Chapter 11: Change Flashcards
What is the purpose of the Change theme?
The purpose of the change theme is to identify, assess and control any potential and approved changes to the project baseline.
What does PRINCE2 refer to as an “issue”?
An “issue” means any relevant event that has happened, was not planned and requires management action during the project.
What are the three types of issues? Briefly explain them.
- Request for change = a proposal for a change to a baseline (e.g., the senior user would like to increase the capacity of a product from 100 to 150)
- Off-specification = something that should be provided by the project, but currently is not (or is forecasted not to be) (e.g., supplier cannot longer deliver one of the products specified by the customer/ roof to the building requested by customer cannot be built like requested anymore)
- Problem/concern = any other issue that the project manager needs to resolve or escalate (e.g., team member is ill, which will cause the work-package to be delayed by 1 week/ supplier has gone bankrupt, which means the PM needs to find a new supplier)
What happens after an issue is identified and captured?
The issue needs to be assessed and someone should determine what action to take in response.
The response can be to change some dimension (time, cost, scope), or to reject the issue and do nothing about it.
The ONLY two reasons to implement a change are:
* to produce a new benefit
* to protect an existing benefit
After an issue is identified and assessed, you might have to implement a change. What are the ONLY two reasons why a change to a project should be applied?
- To produce a new benefit
- To protect and existing benefit
Define Baseline.
Reference levels against which an entity is monitored and controlled.
What is a configuration item?
A Configuration Item is an entity that is subject to change control.
The entity may be a component of a product, a product or a set of products in a release.
NOTE: A configuration item is not the same as a product.
Configuration Items (CIs) are specific elements within a project that are subject to configuration management processes, Products in PRINCE2 refer to the end results or deliverables of the project. Products encompass the entire scope of what the project aims to produce, including the combination of various CIs and other elements needed to meet project objectives. CIs are essential components of products, but products represent the broader project deliverables.
EXAMPLE:
Product:
Example: “Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software”
Description: The end result of a project, like software or a document.
Configuration Items (CIs):
Example: Source code files, database schema, UI design templates, test scripts.
Description: Individual parts or files that make up a product. Subject to configuration management for tracking and quality control.
What is a configuration item record?
A configuration item record is a record that describes the status, version and variant of a configuration item, and any details of important relationships between them.
NOTE: A configuration item record is not the same as a product description, given that a configuration item and a product are different concepts
Click to see a good example that differentiates between Project Product, Product and Configuration Item.
Project Product:
Example: “Apartment Building Complex”
Description: The overall outcome of the construction project, which is the completed apartment building complex. It represents the project’s main deliverable, including all individual apartments, common areas, and amenities.
Product:
Example: Specific components like architectural plans, plumbing systems, electrical wiring, and interior fixtures.
Description: These are the various elements and systems that make up the apartment building complex. They are configuration items subject to configuration management to ensure quality and compliance with building codes.
Configuration Item (CI):
Example: Each floor plan, a plumbing system blueprint, an electrical wiring diagram, and a kitchen fixture.
Description: These are the smallest, uniquely identifiable components within the product (apartment building). Configuration items are managed to maintain version control, quality, and compliance for each element of the building’s construction.
Define Product Status Account.
A Product Status Account is a report on the status of products. The required products can be specified by the identifier or the part of the project in which they were developed.
What is the difference between a Configuration Item Record and a Product Status Account?
(I think) the Configuration Item Record is specific to a Configuration Item or Deliverable, while a Product Status Account is more of a high-level summary of the status and progress of multiple products.
What are the minimum requirements for the Change theme?
A PRINCE2 project must:
* define its change control approach, which should cover
* how issues are identified and assessed
* assessing whether identified issues might have a material impact on the business justification of the project
* the roles and responsibilities for change control
- define how product baselines are created, maintained and controlled
- maintain some form of issue register
- ensure that project issues are captured, assesses, managed and reviewed
- use lessons to inform issue identification and management
What are the two documents/management products that are produced and maintained within the Change theme?
- Issue register = captures and maintains information on all the issues that re being formally managed (so, not the very small ones that the PM can quickly resolve)
- Change Control Approach = identifies how, and by whom, the project’s products will be controlled and protected
When is the Change Control Approach defined and maintained?
The Change Control Approach is defined during the initiating a project process, and reviewed (if necessary) and updated towards the end of each management stage.
Briefly summarize the responsibilities for Change Control.
PM creates and maintains the Change Control Approach > Executive sets the scale for rating severity of issues & priority ratings for request for change and off-specifications.
Executive determines the change authority & change budget
Board makes decisions on escalated issues (when PM escalates), PM & TM implement actions (IF allowed by the Change Control Approach - they could implement actions without the Board when there are issues raised whose solutions are within the set tolerances of the stage/project).
