6.1 Overview of PRINCE2 7 Process Model & Flow

6.1 Overview of PRINCE2 7 Process Model & Flow

In PRINCE2 7, project management is executed through a structured, step-by-step process model. A process is defined as a structured set of activities designed to accomplish a specific objective. It takes one or more defined inputs and turns them into defined outputs.

The PRINCE2 7 methodology structures the project lifecycle into 7 distinct processes. These processes guide the project management team from the initial trigger before the project officially exists, through stage-by-stage planning and execution, to formal project closure and handover.

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The 7 PRINCE2 7 Processes

To manage a project effectively, PRINCE2 breaks down the management lifecycle into seven processes, each assigned to specific management roles and project phases:

1. Starting Up a Project (SU): A pre-project process designed to ensure that the prerequisites for initiating a project are in place. It answers the fundamental question: Do we have a viable and worthwhile project?
2. Directing a Project (DP): The overarching governance process owned by the Project Board. It runs continuously from pre-project startup through to final closure, enabling the Project Board to make key decision-gate approvals and exercise control while delegating day-to-day management.
3. Initiating a Project (IP): Performed during the first management stage (the Initiation Stage). It establishes solid project foundations, defining the 6 performance targets, management approaches, and assembling the Project Initiation Documentation (PID).
4. Controlling a Stage (CS): The day-to-day management process owned by the Project Manager during delivery stages. It covers work package assignment, monitoring progress, managing risks and issues, and taking corrective action.
5. Managing Product Delivery (MPD): The technical execution process owned by the Team Manager. It controls the interface between the Project Manager and the specialist team members who build and test the deliverables.
6. Managing a Stage Boundary (SB): Performed near the end of each management stage (except the final stage). The Project Manager reviews current stage performance, updates the overall Project Plan and Business Case, and prepares the plan for the next stage.
7. Closing a Project (CP): Performed during the final stage to prepare for formal project decommissioning, ensuring deliverables are handed over, benefits ownership is assigned, and lessons are documented.

Comparison of the 7 PRINCE2 7 Processes

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The 4 Levels of Management & Process Ownership

PRINCE2 7 enforces a clear separation of governance, management, and technical delivery by structuring project management into 4 distinct levels of management:

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| 1. Corporate, Programme Management, or Customer (Triggers Mandate)    |
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| 2. Directing Level: Project Board (Owns DP Process)                   |
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| 3. Managing Level: Project Manager (Owns SU, IP, CS, SB, CP Processes)|
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| 4. Delivering Level: Team Manager(s) (Owns MPD Process)               |
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• Corporate, Programme Management, or Customer: Operating outside the project management team, this entity provides the initial Project Mandate, sets high-level project tolerances, and receives post-project benefits.
• Directing (Project Board): Responsible for overall project success, strategic direction, key decision-gate approvals, and management by exception (DP process).
• Managing (Project Manager): Responsible for day-to-day management within agreed stage tolerances, coordinating plans, and managing team deliverables (SU, IP, CS, SB, CP processes).
• Delivering (Team Manager / Specialist Team): Responsible for creating, testing, and delivering the specialist products specified in assigned Work Packages (MPD process).

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Timeline and Process Flow Across Project Phases

The PRINCE2 7 process flow moves logically through four distinct project phases:

1. Pre-Project Phase: Triggered by a Project Mandate. The SU process is executed to confirm project viability. The Project Board uses the DP process to authorize the Initiation Stage.
2. Initiation Stage: The IP process is executed to produce the PID and Benefits Management Approach. Near the end of the stage, the Project Manager uses SB (or IP directly) to prepare for the next stage. The Project Board uses DP to authorize the overall project and commit delivery funds.
3. Delivery Stages: The Project Manager uses CS to assign work packages, while Team Managers use MPD to execute them. As each stage ends, the Project Manager uses SB to report performance and plan the next stage, while the Project Board uses DP to authorize the next stage plan.
4. Final Stage & Closure: During the final delivery stage, product delivery continues via CS and MPD. When all products are complete, the Project Manager executes CP to prepare closure. The Project Board uses DP to authorize formal project closure.

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Process Alignment with PRINCE2 Principles

Every process within PRINCE2 7 is designed to embed the 7 core PRINCE2 principles:

• Continued Business Justification: The Business Case is created in SU, baselined in IP, updated in SB, and verified by DP at every stage boundary.
• Manage by Stages: Projects are mandatorily divided into at least two management stages: an Initiation Stage and at least one Delivery Stage.
• Manage by Exception: Process triggers depend on tolerance levels. As long as stage tolerances are not breached in CS, the PM manages without Board intervention.
• Focus on Products: Planning within SU, IP, and SB uses Product-Based Planning to define outputs before scheduling activities.