Behind the scenes: Complete Prince2 Health Check explained

http://www.healthcheck-online.com contains various Prince2 health checks. The biggest of them all is the complete Prince2 health check with 202 questions. In this article you can find the description of this health check and the way I use them to check current (or closed) projects.

First of all a small description of Prince2.

PRINCE2 is applicable to all types of projects, and has a great flexibility. Aspects of the method that do not apply to (or are not useful for) a particular project can be skipped.

PRINCE2 has the following fundamental principles of good project management: A project is a finite process with a clear beginning and end. Projects must always be controlled in order to be successful.

The main features of PRINCE2 are:

• Business Case: Business justification of the project (which benefits contributes the project for the organization, how does the project contribute to the corporate goal).
• Product Based Planning: A planning based on the products that should delivered.
  Organisation: Defined organizational structure for the project (project manager, business executive, project board, etc.).
• Stages: controlable and checkable project stages.
• Management by Exception: The project board comes together only when strictly necessary.

The Prince2 method consists of 8 processes, 8 components and 3 techniques. The premise of this method is that the decision takers (project board) only meet if the project is beyond the preset limits.

This complete online Prince2 Health Check contains all checks as described in Appendix D of the Prince2 manual.

The complete health check is used by me if a project is reaching the end or is closed already. Issues from the health check are used as a check list for the project end report or the lessons learned report. They help my organisation to improve the project management proces.

I try to prevent using this complete health check bacause it is a lengthy check lists and the lessons are learned at the end of the project. Ofcourse we try to improve during the project at f.e. the startup or intiation stage.

Allthough I created the website http://www.healthcheck-online.com I use (or used) an excel spreadsheet for each project. I use the comply or explain principle which means that is an question was answered with yes no further explanition from the project manager was needed. If the answer was no the project manager had to explain why not.

Answerring the question was done in an interview perform by the project secretary. If a project manager answered that the project had a risk log the project secretary then could ask the project manager where he could find this risk log.

In this way the project administration was also checked and the filing of the project documents could also be checked. It also caused or created a better co-operation and communication between the project management office and the project manager.

If you want to use the complete prince2 health check, click here. (If you want the excel spreadsheet then send me a message).