Tailoring PRINCE2 7th Edition
PRINCE2 7can be used in any project, but the common question is how best to apply PRINCE2 to run a specific project. Tailoring refers to the appropriate use of PRINCE2 in any project.
So tailoring answers the following question: What is the correct amount of planning, control, themes and processes to use?
Embedding focuses on adopting PRINCE2 across an organization, so it is concerned with standards, procedures, integration and so on, while the Project Manager does Tailoring to adapt the method to each project.
General Approach to Tailoring PRINCE2 7
Many think that they don’t need a project management method because their projects are too small or there is too much overhead in using a method. They don’t realize that they could or, rather, should tailor the project method to suit their project and not increase the complexity of their project to suit PRINCE2.
The example I give is the TV show The Apprentice from several years back, where there is a new two-day project each week. Two teams compete with each other, and both have a Project Manager. If you were to watch The Apprentice, you would see that most of the same mistakes are repeated by the Project Managers; a project method would help them a lot.
Also, the administrative overhead does not need to be more than 2 or 3 pages of text, which is very little.
People’s first impression of tailoring is to choose bits from the PRINCE2 method and use them to manage a project; however, these bits become isolated, and it is not a PRINCE2 project anymore. The objective is to apply a level of project management that does not overburden the project but provides an appropriate level of control.
No PRINCE2 Tailoring at all
If the method is not tailored for a project, then the project is not being run efficiently. This is also known as robotic project management, where the method is followed blindly.
Tailoring is thinking about how best to apply the method to a project to get a good balance of project control and low administration.
Some of the things you will consider are:
- How do we adapt the practices?
- Which terms/language should be incorporated?
- Is there a need to revise product descriptions for the administration products (“Management Products”) to make more sense to the stakeholders?
- Is there a need to revise the Role descriptions for the PRINCE2 project roles (for example, to match existing standards)?
What to change when Tailoring PRINCE2
Here is a list of all the major parts of PRINCE2. Comment on each regarding what to change when tailoring PRINCE2 to suit the current project:
Tailoring PRINCE2 Principles
This is easy. Since principles are always present, each project must have seven principles. There is nothing to change here.
Practices: Adapting the Practices
The various Practices include Quality, Risk, Issues and Communications. The four practices mentioned here have Approach Documents adapted to suit the project in the Initiation stage.
Terms and Language
Each organization can have their specific business language. For example, some companies refer to a Project Brief as a Project Charter or a Business Case as a Project Case. Using these terms during the project may be a good idea instead of the PRINCE2 terms.
Adapting the Management Products
PRINCE2 provides the Management Products to assist in running the project. These may be adjusted to incorporate how a company may work. For instance, a project may need a different Configuration Items Record template, as it deals with different kinds of products.
Adapting the Roles
PRINCE2 provides standard Roles descriptions in Appendix C but these should be adapted for each project. For example, a company might not use a Project Support desk, so the Project Manager must find another person to do Configuration Management.
Another company might have a Project Management Office and a person responsible for a Benefits Management Approach; therefore, the responsibility should be removed from the Executive.
Adapting the Processes
All processes must be tailored, but these can be different for each project. For instance, a Project Management Office may wish to start a project, but instead of starting with a project mandate, it may already be able to supply the Project Brief with an outline of the Business Case. Another project may follow a feasibility study project.
The outputs from this project might be most management products done in the first two processes.
Level of Experience for Tailoring PRINCE2
If you are new to PRINCE2 and project management, then the subject of tailoring can be challenging to understand at first. Just realize that Tailoring does happen. It will be easier to understand as you get more experience with PRINCE2.
If you have already had the opportunity to work on a project, then an excellent place to start is by asking what the project manager would do differently if they were to do the project again.
It becomes much easier to tailor projects for PRINCE2 if you have both excellent project management and PRINCE2 experience.
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