PRINCE2 Question on Stages

[Peter Loew]

Although the PRINCE2 book doesn't seem to explicitly say that you can't run Project Stages in parallel, it seems to imply that with the End Stage Reports, and with deciding whether or not it is feasible to move onto the next Stage.

Does anybody know if the PRINCE2 model allows Stages to be run in parallel? I can't find this in the book, but in the 'real world' I would think that you should be able to.

Any thoughts?

P

[malvolio]

Although the PRINCE2 book doesn't seem to explicitly say that you can't run Project Stages in parallel, it seems to imply that with the End Stage Reports, and with deciding whether or not it is feasible to move onto the next Stage.

Does anybody know if the PRINCE2 model allows Stages to be run in parallel? I can't find this in the book, but in the 'real world' I would think that you should be able to.

Any thoughts?

P

Never had a problem doing it myself, provided you have mapped out the subsidiary interdependencies. In the real word you often have to do n things at once. Prince2 assumes a linear progression through the process, which is why it reads the way it does. It also assumes that you can only have one Key Stage at a time, which is excellent methodology but not strictly true in the real world (where, in Prince2 terms, you're usually running n parallel, self-contained projects)

[Peter Loew]

Never had a problem doing it myself, provided you have mapped out the subsidiary interdependencies. In the real word you often have to do n things at once. Prince2 assumes a linear progression through the process, which is why it reads the way it does. It also assumes that you can only have one Key Stage at a time, which is excellent methodology but not strictly true in the real world (where, in Prince2 terms, you're usually running n parallel, self-contained projects)

By Key Stage I assume you mean 'Stage', since the terminology 'Key Stage' doesn't exist in Prince2. Why would you say this is excellent methodology? I agree, it looks great on paper, but if it is not a realistic solution to managing a project in the real world, then I personally would not call this methodology, 'excellent'.

Unless I'm missing something, Stages in Prince2 really need to be revisited.

For example when you have task x in Stage 2, that can start at the same time as task y in Stage 1, which I find all too often to be the case, must I break the Prince2 framework every time? Or simply rearrange my stages and sort them in terms of task timeline execution rather than where tasks logically belong in a particular Stage? This I find makes less sense and I avoid it.

P

[BrowneIssue]

Although the PRINCE2 book doesn't seem to explicitly say that you can't run Project Stages in parallel, it seems to imply that with the End Stage Reports, and with deciding whether or not it is feasible to move onto the next Stage.

Does anybody know if the PRINCE2 model allows Stages to be run in parallel? I can't find this in the book, but in the 'real world' I would think that you should be able to.

Any thoughts?

P

If you're feeling confident enough, yes. I have run stages that overlap and so were running in parallel. The same conditions on sign off / approval to continue were there, just a little more sophisticated than the manual implies.

I would not advise an inexperienced PM to do so, nor recommend it in an organisation with a low capability maturity - it is all to easy to cheat and stop adhering to the principles.