How does the PRINCE2 Project Manager review progress?

As there are a number of items to talk about in this topic and I have discussed most of them

before, I will introduce most items in the form of a question and then immediately give the

answer.

The Project Manager does most of their reviewing progress in the Controlling a Stage

process.

During the stage, the Project Manager will hand out work in Work Packages to Team

Managers or directly to the Team Members in the case of a small project. What two

management products do you think the Project Manager uses as input to check on how well

the Work Packages are progressing and, therefore, to see how the stage is progressing?

They use the Checkpoint Reports, which come from the Team Manager or team members,

and they use the Quality Register to see that intended Quality responsible persons have

signed off on the products.

As you can now see, the Quality Register acts an important extra check for the Project

Manager, as perhaps the Team Manager was not 100% open in the Checkpoint Reports.

Question: Which Management Products does the Project Manager use to keep track of how

the project is doing (e.g., where do they keep informal notes, issues, check on product

status, quality progress, risk, etc.)?

The Project Manager uses the Daily Log, Issue Register, Product Status Account, Quality

Register and Risk Register.

Question: What do you think the Project Manager uses the Daily Log for?

This is the place to record any informal information about the project (e.g., news, telephone

calls, meetings, small issues, reminders, observations, tolerance levels and other such

information.) The Daily Log is similar to a Daily Journal for the Project Manager.
 Question: What does the Project Manager use the Issues Register for?

The Issues Register contains all formal issues raised during the project, which could be:

Request for Change: This happens when the clients notice something that was not in the

original requirement but now wants this included (so it becomes a Request for Change)

Off-Specification: This happens when the supplier may not be able to complete something

exactly as described in the Product Description

Problems and Concerns: This is the place to note any other comments, problems and

concerns (for example, there is train strike on the same day as our expected demonstration

for the major stakeholders, or the cost of a major component we need for the project has

increase in price by 50%).

Question: What does the Project Manager use the Product Status Account for?

At certain times during the project the Project Manager will want to check that all products

created so far in the project (1) are in the right place, (2) are the correct version, (3) have the

correct identification codes attached, (4) are distributed correctly, (5) have the correct status,

and so on

Let me give an example to explain how important this is. Consider that you are organizing an

event and send out a communication 20 days beforehand that the location has changed to a

new conference center due to the demand. But you are using an older registration list and

will therefore only notify 70% of the registered users

Product Status Accounting could also show that some products have not been updated

according to the plan. For example, one product was supposed to be approved 2 weeks

earlier but has still not been approved. Product Status Accounting makes sure that the right

products are in the right place and that the products are in line with the Project Plan.

Question: What does the Project Manager use the Quality Register for?
The Quality Register is a record of all planned and executed Quality activities. Therefore the

Project Manager can see if all planned Quality activities are in line with the plan and if results

are as expected or if a number of products are failing quality tests.

What does the Project Manager use the Risk Register for?

The Risk Register is a record of all identified risks and the Project Manager should review it

as part of the Reviewing a Stage status in Controlling a Stage. Risk levels can change during

the project. The Project Manager therefore needs to be vigilant during the project as far as

Risk is concerned.

PRINCE2 Capturing and reporting lessons

One of the principles in PRINCE2 is that the project team learns from experience. Lessons

have to be sought, recorded and actioned during the project. PRINCE2 uses the word

sought to ensure that everyone in the project checks for previous lessons. Any useful

experiences are then recorded into a Lessons Log. Lessons can be about anything that

could help the project.

These include how best to communicate, how to deal with a supplier, how certain documents

should be tailored for this kind of project and which product specialists to get help from when

doing the product breakdown structure. The Project Manager continues to add new lessons

to the Lesson Log during the project.

What is a Lessons Learned report?

The Lessons Learned report is used to document lessons that might be of value to future

projects. If a lesson is of value only to the current project, then it should not be included in

the Lessons Learned report. A Lessons Learned report has to be created at the end of the

project during the Closing a Project Process. In larger projects, a Lessons Learned report

might be created during the project, for example, during the Managing a Stage Boundary

Process.
 PRINCE2 Reports used to Report Progress

What report does the Team Manager use to report to the Project Manager and when is the

frequency decided?

The Team Manager uses the Checkpoint Report to report to the Project Manager.

Information on the progress of the work done compared to the agreed Team Plan is also

included in it.

The Project Manager will agree on the frequency for these reports with the Team Manager

when they are accepting the Work Package.

What 3 reports are used by the Project Manager to report to the Project Board and when is

the frequency decided for the most-used report?

The three reports are:

1. Highlight Report

2. End Stage Report

3. End Project Report.

The PRINCE2 Highlight Report

The Highlight Report is used by the Project Manager to report on the status of the current

stage compared to the Stage Plan. The important word here is highlight as a 1- to 2-page

report should be sufficient.

The Highlight Report allows the Project Board to manage by exception between each stage

end, as they are aware of the tolerances agreed with the Project Manager in the Stage Plan,

so the Highlight Report should report the current status of tolerances of Time, Cost, Quality,

Scope, Benefits and Risk.

The frequency of the Highlight Report is first agreed in the Communication Management

Strategy and this can be updated during the Managing a Stage Boundary Process.

The PRINCE2 End Stage Report

The End Stage Report is created by the Project Manager towards the end of the stage and

compares the performance of the stage compared to the Stage Plan.

The End Project Report

The End Project Report is produced by the Project Manager towards the end of the project

during the Closing a Project Process and is used by the Project Board to evaluate the project

before they take the decision to authorize closure.

What is Raising Exceptions?

This is quite easy to understand and you will see that it is linked to the principle Manage by

Exception. The best way to explain this is with a question, i.e., When is an exception raised

and by whom?

An exception is raised when an agreed tolerance is exceeded or is forecast to be. You raise

an exception by alerting the level above you.

The Work Package tolerances are agreed between the Team Manager and the Project

Manager when the Team Manager accepts the Work Package. If the Team Manager

exceeds or has been forecast to exceed a tolerance, then they raise an issue (not an

exception).

They just tell the Project Manager, and the Project Manager enters the issue in the Issues

Register and starts to create an Issue Report if the issue needs to be handled formally. The

Team Manager does not need to create an Exception Report.

 They just need to inform the Project Manager by raising an issue.

Stage Tolerances are agreed between the Project Board and Project Manager. If the stage is

forecast to go out of tolerance, then the Project Manager creates an Exception Report to

capture and analyze why, and then to provide this information to the Project Board.

The Exception Report can include a number of options with usually one recommend option.

The Project Board can do the following:

Adjust the tolerance level

Remove the cause

Request more time to consider the issue

Request an exception plan.

Project Tolerances are set between the Corporate or Program Management and Project

Board. If project tolerances are forecast to be exceeded, then the Project Board will advise

the Corporate or Program Management and can provide an Exception Plan to show how the

issue can be handled and to complete the current stage.

PRINCE2 Progress Responsibilities

What are Corporate or Program Management responsible for?

They provide the project tolerances in the project mandate

They make decisions on the Exception Plan when Project Tolerances are forecast to be

exceeded, as the Project Board cannot do this.

What are the responsibilities of the Executive?

Providing stage tolerances

 Making decisions on the Exception Plans when stage tolerances are forecast to be exceeded

Ensuring that progress remains consistent from a business point of view.

What are the responsibilities of the Senior User and Senior Supplier?

Ensuring that progress remains consistent from a user and supplier point of view

What are the responsibilities of the Project Manager?

Authorizing Work Packages

Monitoring progress of Stage Plans

Producing Highlight Reports, End Stage Reports, Lessons Learned reports & End Project

Reports

Producing Exception Reports for the Project Board when the stage-level tolerances are

forecast to be exceeded

Maintaining the project registers and logs.

What are Team Managers responsible for?

Agreeing on Work Packages with Project Manager

Producing Checkpoint Reports

Notifying the Project Manager of any forecast deviation from the Work Package tolerances.

What is Project Assurance responsible for?

Verifying the Business Case against external events and project progress

Confirming stage and project progress against agreed tolerances in case the Project

Manager is bending the rules.

Project Support responsible for?

Assisting with the compilation of reports

 Assisting the Project Manager in maintaining the Issue Register & Risk Register

Maintaining the Quality Register on behalf of the Project Manager. (Check that everything is

going according to plan.)