Chapter 5

Directing a Project

In This Chapter

Understanding where the authority lies

Knowing the key Project Board decision points

Being clear on the boundary between the Project Manager and the board

Practising with some questions

In terms of the number and nature of the activities involved, Directing a Project is one of the smaller processes. But you need to be very clear that in PRINCE2 this process is where the main authority resides. Yes, the organisation has an overall interest in the project, and the Project Manager has (perhaps substantial) delegated authority for day-to-day management. However, the Project Board is the body charged with making sure that the project runs properly and delivers what it’s supposed to, and it’s the Project Board to whom the Project Manager is primarily accountable. It’s the Project Board’s project.

In terms of the structure of the method, this process is particularly significant, because it covers decisions at key points in the project, punctuating the running of the other processes. Chapter 19 has more on key points for Project Board decision making.

This chapter covers some key revision points for the Project Board work covered in the process Directing a Project and provides some questions at both Foundation and Practitioner levels to help you practise for questions in the exams.

In this book, cross references to a section in the PRINCE2 manual are shown like this: [Manual 3.2.1]. Cross references to a section in PRINCE2 For Dummies are shown like this: [P2FD Ch11 Justifying the Project].