PRINCE2 Lesson 2 Flash Cards

Process 4: Controlling a Stage (CS)

• Day-to-day control involves executing the current stage and managing risks/issues.

• Day-to-day control is primarily about planning future stages.

• Day-to-day control focuses on finalizing the dissertation without updates.

• Day-to-day control is only concerned with financial management.

Principle 1:

Continued Business Justification

• The project must remain worthwhile and feasible.

• The project should be completed regardless of its feasibility.

• The project can be abandoned if it becomes too challenging.

• The project must be funded by external sources.

Practice 7:

Progress

• Monitor vs baselines; report & escalate.

• Conduct surveys to gather feedback.

• Implement new strategies without evaluation.

• Focus solely on end-of-stage updates.

Principle 4: Manage by Stages

• Plan/authorise work stage by stage. Dissertation example: Stage 1: Proposal & ethics → Stage 2: Data collection → Stage 3: Analysis & write-up; each stage has approval to proceed.

• Complete the entire dissertation in one go without stages.

• Only focus on the analysis and write-up stage.

• Skip the proposal and ethics stage entirely.

Process 7: Closing a Project (CP)

• Handover, evaluate, lessons. Dissertation example: Submit final dissertation; agree assessment/acceptance; write reflections; plan post-project dissemination (poster, upload).

• Conduct a survey to gather feedback from stakeholders.

• Create a detailed project report and submit it to the funding agency.

• Organize a team celebration to mark the end of the project.

Process 6:

Managing a Stage Boundary (SB)

• Close stage; plan the next.

• Initiate the next stage without review.

• Skip the stage report and move forward.

• Conduct a team meeting to discuss the next steps.

Process 1:

Starting up a Project (SU)

• Pre-project viability. Dissertation example: Confirm topic feasibility, access to data/participants, and a realistic approach → produce an Outline Brief + Initiation Stage Plan.

• Conducting a literature review to gather existing research on the topic.

• Creating a detailed budget and timeline for the project.

• Identifying potential risks and developing a mitigation plan.

Process 5: Managing Product Delivery (MP)

• Accept, deliver, and hand back products to quality.

• Produce interview guide → pilot and quality-check → deliver approved instrument and captured transcripts to the “project.”

• Conduct market research to identify customer needs.

• Create a marketing strategy to promote the product.

Practice 5:

Risk

• Identify, assess, respond, control. Mitigations include backup schedule, alternative sampling, earlier ethics draft.

• Identify, assess, respond, control. Mitigations include ignoring delays, accepting data loss, and submitting late.

• Identify, assess, respond, control. Mitigations include increasing sample size, extending deadlines, and reducing ethics review.

• Identify, assess, respond, control. Mitigations include conducting surveys without ethics approval, delaying data collection, and minimizing backup efforts.

Practice 4:

Plans

• Product-based planning & baselines. Dissertation example: Product breakdown (Proposal → Ethics approval → Instrument → Dataset → Analysis → Drafts → Final), plus a Gantt chart with stage tolerances.

• Product-based planning without baselines. Dissertation example: Product breakdown (Proposal → Ethics approval → Instrument → Dataset → Analysis).

• Product-based planning with a focus on financial baselines. Dissertation example: Product breakdown (Proposal → Ethics approval → Instrument).

• Product-based planning & baselines. Dissertation example: Product breakdown (Proposal → Ethics approval → Instrument → Dataset).