Introduction on PRINCE 2 Progress

What is Progress?

Progress is the measure of the achievement of the objectives of a plan. It can be monitored at w package stage and project level.

The purpose of the progress theme

The purpose of the progress theme is to establish mechanisms, to monitor and compare actual achievements against those planned. This provides a forecasts for the project objectives, and the project's continued viability and control any unacceptable deviations.

The principles of PRINCE2 are managing by stages, and continued business justification. The progress theme provides the mechanism for monitoring, and controls enabling the critical assessment of ongoing viability. This theme provides mechanisms for all management levels. Another PRINCE2 principle is that projects are managed by exception setting tolerances for project objectives to establish limits of delegated authority. The progress theme provides the mechanisms to monitor progress against the allowed tolerances and controls to escalate to the next level

Progress Controls

Control of progress is all about decision-making and is central to project management ensuring that the project remains viable against its approved business case.

Progress controls ensure that for each level of the project management team the next level of management can:

• Monitor progress

• Compare the level of achievement with plan

• Review plans and options against future situations

• Detect problems and identify risks

• Initiate corrective action

• Authorize further work

So the project board can monitor the progress of the management side of the projects. Over arching all of this corporate or program management can monitor the project in general to ensure that its actually operating within the project tolerances that have been set and of course if there is a forecast to exceed those tolerances the project board will need to report that back to corporate or program management.

Exceptions and Tolerance:

An exception is a situation where it can forecast that there will be a deviation beyond the agreed tolerance levels. Tolerances are the permissible deviations above and below plans target for time and cost without escalating the deviation to the next level of management. There may be tolerance levels for quality scope benefits and risk. If tolerances are not implemented there is no clear measure of discretion.