PRINCE2 Accelerator

This section contains the following topics:

Why Use the PRINCE2 Methodology?

It is a project management methodology consisting of various processes and controls that you can apply through the life cycle of a project. You can use PRINCE2 to identify the roles involved in a project and the tasks to assign to those roles and when. The set of processes and controls used by the PRINCE2 methodology help you structure your project and identify the type of information needed throughout the project's life cycle.

The PRINCE2 methodology also helps you divide your project into manageable stages, allowing you to plan ahead more realistically, and call on your resources at the time they are most needed. By incorporating the PRINCE2 methodology in the management of your projects, you can get the following:

A valid business case for your project that has been thoroughly reviewed.
A defined organization structure for the project management team.
The involvement of management and stakeholders at the right time during the project life cycle.
A controlled and organized project structure with regular reviews of progress against original plan and the business case.
The flexibility to apply the controls and processes at a level appropriate to the project. PRINCE2 can be applied to any project.
A common language for all participants in the project. The various roles and responsibilities involved in a project are fully described and are adaptable to suit the complexity of the project and skills of the organization.

How to Use the PRINCE2 Methodology?

There are a variety of ways an organization can implement and manage their projects using the P2 methodology. For example, consider a financial institution that handles everything to do with banking. They are headquartered in the U.K. but have several hundred offices in different countries. They have a project management office that includes a PRINCE2 certified project manager and project support staff. They are currently in the process of adopting PRINCE2 methodology. The PRINCE2 project manager needs to create various reports (controls) throughout the various stages of the project. The goal is to have the reports reviewed and approved in a timely manner and any requests for changes to the reports sent back immediately to the project manager.

The following are some sample workflows involving different PRINCE2 players that can be associated with the above scenario:

Flow 1: PRINCE2 Project Manager Creates a Report

Project manager creates a PRINCE2 report in CA Clarity PPM and submits for review.
Project manager initiates the document review and approval process manually.
Project Board members receive a notification to review the report.
Various Project Board members review and approve the report.
Any changes needed are communicated back to the project manager.
Project manager views report status from the PRINCE2 Dashboard, Project Report Status portlet.
If report is rejected, project manager makes changes and resubmits the report.

Flow 2: Project Board Member Reviews a Report

Project Board member receives a notification asking them to review a specific report.
Project Board member navigates to the Action Items portlet in the CA Clarity PPM Organizer.
Project Board member selects the appropriate action item and drills down to the actual report.
Project Board member reviews the actual report contents and either approves or rejects report.
The approval status of the report changes and is reflected in Reports list view portlet, report properties page, and Project Report Status portlet.

Flow 3: PRINCE2 Senior Executive/Senior User Drills Down to a Project from the Executive Dashboard

In CA Clarity PPM, senior executive navigates to the Executive Dashboard.
Senior executive selects the Project Status tab.
Senior executive sees a project that is running behind schedule and falling behind the desired run rate for products completed.
Senior executive selects the specific project to drill down for more details.
At the project level, senior executive navigates to the task list and selects the product breakdown structure filter.
Senior executive drills down to the product details and notices that no one is allocated to a particular product.
Senior executive makes an informed decision on an appropriate response once a checkpoint report is routed to him for review and approval for this specific project.

PRINCE2 Accelerator Overview

CA Clarity PPM Accelerator for PRINCE2 (PRINCE2 Accelerator) is an add-in that consists of a set of dashboards, portlets, subpages, and processes that allow you to reflect your interpretation and implementation of the PRINCE2 project management methodology. This add-in provides a subset of all the forms from the official PRINCE2 content provided by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC).

Note: For more information about the PRINCE2 methodology, go to http://www.ogc.gov.uk/methods_prince_2.asp.

Note: To download additional PRINCE2 document templates for free, go to http://www.prince2.com/prince2-downloads.asp.

The PRINCE2 Accelerator includes the PRINCE2 Project Template. You must associate your projects with this template to access the following project subpages exclusive to PRINCE2:

PRINCE2™
Product Description
Project Initiation Document
Stage Plan
Checkpoint Report
Highlight Report
Exception Report
End Stage Report
Lessons Learned Report

The PRINCE2 project management methodology is a product-based planning approach. With the PRINCE2 Accelerator, you can track the progress of project tasks as individual products. This add-in allows you to label the CA Clarity PPM project tasks as products and manage them as you would manage products in a PRINCE2 methodology.

This add-in provides you with a starting point to implement the PRINCE2 methodology into your existing project management system and customize it to the unique requirements of your organization. The content and pages that come with PRINCE2 Accelerator are configurable using Studio. You can add attributes and forms yourself or have your CA Technology Services (CATS) engagement manager assist you.

You can roll up PRINCE2 projects into other programs and portfolios like you can other CA Clarity PPM projects. They are displayed in various portfolio and program dashboards and dashboard layouts. They are also included in CA Clarity PPM reports.

Access Groups

The PRINCE2 Accelerator includes certain access groups. The content included with this add-in is designed for these access groups. Each access group is associated with certain access rights which allow group members access to secured pages, portlets, and reports.

In addition to the required access rights, you must be associated with that same entity associated with the PRINCE2 project. This ensures full visibility and access to a project.

Note: See the Administration Guide for more information. on how to associate users with an OBS.

Note: See the Entity section in the Administration Guide for more information on OBS.

The following describes the access groups:

PRINCE2 Project Managers. This access group is mainly concerned with the direction and performance of investments under their scope. This type of resource may be non-technical. Members of the PRINCE2 Project Manager group monitor, review, and approve portfolios of projects under them. They have create, view, and edit access to PRINCE2 projects, subobjects, and project dashboards. This group does not have access to executive dashboard or portlets and other PRINCE2 management control dashboards.
PRINCE2 Project Support Staff. This access group is mainly concerned with monitoring and working on individual tasks and action items. Each member enters time and updates tasks. This type of resource has view access rights to some portlets and the right to conduct peer reviews of the various PRINCE2 controls within their projects.
PRINCE2 Senior Supplier. This access group includes team members but they play a more senior supervisory or senior resource role in the project. Members enter time and update tasks. They are members of the Project Board but may have additional supervisory or senior roles. As such, they both review and edit the various PRINCE2 controls (reports) for the projects that they are members of.
PRINCE2 Executive/Senior User group. This access group has the right to approve or reject the various PRINCE2 controls and has access to all PRINCE2 projects, subobjects, project dashboards, and executive dashboards.
PRINCE2 Administrator group. This access group has full access to the PRINCE2 sub-page under the Project Properties page.

More information:

Access Rights (PRINCE2)

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