed by them.
In a similar way, the executive does not need to create the Outline Business Case personally, but may have another person create this.
Whichever approach is chosen here, the single point of accountability for each role should be maintained.
PRINCE2 starting up a simple project
If the aggregation of risks is acceptable, the Starting Up a Project process may be handled in a less formal manner than for larger more risky projects.
The executive and project manager should not however, bypass it all together.
The Project Brief, and its component parts, may just be an elaboration of the mandate with confirmation of the business problem to be addressed. This should be accompanied by an initiation stage plan outlining expectations for the duration and efforts for undertaking the initiation stage of the project.
Starting up projects using an agile delivery approach
Whether the agile way of working is suitable, needs to be assessed by looking at what agile ways of working exists or need to exist, and their respective advantages and disadvantages.
An example here, is of co-locating the team – would this be a good idea, or will it be too expensive and undermine the business case?
The impact of frequent releases should be assessed with respect to areas such as how quality will be managed and how the frequent delivery of products (or products in differing states), will take place, that is, whether they will always go directly into operational use.
Starting up projects from a supplier perspective
From a supplier perspective, the Starting Up a Project process will take place pre-contract and is typically in response to the customer’s request for information or a proposal.
Starting Up a Project from within a programme
The PRINCE2 process most affected by working in a program will be Starting Up a Project.
As an example, here, this process could be undertaken almost entirely by the programme manager under the ‘start projects’ activity within the delivery of the capability process described in “managing successful programmes”.
Whether this is the case, the programme manager should ensure the appointment of the executive and project manager, prepare the Project Brief and alert the project manager to any relevant previous lessons and ensure an initial project management team is appointed.
