PRINCE2 Plans - Levels,
Types and Scope
by Guy Holford
February 2006
Planning is a major topic in PRINCE2 but can also be a source
of confusion for those starting with the method. Because working
plans of some kind - either creating them or reading them - are
familiar to all project managers and for most people working as team
members, this can lead to an failure to understand how plans are
intended for use in PRINCE2.
For many people working on a project, the "plan" means that Gantt chart
that the project manager spends a lot of time updating, but never seems
to reflect the reality of the project situation.
For those working on contracts, the plan is often given great
attention at the bid stage - where it contains fine detail about tasks,
schedules and costs down to the last penny - only to be virtually
abandoned later as the "real work" of the project gets going.
PRINCE2 treats plans (as a component)
and planning (as a process) as
things that support the project at various levels and places by
performing multiple duties.
Levels
Firstly, PRINCE2 defines three levels of plan: Project, Stage and Team. In fact, planning at the
project level is the only thing mandated by the method (i.e. you have
to have some kind of plan
for the project, don't you?). However, in keeping with the
Project-Stage nature of PRINCE2, you are encouraged to create Stage
Plans that are limited to the scope of the stage. They must be
consistent with the Project Plan of course, but might be more
detailed. The Team Plan is reserved for situations where the
complexity of a stage is high or there are natural boundaries, for
instance been internal and external teams working on the same stage.
Content
PRINCE2 prescribes the technique of Product Based Planning,
which the manual describes in some detail. This does not mean,
however, that the Product Breakdown Structure, Product Flow Diagrams
and Product Descriptions resulting from that activity are the only
constituents of the plan. Rather, it moves the emphasis of
planning away from conventional tasks and towards Products (i.e.
deliverable things). This is generally seen as a good thing,
although experience suggests that recidivism towards the conventional
planning taking centre stage is common. In my opinion this is
likely to be because the prevelant tools for "planning" pull strongly
in that direction.
Other than specifying Product Based Planning technique,
PRINCE2 takes a very broad view of what you should include in your
plans. As ever, PRINCE2 gives you a comprehensive list of what
you really ought to consider including, leaving it up to the individual
or organisation to make sensible, informed choices. This can be
both a blessing and a curse as you can be assured of pull towards best
practice, but must work out for yourself what is important - and
justify it. Some people might wish for a more prescriptive method
where less thinking and more doing is required.
Exception Plans
An Exception Plan is required whenever part of the project is
predicted to go outside it's tolerances. People encountering the
concept of Exception Plan for the first time sometimes think that it's
a different type of plan from a Project or Stage Plan. In fact
it's just a potential replacement for the plan that covers that part of
the project that is in exception. So if a Stage is going to
exceed its tolerances, your Exception Plan will replace the Stage Plan
and be of the same design. It's intended to cover a different
time period however: from "now" to the end of the orginal planning
period.
Technically, you could simply replace the existing plan with
the appropriate Exception Plan but don't forget that you need the
approval of the Project Board to replace a Stage Plan and the approval
of wider corporate management to replace a Project Plan.