10 Progress 10.2.2 What are progress controls? Progress controls ensure that for each level of the project management team the next level of management can: Monitor progress Compare level of achievement with plan Review plans and options against future 10.1 PurPose The purpose of the Progress theme is to establish mechanisms to monitor and compare actual achievements against those planned; provide a forecast for the project objectives and the project's continued viability; and control any unacceptable deviations. Two of the principles of PRINCE2 are managing by stages and continued business justification. The Progress theme provides the mechanisms for monitoring and control, enabling the critical assessment of ongoing viability. The Progress theme provides such mechanisms for all management levels (delivering, managing, directing) within the project management team, and for corporate or programme management outside the project. Another PRINCE2 principle is that projects are managed by exception, setting tolerances for project objectives to establish limits of delegated authority. Tolerances define the amount of discretion that each management level can exercise without the need to refer up to the next level for approval. The Progress theme provides the mechanisms to monitor progress against the allowed tolerances, and the controls to escalate to the next level should any forecast suggest that one or more tolerances will be exceeded. Control of progress is all about decision making and is central to project management, ensuring that the project remains viable against its approved Business Case. situations Detect problems and identify risks Initiate corrective action Authorize further work. 10.2.3 exceptions and tolerances An exception is a situation where it can be forecast that there will be a deviation beyond the agreed tolerance levels. Tolerances are the permissible deviation above and below a plan's target for time and cost without escalating the deviation to the next level of management. There may also be tolerance levels for quality, scope, benefit and risk. If tolerances are not implemented, there is no clear measure of discretion if things do not go to plan. For example, if every minor deviation is escalated to the Project Board, the Project Manager is merely monitoring the work and making no effort to implement corrective action ­ clearly unsatisfactory from the Project Board members' point of view. In effect, the Project Board is having to do the Project Manager's job. On the other hand, if the Project Manager carries on working to put things right, implementing corrective actions, there is the risk that Project Board members will see this as exceeding the Project Manager's (unwritten) discretion, and will question why the problems were not escalated earlier. In this instance, the Project Manager is seen as taking on the Project Board's role. Table 10.1 describes where tolerances may be usefully applied and shows in which management product they are documented. 10.2 Progress defined 10.2.1 What is progress? Progress is the measure of the achievement of the objectives of a plan. It can be monitored at Work Package, stage and project level.