Module 14 - Progress

Question 1

What is the purpose of the ‘progress’ practice?

Answer 1

• forecast for project objectives and continued viability
• establish mechanisms to monitor and compare actual achievements agaisnt those planned
• control deviations causing an exception

Question 2

What is the definition of ‘exception’ in the PRINCE2 context?

Answer 2

Situation where a deviation can be forecasted beyond the tolerance levels agreed by project manager and project board

Question 3

What is the 4 step cycle for effective progress management?

Answer 3

• Plan
• Do
• Check
• Act

Question 4

What is involved in effective progress management?

Answer 4

• defining management levels and tolerances for progress control
• applying 2 types of control (event-driven & time-driven)
• reviewing progress and lessons
• reporting progress and lessons
• forecasting remaining work
• escalating
• using data

Question 5

What is an event-driven control?

Answer 5

A control that occurs when a specific event happens
e.g. end of stage or creating documentation (like project initiation doc or exception report)

Question 6

What is an time-driven control?

Answer 6

A management control that occurs at pre-defined, periodic intervals
e.g. producing highlight reports for project board

Question 7

What happens when the Team Manager forecasts that a product in the work package will take the work package outside of one of its tolerances?

Answer 7

• Issue raised to PM (and captured on issue register)
• PM assesses whether it can be solved within stage tolerance
• If not: exception report created
• If it can: issue reported on in the next highlight report

Question 8

What is the purpose of the daily log?

Answer 8

To record informal issues , required actions, or significant events not captured by other PRINCE2 management products

Question 9

What is a checkpoint report and who writes this?

Answer 9

Reports the status of a work package to the PM. Written by the Team Manager.

Question 10

What is a highlight report and who writes it?

Answer 10

Reports the summary of the stage status to the Project Board. Written by the PM.

Question 11

What is a lesson report?

Answer 11

A summary of the lesson - to share lessons and trigger actions to ensure lessons are applied.

Question 12

What is an exception report?

Answer 12

Informs the project board when a stage plan is set to exceed a tolerance level, and offer solutions to this.

Question 13

What is an end stage report?

Answer 13

Gives summary of progress to date, overall situation and sufficient info to ask project board for a decision on what to do next with the project

Question 14

What is an end project report?

Answer 14

Reviews how the project performed against the project initiation document (authorisation doc)

Question 15

How to the principles ‘focus on products’ and ‘define roles, responsibilities and relationships’ apply to the progress practice?

Answer 15

• Focus on products: know the status of each product and the project product during delivery
• Define the 3 R’s: clarify reporting requirements and progress management responsibility