Activities of managing a stage boundary process

The Activities associated with stage boundary management process are:

• Planning for the next stage

• Updating project plan and the business case

• Reporting stage end

• Producing an exception plan

• Plan the next stage

The Stage Plan for the next stage is provided at the end of the ongoing stage. Then the project manager has to make consultations with the top level management such as project board members, team managers, and stakeholders, after which they can produce this plan. The basic steps in this activity are:

• Provide a stage plan for the next stage

• Check the PID

• Renew/ refurbish the issue and risk registers

• Revamp the quality register for management activities

Important steps for this activity are:

• PID review

• Producing the stage plan for the following stage

• Creation or updation of configuration item records for the products that will be produced in the next stage

• Updating quality register for planned quality management activities

• Update the project plan

The project plan should be updated to assimilate the actual progress from the stage just completing and forecasts from the exception plan for the stage about to begin. The basic steps in this activity are:

• Renew the project plan with actual progress

• Renew/ refurbish the issue and risk registers if required

• The project plan should be updated with the forecasts from the exception

• Plan for the later stage

• Update the business case

Before entering into the next stage, it is necessary to establish a continued business justification for the project. The business case needs to emulate the changes internally and externally regarding the project products and business environments. The business case defines the success of the project by stating the costs, quality and benefits associated with the project. The basic steps in this activity are:

• Update the benefits review plan

• Check the issue register for the issues which impacts the business plan

• Renew/ refurbish the issue and risk registers if required

• Update the business case and benefits review plan and keep it ready for the project approval

• Study the impact of changes in the project plan on the transmission of expected benefits

• If required update the issue and risk registers

Reports stage end

The final result of the stage should be reported to the Project Board, this will clearly show the progress to the project management team. The project manager given an complete overview of the project to the team members. The basic steps in this activity are:

• Check the business case

• Ensuring that the activities in the benefits review plan are updated

• Ensuring that the objectives of the stage as defined in the stage plan are met

• Preparation of an end stage report

• Get an approval for the stage plan and the exception plan

Produce an exception plan

In any situation, if it is observed that the project or stage is going out of the projected track, then it will be difficult to get an approval for this project from the project board. The Project Board may request for an Exception plan. The approval for the exception plan from the project board members will create a new stage boundary. The basic steps in this activity are:

• PID Updates

• Creating an Exception Plan

• Reviewing the Quality Register

• Renew or refurbish the issue and risk registers if required.