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PRINCE2 2009 - Managing a Stage Boundary part 9

Activities

Produce an Exception Plan

If a stage or the project is forecast to deviate beyond its agreed tolerances, it no longer has the approval of the Project Board.
Exception Plans are requested by the Project Board in response to an Exception Report.

Although an Exception Plan will be produced prior to the planned stage boundary, its approval by the Project Board marks a stage boundary for the revised stage.

Planning is not an activity undertaken in isolation.
The Project Manager will need to consult with Project Board members, Project Assurance, Team Managers and possibly other stakeholders in order to create a viable plan.
The more people involved in planning, the more robust the plan will be.
See the section covering ‘Plans’ for more details on planning.

Diagram 1 shows the inputs to, and outputs from, this activity.

Managing a Stage Boundary exception plan diagram 1 smallManaging a Stage Boundary exception plan diagram 1

Diagram 1

PRINCE2® recommends the following actions:

  • Update the Issue Register (and, if necessary, the Issue Report) to record the Project Board’s request for an Exception Plan
  • Review and, if needed, update the Project Initiation Documentation. It may be necessary to consult with the Project Board regarding any required changes. The following should be reviewed:
  • The customer’s quality expectations – do they remain unchanged?
  • The relevance and suitability of the project approach, the strategies and controls
  • Any change in the project management team or their role descriptions (in particular the situation with regard to external resources or suppliers as these may affect the Exception Plan)
  • Produce the Exception Plan:
  • Examine the Stage Plan to define the products required for the stage
  • Examine the Exception Report for details (such as recommended actions) that will contribute to the Exception Plan
  • If the Exception Plan requires new products to be created, then examine the Quality Management Strategy for the quality standards and procedures required
  • Update the product breakdown structure, Product Descriptions and product flow diagram for the products to be delivered by the Exception Plan
  • Update the Quality Register for planned quality management activities
  • Create (or update) Configuration Item Records for products to be produced by the Exception Plan
  • Update the Issue Register and Risk Register if any new issues or risks have been identified (or if existing ones need to be modified)
  • Update the Quality Register for planned quality management activities. This should include target review and approval dates for the products

Diagram 2 shows the responsibilities for this activity.

Managing a Stage Boundary exception plan diagram 2 smallManaging a Stage Boundary exception plan diagram 2

Diagram 2

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Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2 - 2005 edition
Managing successful Projects with PRINCE2 – 2009 edition
Directing Projects with PRINCE2.
plus:
The Complete Project Management package.

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