Project Management Objectives - PRINCE2 10 Ideas To Consider

PRINCE2 is a commonly used technique in which objectives are a principal aspect of the project management plan. They should be set and agreed ahead of time. Project progression is measured against the objectives.

The milestone:

Once these are reached, and objectives have been suitably reviewed, approval may be granted for the release of resource for the following phase of the plan. The following phase, and any new objectives, will need additional information and agreement.

The monitoring process:

There are usually a couple of elements to this. The first one is ensuring the project management objectives are met and the second one is just how you arrived at them, that is, the actual process. Are there any object lessons to be learned?

The Progress theme:

The Progress theme, within PRINCE2 examines the methods for keeping track of the actual progression against that intended. Additionally, it offers a projection of the project objectives with control of any changes from what could be anticipated, i.e.,, the discrepancies that are not within tolerable limits.

Authority and tolerance:

We appreciate that the PRINCE2 procedure uses management by exception. This is only achievable by using objectives with established tolerances. These have a direct impact on the level of authority of people to act. If a tolerance is specified at' 5 units' and the result is' 4 units' the manager knows he can continue with no recourse to a higher level of authority. Only when an objective limitation is surpassed will he need to consult a higher level. This is the purpose of tolerances, they enable a person to choose to proceed or not. Of course, this is the principal element for managing by exception. Senior management just have to learn about deviations that deviate from the intended schedule.

The configuration of the tolerances can be a complicated process involving work to establish critical limits for quality.

Any generation of project management objectives and their linked tolerances requires a formal systematic approach. Otherwise, it is probable that various features of the objectives will be neglected.

Timing of control processes:

Bear in mind, that any control processes should be put in place in good time to ensure restorative action may be taken. So, objectives and milestones should be distributed fairly evenly across the project. Not too many, however enough, to acquire suitable control. Always review a schedule and challenge the quantity and frequency of objectives and milestones.

Management of risk:

All projects must have a little management of risk implemented. It is useless having milestones and objectives, regardless of how frequently, if you have a limited idea of the chance of certain events occurring that could upset the project plan.

The Gantt chart:

The usefulness of any project will only become apparent as soon as the project timetable, with objectives, is produced. The timings and other information will be less accurate at the beginning of the project. Under PRINCE2 2009 see the section 'Plans - The PRINCE2 approach - Prepare the schedule'.

Bad objectives:

In PRINCE2 any project should be feasible as shown in the Business Case and fall in line with corporate strategies. If this is not the situation then a company could be managing different projects with inconsistent objectives. Indeed, these could be duplicated.

Delegation and authority:

PRINCE2 builds authority from one level to the next by delegating it downwards. This enables management by exception by establishing tolerances against 6 objectives at each level of the plan. That is, quality, scope, time (task duration), cost (budgets), risk and benefit.

Closing the project:

This is the opportunity to guarantee that each objective referred to in the project plan has been fulfilled. When this happens the project has nothing left to attain.

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