| The experienced Project Managers who came up | | | | 6) Quality in a Project Environment |
| with (and are continuously developing and improving) | | | | Meeting the Customer’s quality specification is |
| the PRINCE2TM Project Management methodology | | | | possibly the most important part of delivering your |
| came up with eight ‘best practices,’ or | | | | products. If you promised to provide a blue |
| ‘components’, i.e.: | | | | lawn-mower, and the final product is fluorescent pink, |
| The 8 practices that maximise your chances of | | | | then your Customer may refuse (justifiably) to accept |
| project success. | | | | the product. |
| 1) The Business Case | | | | Deciding how you will manage the quality of the |
| This document justifies investment in the project by | | | | product throughout the project environment, and then |
| comparing the expected costs to the expected | | | | executing your quality-management plan is the safest |
| benefits. It is also used as a yardstick for measuring | | | | way of sticking to target. |
| project progress. | | | | 7) Configuration Management |
| 2) Organisation | | | | The Configuration Librarian is appointed to keep tabs |
| This PRINCE2TM component describes the formal | | | | on all the products generated as a result of the |
| roles within a PRINCE2TM project. Deciding at the | | | | project. These may be specialist products, like |
| start who does what and who is answerable to | | | | software programs, or they may be management |
| whom saves fuss and resentment later on in the | | | | products – that is, the documents that are produced |
| project. | | | | as tools for successful Project Management. |
| By following the PRINCE2TM organisational structure | | | | Your Configuration Librarian will look after your Project |
| you will ensure that all the major project interests are | | | | Plan, your Business Case, your Stage Plan and all |
| represented. | | | | those other necessary documents. Your Configuration |
| 3) Plans | | | | Librarian is a very important person. |
| Every successful project relies on minute planning. If | | | | It is also part of the librarian’s job to make sure that |
| you are prepared for every stage, for every obstacle | | | | any changes to the products are recorded, and that |
| and for every question that your customer or (worse) | | | | versions of the products at every stage are held in the |
| boss might ask, then you will be more respected as a | | | | archives. This means that when people disagree over |
| Project Manager, your project will not sink at the first | | | | what Project Plan #32.3 said in the paragraph about |
| challenge, and you will have the greatest possible | | | | the colour of the lawnmower, you simply have to go |
| chance of producing results to promised schedule, | | | | to your Configuration Librarian to find out. |
| budget and quality. | | | | 8) Change Management |
| 4) Controls | | | | Sometimes change is inevitable. The project |
| As Project Manager it is vital that you are in control of | | | | environment changes, the quality specification changes, |
| every aspect of your project, from the initial | | | | or perhaps project progress is not as strong as |
| decision-making to immediate awareness of any | | | | expected. |
| changes or risks that might affect your Project Plan. | | | | It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to |
| The PRINCE2TM method suggests a number of | | | | consider the impact of any changes and to put in |
| control mechanisms that enable freer communication | | | | place mechanisms for dealing with Requests for |
| channels and automatic responses to Project Issues. | | | | Change that come from any member of the Project |
| This means that you can relax, sure in the knowledge | | | | Team. |
| that if anything comes up, you will have enough | | | | If change is not managed correctly, then you could |
| warning and preparation to deal with it. | | | | wake up one morning to find your project has |
| 5) Management of Risk | | | | morphed into something you no longer recognise. |
| No project is totally watertight. Learning to anticipate, | | | | Using the PRINCE2TM Best Practices will not turn you |
| acknowledge and manage risks to your project is | | | | and your project into an overnight success. What it will |
| essential to Project Management success. | | | | do is ensure that the foundations for effective Project |
| PRINCE2TM risk analysis comes as a four-step plan: | | | | Management are in place. All you have to do is keep |
| • Identify the risk | | | | an eye on what’s going on, react to every |
| • Evaluate the impact that the risk could have | | | | challenge with nerve and brilliance, and communicate |
| on the project | | | | telepathically with every member of the Project Team. |
| • Consider suitable responses to the risk | | | | Easy-peasy. |
| • Decide which response is most suitable | | | | |