Prince2 Flashcards
(122 cards)
1
Q
Benefits of Prince2
A
- best practices
- tailored to meet needs of org
- applied to any project
- widely recognized/understood
- promotes learning from experience
- maturity across various areas\
2
Q
What are the different elements in Prince 2 structure? (4)
A
- Principles
- Themes
- Processes
- Environment
3
Q
What are principles?
A
- guiding obligations and good practices which determine whether the project is genuinely being managed using Prince 2
4
Q
What are themes?
A
- themes describe the aspects of project management that must be addressed continually and in parallel throughout the project
5
Q
What are processes?
A
processes describe a progression from the pre-project activity of getting started through the stages of the project life cycle
6
Q
What does each process have?
A
checklists of recommended activities, products and responsibilities.
7
Q
What is the project environment?
A
the organization’s way of working
8
Q
What does Prince2 not provide?
A
- specialist aspects
- detailed techniques
- leadership capability
9
Q
minimum requirements for a project to be Prince2
A
- applies Prince2 principles
- meets minimum requirements
- has Prince2 project processes
- uses recommended or equivalent techniques
10
Q
What is a project?
A
A temporary organization that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to an agreed business case
11
Q
How are projects different from what is “business as usual”?
A
- projects introduce change
- temporary
- cross-functional
- unique
- uncertainty
12
Q
What is project management?
A
the planning, delegating, monitoring and control of all aspects of the project and motivation of those involved to achieve objectives within performance targets (time, cost, quality, scope, benefits and risk)
13
Q
What are the six variables involved in any project?
A
- Costs
- Timescales
- Quality
- Scope
- Benefits
- Risk
14
Q
The 4 main roles of a project manager:
A
- Plan
- Delegate
- Monitor
- Control
15
Q
In Prince2 the customer ____ and the supplier ____.
A
In Prince2 the customer specifies the desired result and the supplier provides resources and skills.
16
Q
what is the supplier?
A
the person, group or groups responsible for supply of the project’s specialist products
17
Q
3 types of projects
A
- Stand-alone
- Projects within programmes
- Projects in a portfolio
18
Q
Definition of programme
A
a temporary flexible structure created to coordinate, direct and oversee the implementation of a set of related projects and activities to deliver desired outcomes and benefits towards strategic objectives. (several years)
19
Q
What is a stand-alone project?
A
When projects are outside governance structures in programmes or portfolios
20
Q
What is the project sponsor?
A
the driving force behind a programme or project that commissions (or requests) a project
21
Q
What is a portfolio?
A
totality of an organization’s investment in changes required to achieve its strategic objectives
22
Q
Examples of projects with multiple organizations
A
joint ventures collaborative research intergovernmental projects interagency projects bidding consortium and alliance contracting partnerships
23
Q
What is the PID?
A
Project Initiation Documentation
24
Q
Project approach
A
way in which the work of the project will be delivered
25
Two typical project approaches
Waterfall
| Agile approach
26
What is the waterfall approach?
delivery steps to create product take place in sequence
27
What is the agile approach?
iterative approach where gather information, design, coding and testing take place iteratively
28
KPIs
Key performance indicators
29
What is the best way to summarize project status at any one time?
Identify and measure KPIs
30
What is difference between objectives and KPIs?
Objectives are what project needs to achieve, KPIs are measures that indicate progress towards objectives
31
Lagging indicators
measure performance following events, allow mgmt to track how well performance matches expectations
32
Leading indicators
measures progress towards events, allowing mgmt to track whether project is on course to achieve the expected performance
33
What do you align KPIs with?
acceptance criteria and project tolerances (defined in PID)
34
What is P3Mr?
helps measure organization's capability against a maturity scale
35
5 point scale for maturity
1. Awareness of process
2. Repeatable process
3. Defined process
4. Managed process
5. Optimized process
36
Prince2 is _____ rather than ____
Prince 2 is principle-based rather than prescripitve
37
Prince2 principles have the following characteristics
- universal (apply to any project)
- self-validating (proven over many years)
- empowering (give practitioners confidence)
38
What are the 7 Prince2 principles?
1. continued business justification
2. learn from experience
3. defined roles and responsibilities
4. manage by stages
5. manage by exception
6. focus on results
7. tailor to suit project
39
What does Prince2 require of projects for business justification?
1. there is a justifiable reason for starting project
2. justification is recorded and approved
3. justification remains valid and is revalidated throughout project
40
Why should a project that can't be justified be stopped?
Funds and resources can be reinvested in other more worthwhile projects
41
Who are the primary stakeholders of any project?
1. business sponsors (endorse objectives and ensure investment is value for money)
2. users who will use the products, gain from benefits
3. suppliers who provide resources and expertise for project
42
What makes up project management team structure?
Defined and agreed roles and responsibilities for people in volved
43
What is purpose of PM team structure?
- unites various parties, common aims, understanding of expectations
44
What is a mgmt stage?
the section of a project that the project manager is managing on behalf of the project board at any one time
45
What will project board want to review relevant to mgmt stage?
progress
state of project plan
business case and risks for next stage
make decisions about moving forward
46
Any Prince2 projects has these two mgmt stages:
1. initiation stage
| 2. one further stage
47
Why manage in stages?
- Provides review and decision points
- gives ability to ensure key decision are made timely manner
- allows clarification of the impact
- facilitates the manage by exception principle by delegating authority to the project manager
48
How do managers move to next stage?
- review business case and plan
- update documentation
- create end stage report and stage plan
- request authorization to continue
- conduct end stage assessment
49
Who delegates the authority for day-to-day control of a mgmt stage to project manager?
project board
50
How do you establish accountability in a project?
1. delegate authority from one management level to the next by setting tolerances for 6 performance aspects (cost, time, quality, scope, benefits and risk)
2. set up controls so that if tolerance are exceeded you can make a decision
3. put assurance mechanism in place
51
Why is managing by exception efficient for senior mgmt?
reduces time spent without removing control by ensuring decisions are made at right level
52
Product definition
an input or output, tangible or intangile, that can be described in advance, created and tested.
53
What are 2 types of Prince2 products?
mgmt products - baselines, records, reports (requirements for managing project)
specialist products - specific to project
54
output, deliverable and products are all ____
the same
55
What is purpose of tailoring Prince2
1. making sure PM method is appropriate to project
| 2. project controls are appropriate to project's scale, complexity, importance, etc.
56
What is embedding?
making something an integral part of the whole, adopting Prince2 and encouraging its useful
57
What can be tailored?
1. processes - combined or adapted
2. themes - using appropriate techniques
3. roles - combined or split
4. mgmt products - combined or split
5. terminology - to suit standards and policies
58
Who is responsible for tailoring and documenting? Who approves?
project manager documents in PID and is approved by project board
59
Who advises on tailoring?
project assurance, centre of excellence, project support and team managers
60
What are Prince2 themes?
1. business case- why? benefits?
2. organization - who? who will work on PM team? supply products? advise?
3. Quality - what products/test?
4. Plans - how (much)? when?
5. Risks - what if?
6. Change - what's the impact?
7. Progress - where are we and where are we going? continue?
61
3 things business case aims to achieve
1. project is desirable
2. project is viable
3. project is achievable
62
Project outputs enable ___ _ which create _______ or _______
business changes
desired outcomes
side effects/consequences
63
How do you measure desired outcomes?
in benefits
64
What do benefits do?
help achieve strategic outcomes
65
Desired benefits cause ____ and ____
benefits and side effects
66
Side effects could lead to both _____ and _____
benefits and disbenefits
67
Outputs
things or products you are making
68
Outcomes
changes caused by outputs
69
Prince2 requirements for business case
1. create and maintain a business justification
2. review and update the business justification
3. define actions to ensure outcomes are achieved
4. define roles for the business case and benefits mgmt
70
Mgmt products include these two documents: ______ and______
business case and benefits management approach
71
What is the benefits management approach?
document that defines the benefits management actions and benefits reviews that will take place
72
3 principal project interests (stakeholders)
user (quality)
business ($)
supplier (right skills/resources)
73
4 different management levels
1. Corporate, programme manager or customer
2. Directing (project board)
3. Managing (project manager)
4. Delivering (team manager)
74
Prince2 requirements within organization theme
1. Define structure and roles
2. Delegated change authority
3. Communication approach
75
What does PID contain related to organization theme?
1. project mgmt team structure
2. role descriptions
3. tailoring of Prince2
76
What does communication management approach contain?
means and frequency of communication with internal and external parties to facilitate engagement of stakeholders
77
Definition of stakeholder
any individual, group or organization that can affect, be affected by or perceive itself to be affected by an initiative (i.e. programme, project, activity, risk)
78
9 PM team roles recommended by Prince2
1. Executive (controls PM board)
2. Senior user(s)
3. Senior supplier(s)
4. Project manager
5. Team manager
6. Project support
7. Change authority
8. Project assurance
79
Executive's role on PM team
accountable for success of the project, report to corporate
80
Senior user(s) role on PM team
Represents those that use or will benefit from project product
Quality of product
81
Senior supplier(s) on PM team
have technical expertise and tell what skills/resources required for project
82
Project manager is supported by ______
project support
83
Role of change authority
manage requests for change things that have been agreed
84
Role of project assurance
give confidence to project board that project is on track and being run properly and support project manager
85
project assurance target which 3 groups
1. senior users that product is fit for purpose
2. executive to assess business interests
3. audit work to make sure policies and procedures are on point
86
Roles can be combined except when these conditions are present:
1. conflicts of interest arise
2. bottlenecks occur
3. individual capacity not up to par (time, training, etc.)
87
Which roles cannot be combined?
1. executive and project manager
2. only one executive and project manager
3. executive's accountability cannot be delegated
4. assurance roles not for project manager, team manager or team support
88
role of project manager
- single focus for day-to-day mgmt of a project
89
What is the purpose of quality theme?
define and implement means by which the project will verify that products are fit for purpose
90
Elements of quality (3)
1. customer's quality expectations
2. acceptance criteria
3. quality criteria
91
What are acceptance criteria?
list of measurable criteria that project product must meet before customer accepts it (in project product description)
92
what are quality criteria?
not about final product but of components (description of qualities of individual products before it can be approved)
93
What is the project product description?
description of product that defines how project gains acceptance (only one per project)
94
What are product descriptions?
Level of quality needed to produce, review and approve product (PD, there are many)
95
What's involved in quality planning?
1. Developing project product description
2. Agree on quality management approach
3. Create product descriptions
4. Quality register
96
What's involved in quality control?
1. checking quality criteria are met
2. update quality register with results from check
3. identify ways to improve quality
97
What's involved in quality assurance?
- audit the project to check compliance with processes and procedures
- independent of project
98
Mgmt products in quality
1. Quality management approach - strategy for dealing with quality, processes, etc
2. Quality register - summarises quality mgmt plan, results
99
3 product quality responsibilities
1. producer
2. reviewer(s)
3. approver(s)
100
Quality review technique
1. prepare
2. review
3. follow-up
101
What is definition of quality
the degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of a product, service, process, person or system fulfils requirements
102
What is quality mgmt?
coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to quality
103
Difference between quality assurance and project assurance?
Quality - degree to which project complies with relevant standards and policies
Project - whether or not project is being conducted correctly
104
Who is responsible for quality mgmt system?
corporate body, programme management team or customer
105
What is the purpose of the plans theme?
facilitate communication and control by defining the means of delivering the products
106
Steps in Prince2 planning approach
1. Designing a plan
2. Defining and analysing the products
3. Identifying activities and dependencies
4. Preparing estimates
5. Preparing a schedule
6. Documenting a plan
107
Management stages vs. delivery steps
mgmt stages - section of project that PM is managing on behalf of board, only one at a time, minimum of 2 in each project
delivery steps - a step within delivery approach, can span mgmt stage, included in mgmt stage as work package
108
Prince2 requirements for plans
- plans enable business case realization
- minimum of 2 stages (initiation+1)
- produce project, stage and exception plans
- use lessons to inform planning
- define planning roles and responsibilities
- use product-based approach
109
4 steps in product-based planning
1. write project product description
2. product breakdown structure
3. write product descriptions
4. create product flow diagram
110
Definition of a plan
a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something which specifies the what, when, how and by whom.
111
What are the types of plans in Prince2?
project plan, stage plan and exception plan
112
Definition of a project plan
- high level plan showing major products of the project, when it will be delivered and at what cost
113
Definition of a stage plan
a detailed plan used as basis for project management control throughout a management stage
114
definition of exception plan
after an exception report, the plan covers the period from the present to the end of the current mgmt stage
115
definition of work package
the set of information relevant to the creation of one or more products
116
definition of team plan
an option level of plan used as the basis for team mgmt control when executing work packages
117
definition of risk
an uncertain event or set of events that, should it occur, will have an effect on the achievement of objectives
118
Prince2 requirements related to risk
1. define risk management approach
2. maintain risk register
3. manage risk through project life cycle
4. use lessons to inform identification and management
119
Risk management procedure
1. identify
2. assess
3. plan
4. implement
5. communicate
120
Risk cause
source of risk, potential trigger points
121
risk event
uncertainty for risk, threat or opportunity?
122
risk effect
describe impact on project
