The PRINCE2 Project Mandate
PRINCE2 projects have a controlled start, a controlled middle and a controlled close and it is the Project Mandate that triggers the controlled start. The Project Mandate is therefore used as a trigger to use the starting up a project process.
All projects are triggered because someone has an idea or in need and this could range from a new business objective, legislation changes, or a report/audit. In fact the trigger to start the project could be almost anything.
Therefore the Project Mandate can vary from a verbal instruction to a well-defined and justified project definition. An example of the content of a Project Mandate may be the recommendations made from a feasibility study. As such the Project Mandate will provide the terms of reference for the project as well as identifying the prospective project board executive.
Before any project can start, several authorization and activities must first occur.
The very first activity to take place is the creation of the Project Mandate itself from those with the appropriate level of authority. PRINCE2 calls this authority corporate or programme management (the latter being used if the project forms part of a programme).
The organization concerned would be totally out of control if any one who cares to start a project and for whatever reason had the authority, or mandate, could do so.
Therefore it is vital that as much is known including the reasons why should be documented or at an absolute minimum be discussed or stated.
Project Mandate Contents
With this in mind, the PRINCE2 Project Mandate should contain sufficient information to answer the following basic questions:
- What is the purpose of the project and what will it create?
- Who will be using the projects products once they are handed over?
- Why should this project be started, and what is the justification for it?
- Who will need to be involved in the project?
- Whereabouts will the project occur, and where will the products be built?
- How will the products be built?
- What general approach will the project take in order to deliver the end product?
- When and why must the project start and finish?
As much of the above information as is possible must be entered into the PRINCE2 Project Mandate, so that it answers the what, why, who, where and how questions.
A particular Project Mandate may contain a great level of detail as this may be freely understood and available, while another Project Mandate may contain only sparse information.
The Project Mandate Trigger
It is for the above reasons that the Starting Up a Project process is triggered by the creation and issue of a project mandate as this process contains the necessary activities to refine and expand the information contained within the Project Mandate into the Project Brief and a plan for the initiation stage.
The amount of work effort expended during the Starting Up a Project process will depend upon the level of detail contained within the project mandate, and at its simplest, the work effort may only needs to cover checking that the information in the Project Mandate is correct.
Directly that the Project Mandate is created the PRINCE2 process model is started, or triggered if you will by the Project Mandate to initiate work within the Starting Up a Project process.
The first individual to be appointed within the starting up a project process is the project board Executive, and this is done by corporate or programme management. The individual appointed will represent all business aspects for the project, and hence will review the Project Mandate from a business perspective.
The next individual to be appointed as the Project Manager who is there to focus on the day to day management of this pre-project work (don’t forget that the starting up a project process takes place pre-project).
The first question that needs to be answered should be; “is the project idea set out in the Project Mandate worthwhile and viable?” The answer to this question will help prevent poorly conceived projects from starting in the first place.
The information contained within the Project Mandate is now further refined and expanded into the Project Brief.
Note that one of the activities above is called ‘prepare the outline Business Case’, and like all business cases it should detail exactly why the project is needed since this will form the basis of the information extracted from the Project Mandate into creating the outline Business Case. The outline business case itself forms part of the Project Brief and is created by the project board Executive.
In some situations, the outline Business Case may be created by others, for example the Project Manager or a financial representative. However, it is the project board Executive who continues to own and be responsible for the outline Business Case as well as the detailed Business Case itself which is refined later within the initiation stage.
The Project Mandate will also contain the customer’s quality expectations or even the acceptance criteria for the project’s end-product.
The Project Mandate is a key document as it contains information which will be later expanded and used within the Project Initiation Documentation (PID). As an example, the Risk Management Strategy (how the management of risk will be applied for this project), will be based upon Project Mandate information such as the customer’s quality expectations, the importance complexity and scale of the project, and what assumptions have been made.
One Final Project Mandate Point
The Project Board use the PRINCE2 process ‘Directing a Project’ (DP), and one of the activities within that process is called ‘Give Ad-Hoc Direction’. This is there so that the project board members may offer informal guidance or respond to any requests for advice.
Give Ad-Hoc direction could be used at any time during a project and such advice may be given by the whole project board or an individual member.
One situation which may occur is the corporate or programme management feels the need to revise the information contained within the Project Mandate and this would often be due to external events such as a change to the business environment or competitive pressures.
Such an action would have potential changes to the project and therefore may result in the project board asking the project manager to replan the project or stage, or even to stop and then restart the project by triggering a premature closure.
And potentially simpler approach, maybe to treat the changes to the Project Mandate as a ‘request for change’.
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