Processes versus practices
PRINCE2 has five integrated elements: principles, people, practices, processes and project context. The practices describe aspects of project management that must be addressed continually as the project progresses. The processes describe the project lifecycle from start to finish. The seven processes cover the whole lifecycle, from activities before the project starts, through the stages of delivery, to the final act of project closure. Each process has checklists of recommended activities and related responsibilities.
PRINCE2 is a process-based approach for project management. Each process contains a number of activities, and each activity contains a number of actions. Processes are triggered by events or decisions, for example a project initiation request.
The seven processes
| Process | In one line |
|---|---|
| Starting up a project | Do we have a viable and worthwhile project? |
| Directing a project | The project board makes key decisions and exercises overall control. |
| Initiating a project | Establish solid foundations for the project. |
| Controlling a stage | Day-to-day management of a stage by the project manager. |
| Managing product delivery | Control the link between the project manager and the team manager. |
| Managing a stage boundary | Give the board what it needs to review the stage and approve the next one. |
| Closing a project | A fixed point at which acceptance of the project product is confirmed. |
Who carries out which process
The processes line up with three management levels inside the project:
- Directing – the project board: directing a project.
- Managing – the project manager: initiating a project, controlling a stage, managing a stage boundary and closing a project.
- Delivering – team managers and teams: managing product delivery.
Both the directing and the managing levels take part in starting up a project. The business layer sits above the project and provides the project mandate.
The project journey
The lifecycle is divided into a pre-project activity followed by at least two stages:
- Pre-project – starting up a project answers "Do we have a project?" and produces the outline business case, project brief and organizational structure. The project manager then requests initiation, and directing a project begins when the board authorizes initiation.
- Initiation stage – initiating a project defines the project environment and assembles the PID. Towards the end, managing a stage boundary prepares the plan for the next stage. The board then decides: can we authorize the project and the stage 2 plan?
- Subsequent delivery stages – controlling a stage is the heart of day-to-day project management. It authorizes work packages, which teams accept, execute and hand back through managing product delivery. Near the end of each stage, managing a stage boundary prepares the next stage plan and the board asks: should we authorize the next stage or stop the project here?
- Final delivery stage – instead of a stage boundary, closing a project confirms customer acceptance, recommends follow-on actions and evaluates the project, and the board authorizes project closure.
Three rules from the process model are often tested:
- A project needs a minimum of two stages, and the initiation stage always comes first.
- Managing a stage boundary runs for the first time as the initiation stage closes, then again as every later stage closes, apart from the final stage.
- Managing a stage boundary is also used to prepare exception plans, which can happen at any time, including in the final stage.
Why this matters
Knowing the level and moment of each process lets you place any activity. For example, a question may ask where the next stage plan is produced (managing a stage boundary), who authorizes a work package (the project manager, in controlling a stage), or who authorizes closure (the project board, in directing a project).