Chapter 12: Progress

Question 1

What does progress control involve

Answer 1

Progress control involves measuring actual progress against the performance targets of time, cost, quality, scope, benefits and risks

Question 2

What is the info of measuring progress control against performance targets used for

Answer 2

This info is used to make decisions such as whether to approve a management stage, whether to escalate deviations and whether to prematurely close the project, and to take actions and required

Question 3

Prince2s requirements for progress theme

Answer 3

A project must:
- define its approach to controlling progress in the PID
- be managed by stages
- Set tolerances and he managed by exception against them
- review the business justification where exceptions are raised
- learn lessons

Question 4

How does prince2 provide progress control

Answer 4

• delegating authority from one level of management to the level below it
• dividing the project into management stages and authorising the project one management stage at a time
• time driven and event driven progress reporting and reviews
• raising exceptions

Question 5

What 6 tolerances are projects managed by

Answer 5

Time
- amounts of time in target completion dates

Cost
- amounts of planned budget

Quality
- defining quality targets in terms of ranges
- e.g a product weighs 300g +- 10g

Scope
- permitted variation of the scope of a project solution

Benefits
- defining target benefits in terms of ranges
- e.g. to achieve a minimum cost savings of 5% per branch, with an average of 7% across all branches

Risk
- limit on the aggregated value of threats
- e.g. expected monetary value to remain less than 10% of the plans budget

Question 6

Allocation should be in line with the following

Answer 6

• corporate, programme management or the customer sits outside the project but sets the overall requirements and tolerance levels of the project
• the 3 levels of management (directing, managing, delivering) will manage and implement within these tolerances and escalate any forecast breaches of project tolerance

Question 7

Who had overall control at a project level

Answer 7

Project board had overall control at a project level as long as forecasts remain with project tolerance, and will allocate tolerances for each management stage to the project manager

• if any forecast indicate that the project is likely to exceed the agreed tolerances, then the deviation should be referred to corporate, programme management or the customer by the project board in order to get a decision on corrective action

Question 8

Info regarding PM and team manager

Answer 8

PM has day to day control for a management stage within the tolerance limits laid down by the project board

Team manager has control for a work package, but only within the work package tolerances agreed within the work package.

Question 9

What should happen if any forecasts indicate that agreed tolerances will be exceeded

Answer 9

Deviation should be referred to the PM by the team manager in order to get a decision on corrective action. This would be done by raising an issue

Question 10

Name the 2 types of progress control prince2 requires throughout the life of a project

Answer 10

Event driven controls

Time driven controls

Question 11

Explain event driven control as a progress control

Answer 11

These take place when a specific event occurs.
This could be, for example, the end stage assessment at the end of a management stage, the completion of the PID or creation of an exception reption

Question 12

Explain time driven controls as a progress control

Answer 12

These take place at predefined periodic intervals.
This could be, for example, producing monthly highlight reports for the project board

Question 13

What 4 management products assist the PM in establishing baselines

Answer 13

Project plan
- includes the project level performance targets and tolerances

Stage plan
- forms the basis of the day to day control of the management stage and detail stage level tolerances

Exception plan
- may be requested by the project board after considering an exception report during the directing a project process

Work package
- forms an agreement between the PM and team manager as to the work to be completed within defined tolerances

Question 14

Info regarding reviewing progress

Answer 14

PM will regularly review the progress of work through checkpoint reports & maintain the projects registers & logs
- The PM will use this info to update the stage plan with actual progress achieved
- the format & frequency of checkpoint reporting will depend on needs of individual work packages

Question 15

What management products assist in reviewing progress

Answer 15

Issue register
- contain detail of all formal issues raised during the project

Product status account
- provides a snapshot of the status of products

Quality register
- records all planned & implemented quality activities

Risk register
- records identified risks

Question 16

What 4 management products are used for progress reporting

Answer 16

Checkpoint report
- provides PM with details of progress against the work package & is typically produced by the team manager

Highlight report
- gives project board with details of progress towards the end of each management stage

End project report
- provides project board with info to evaluate the project and authorise closure

Question 17

What is the output from reviewing progress?

Answer 17

The output from reviewing progress is a decision as to whether the work package, stage plan or project plan remain, or are forecast to remain, with agreed tolerances

Question 18

What’s the responsibility of the Corporate, programme management or the customer regarding progress theme

Answer 18

• provide project tolerances and document them in the project mandate

Question 19

What’s the responsibility of the executive regarding progress theme

Answer 19

• provide management stage tolerances
• ensure that progress towards the outcome remains consistent from the business perspective

Question 20

What’s the responsibility of the senior user regarding progress theme

Answer 20

• ensure that progress towards the outcome remains consistent from the user perspective

Question 21

What’s the responsibility of the senior supplier regarding progress theme

Answer 21

Ensure progress towards the outcome remains consistent from supplier perspective

Question 22

What’s the responsibility of the PM regarding progress theme

Answer 22

• authorities work packages
• monitor progress against stage plan
• produce highlight reports, end stage reports and end project report

Question 23

What’s the responsibility of the Team manager regarding progress theme

Answer 23

• Agree work packages with PM
• inform project support of completed quality activities

Question 24

What’s the responsibility of the Project assurance regarding progress theme

Answer 24

• verify the business case against external events and project progress
• confirm management stage and project progress against agreed tolerances

Question 25

What’s the responsibility of the Progress support regarding progress theme

Answer 25

• assist with complication of reports
• contribute specialist tool expertise

Question 26

List some progress evaluation techniquesn

Answer 26

• milestone chart
• s curve
• earned value management
• burn charts
• Kanban board

Question 27

What is peer review
Name a technique

Answer 27

People experienced in project management but outside the project management team are asked to Evaluate the project

Technique
- the OGC gateway process