Introducing 'PrinceLite'
PrinceLite is a framework for project delivery, not project management for its own sake. It may be termed lightweight but that is not meant to imply it is suitable only for small projects: it is suitable for any size project. PrinceLite is a 'dialect' of Prince2™ (a means of configuring Prince2); it informs which project artefacts are most important to project delivery.
Define agility
Although this is not the place to re-state the definition of 'Agile', the validity of Agile governance takes advantage of the principle of 'Self-Similarity'. Self-similarity states that we can copy the structure of Agile Practice into a new context at different scales. Here governance is the subject over which the practices are applied.
To some the ‘Agile’ means 'no paperwork', which has the effect of precluding the idea of project governance altogether. That is fine for some projects, but not for others. Either the project is too big, or the culture of the organisation requires a mechanism (often an illusion) of 'control'. PL does not attempt to deliver project control, rather it is a mechanism for:
Project contemplation
- should we do this project over that project. (Soon to be explored in the subject of 'Enterprise Value Analysis'. )
Project progress reporting
- should we keep funding this project
- are we gaining business value
- is the measureable benefit greater than the direct cost
PrinceLite adopts concepts from Prince2, PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), RUP, Agile, DSDM, in fact from everywhere. For instance the RUP/UPL model of inception, elaboration, construction and transition is used and combined with a business project lifecycle that runs concurrently. This is useful where software is being built in-house (with or without a 3rd party/onshore or off) and scope is tightly bounded. It is unnecessary where teams are engaged in evolutionary improvement of what already exists (i.e. the 'continuous' project).