PRINCE2- Managing a Stage Boundary

The purpose of the managing a stage boundary process is to enable the project manager to provide the project board with sufficient information to be able to:

• review the success of the current management stage
• approve the next stage plan
• review the updated project plan
• confirm continued business justification and acceptability of the risks.

Therefore, the process should be executed at, or close to, the end of each management stage. Projects do not always go to plan and in response to an exception report (if the management stage or project is forecast to exceed its tolerances) the project board may request that the current management stage (and possibly the project) is replanned. The output from replanning is an exception plan which is submitted for project board approval in the same way that a stage plan is submitted for approval.

The objective of the managing a stage boundary process is to:

• assure the project board that all products in the stage plan for the current management stage have been completed and approved
• prepare the stage plan for the next management stage
• review and, if necessary, update the PID; in particular the business case, project plan, project approaches, project management team structure and role descriptions
• provide the information needed for the project board to assess the continuing viability of the project
• record any information or lessons that can help later management stages of this project and/or other projects
• request authorization to start the next management stage.

For exceptions, the objectives of the managing a stage boundary process are to:

• review and, if necessary, update the PID; in particular the customer's quality expectations, project approaches and controls, and role descriptions
• provide the information needed for the project board to assess the continuing viability of the project
• prepare an exception plan as directed by the project board
• seek approval to replace the project plan or stage plan for the current management stage with the exception plan.

The activities within the managing a stage boundary process are project manager oriented and are to:

• plan the next management stage
• update the project plan
• update the business case
• report management stage end
• produce an exception plan.