Managing Stage Boundaries is one of seven processes that make up

PRINCE2 PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a structured project management method and practitioner certification programme. PRINCE2 emphasises dividing projects into manageable and controllable stages. It is adopted in many countries wor ...

, a systematic approach to

project management Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...

developed by the UK's

Office of Government Commerce The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) was a Government of the United Kingdom, UK Government Office established as part of HM Treasury in 2000. It was moved into the Efficiency and Reform Group of the Cabinet Office in 2010, before being closed ...

and used widely in UK government and industry. The fundamental principle of Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) is to ensure that, at the end of each stage, the project stays focused on delivering business benefit.

Description

Managing Stage Boundaries (SB) is one of seven processes outlined by PRINCE2. It is a decision point in the continuity of the

project A project is a type of assignment, typically involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a specific objective. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be ...

, from which the project will be either continued as planned, adjusted or stopped. The process involves reviewing the current stage (is the business case still valid, should we proceed to the next stageManaging Project Boundaries: Stages, Phases, Milestones
/ref>), preparing for the next one, and selecting information which can be of use later in the project. The process is managed by the Project Manager, who informs the Project Board of the likelihood of success in attaining the project's business objective, project plan, together with associated

risk In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environ ...

s and issues. If the Project Board is satisfied with the current stage end and the next stage plan, the project is permitted to continue. Managing Stage Boundaries is therefore a vital process in the management of the project. The objectives of the process are: *To prove to the Project Board that all the products in the current stage are included and defined *To provide the information required by the Project Board to assess if the project is still viable *To obtain authorisation, and margins of tolerance, for the next stage *To record any information or lessons which might be useful in later stages or in other projects The products of the process (outputs) are: * Current Plan actuals, used for showing the improvements from the original Stage Plan. The Stage Plan represents the basis of the Project Manager's day-to-day control and identifies in detail key

deliverable A deliverable is a tangible or intangible good or service produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered to a customer (either internal or external). A deliverable could be a report, a document, a software product, a server upgr ...

resource ''Resource'' refers to all the materials available in our environment which are Technology, technologically accessible, Economics, economically feasible and Culture, culturally Sustainability, sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and want ...

requirements and the

total cost In economics, total cost (TC) is the minimum financial cost of producing some quantity of output. This is the total economic cost of production and is made up of variable cost, which varies according to the quantity of a good produced and includ ...

. * Next Stage Plan, which represents the actual information stage with added facts and information, and forms part of the Project Board's assessment criteria for continuation of the project. * Revised Project Plan. The Project Plan gives an overview of the total project, identifies key deliverables,

requirements, the total cost, and major control points within the project, such as stage boundaries. It is used by the Project Board to measure the progress made and is revised and updated to reflect the latest understanding of the project. * Updated Risk Log, provides identification,

estimation Estimation (or estimating) is the process of finding an estimate or approximation, which is a value that is usable for some purpose even if input data may be incomplete, uncertain, or unstable. The value is nonetheless usable because it is d ...

, impact evaluation and

countermeasure A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept, it implies precision and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process. The fi ...

s for all risks of the project. It is created during the start-up and developed during the life of the project and is used by the Project Board to check the viability of the project. * Revised

Business case A business case captures the reasoning for initiating a project or task. Many projects, but not all, are initiated by using a business case. It is often presented in a well-structured written document, but may also come in the form of a short ver ...

. The Business Case is a part of the project mandate and is produced before the project is initiated. It includes the reasons for the project, expected business benefits, expected costs and expected risks. The ongoing viability of the project is monitored by the Project Board against this Business Case, which is updated with any new changes. * Lessons Learned Report, describing lessons learned from any events occurring in each stage. * Revised Project Management Team List This team comprises the entire management structure of Project Board,

project manager A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the Project planning, planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined star ...

, plus any Team Managers and project assurance roles. The team is checked and changes are updated if there are any. * End Stage Report, given by the Project Manager to the Project Board and containing the results achieved during the stage.

References

* Office of Government Commerce (2005), ''Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2'' (PRINCE2 Manual), The Stationery Office, (Official PRINCE2 publication), which represented the main inspiration. * Newman, Pippa (1997), ''Professionalism in Project Management'' (Digest No: 1997/373), PRINCE2 roject management method pages 1–2 * Bradley, Ken (2002), ''Passing the PRINCE2 examinations'', London: The Stationery Office

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.axelos.com/best-practice-solutions/prince2
Managing a Stage Boundary Process in PRINCE2 wiki
PRINCE2