What Are The 7 Processes of PRINCE2?

PRINCE2 is a process-based approach widely used across several industries to manage various project types. This approach divides a project into separate stages, promising effective management across each aspect. There are primarily 7 Processes of PRINCE2. Each process represents a particular objective and task that needs to be executed and then completed. Once these stages are executed, organisations can effectively plan, monitor, and control their projects. Following this approach can result in a successful project that delivers better value to stakeholders with optimised resources and little to no associated risk factors.

Let us provide you with a detailed overview of each of the stages and also highlight how important they are in project management.

What are the 7 Processes of PRINCE2?

Under the PRINCE2 methodology, the 7 processes provide an organised framework for managing challenging projects effectively. It is like a tiered guide that helps project managers and teams identify and work through the various tiers of a project’s life cycle.

Each stage of this process plays a key role in highlighting specified tasks and creating strategies to perform them well with tailored approaches. Therefore, let us navigate through each of these phases to understand what responsibilities are usually associated with each stage.

➢   Directing a Project (DP)

DP provides overall direction and decision-making authority to the project’s governance board. It involves authorising the establishment of the project and reviewing the project’s progress against business objectives. It encompasses various crucial tasks, such as,

• Authorise project initiation
• Review and approve stage plans
• Provide ad hoc direction
• Authorise project closure.

➢   Starting up a Project (SU)

SU is actually the pre-project initiation phase. It is the PRINCE2 phase where project feasibility is calculated. During this Prince2 process, the project scope and objective are defined properly. It creates a foundation on which the project would work. Certain key activities are:

• Defining project scope and objectives
• Preparing the project brief
• Appointing the project management team
• Identifying stakeholders and what their expectations are

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➢   Initiating the Project (IP)

IP entails the formal beginning of the project and involves the following activities,

• Developing the business case
• Defining project management approach
• Creating the Project Initiation Documentation (PID)
• Identifying project risks and developing risk management strategies.

➢   Managing Stage Boundaries (SB)

This stage can be perceived as a checkpoint for projects. Under this stage, the project board reviews the current stage’s progress and updates the plan as per the retrieved insights. Here are some of the tasks a project manager undertakes in this stage:

• Updating the project plan, using PRINCE2 Project Planning, to highlight alignment of the current project stage with the given timelines.
• Planning the next management stage
• Reviewing the business case
• Documenting a report on the management stage
• Developing an exception plan
• Compiling reports on insights that could potentially help the project in future.

➢   Controlling a Stage (CS)

CS is responsible for monitoring and controlling the work at each stage of the project. It involves authorising work packages, monitoring progress against stage plans and reporting progress to the stakeholders and board. Here are some of the crucial activities that are carried out during this stage:

• Authorising specific work packages
• Monitoring the progress of each work package and submitting it to the project manager for review
• Evaluating the overall progress of the management stage
• Assessing and capturing issues and risks
• Implementing corrective actions to address any deviations from the plan.

➢   Managing Product Delivery (MP)

Moving on to the next stage of the PRINCE2 7 processes is the MP, which focuses on the efficient delivery of project products or outputs by the project team. There are primarily three main activities carried out in this phase, and they include,

• Accepting a work package
• Supervising the execution of all allocated tasks
• Sending the deliverables for review

➢   Closing a Project (CP)

As the name suggests, CP refers to the last stage of the 7 PRINCE2 processes. This stage requires project managers to perform a formally controlled close to the project, which can later be shared with the board to receive a final confirmation. It includes the following key activities,

• Formally ending all project-based tasks
• Identifying any subsequent actions or pending activities
• Verifying that all objectives set out in the PID have been achieved
• Updating the issue register

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Conclusion

To sum up, these 7 processes of PRINCE2 offer a systematic and structured approach to the project management lifecycle. They help ensure that projects are well-planned, controlled, and ultimately successful in delivering value to stakeholders. If you’re looking for reasons to get Prince2 certified, this streamlined approach to project management followed by PRINCE2 should be a reason enough to get you started.

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