PRINCE2 7 Foundation · Study lesson 32
Manage an authorised stage
Coordinate work, evidence and corrective action inside the delegated boundary.
10 minute study lesson · Processes · Original learning material
What you will understand
- Identify the project manager’s control activities within a stage.
- Explain how authorised work packages connect planning and delivery.
- Distinguish corrective action within authority from a forecast exception.
The idea
An approved stage plan is a basis for management, not a promise that nothing will change. Controlling a stage describes the project manager’s continuing coordination of authorised work. It links teams’ delivery evidence, changing circumstances and the stage forecast so that the manager can act within delegated authority and ask for higher-level decisions when necessary.
The project manager authorises work packages that define products, responsibilities, constraints and the arrangements for quality and reporting. This gives a team a clear agreement about what it is expected to deliver. A work package should fit the stage plan and the authority already granted. Issuing it does not empower the project manager to exceed stage tolerance or approve unrelated scope changes outside the agreed change authority.
Review work package status through checkpoint information and other agreed communication. Confirm progress against actual product completion and quality evidence rather than counting only effort. Receive completed work packages and check the required records and approvals. The manager coordinates delivery interfaces but does not replace the specialist team’s responsibility for producing and checking its products in accordance with the agreement.
Capture and assess issues and risks as the stage develops. An issue may be a problem, a concern or a proposed change; its existence does not automatically authorise a baseline change. Assess its effect on the business case, products, plans and performance targets, then use the agreed decision route. Information may reveal a new uncertainty, an event that has already happened or a need for a formal change decision.
Review the overall stage position, including forecasts, risk exposure and remaining work. Where action can keep the stage within its delegated limits and is otherwise authorised, the project manager may take corrective action. If the forecast exceeds stage tolerance, escalate to the board with an exception report. Do not wait until money has been spent or a deadline missed, and do not quietly alter the stage target to hide the deviation.
Report the stage position to the board through highlight reports at the agreed intervals, with prompt escalation where required. Useful reports explain implications rather than burying decisions in detail. As the stage approaches its end, prepare for the next management decision through Managing a stage boundary, or prepare closure in the final stage. Several processes therefore interact; Controlling a stage is not an isolated period with no connection to direction or delivery.
Control a stage within authority
| Project manager activity | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Authorise a work package | Make the agreed delivery work and controls clear. |
| Review status | Combine progress, quality, risk and issue information. |
| Take corrective action | Keep the stage on course within delegated authority. |
| Escalate a forecast exception | Obtain a decision when stage authority is insufficient. |
| Report progress | Keep the board informed through agreed controls. |
An original fictional example
Fictional case: a museum audio trail
Two teams are producing an audio trail: one records narration and the other configures handsets. A checkpoint identifies a minor recording delay. The stage still has enough agreed schedule flexibility, but a new request for three additional languages would change the authorised scope.
The decision
The project manager coordinates a permitted recording adjustment, assesses the language request through issue and change control, and updates the stage forecast. The manager does not treat spare time as blanket authority to add products.
Why it makes sense
Daily control combines authorised work, evidence and proportionate action. A corrective schedule adjustment and a proposed baseline change require different authority checks.
A common confusion
The mistaken idea: The project manager may make any change as long as the current cost forecast stays within tolerance.
The distinction: Cost tolerance is only one boundary; scope, quality, other targets and change authority still apply.
Check the whole agreement, not just the remaining money.
Points to remember
- The project manager authorises and reviews work packages within the approved stage.
- Risks, issues, reports and forecasts inform corrective action and escalation.
- A stage tolerance breach is escalated; it is not concealed by changing the baseline.
Your takeaway
Control an authorised stage by coordinating agreed work, testing progress evidence and maintaining honest forecasts. Use delegated authority for corrective action and escalate when that authority is insufficient.
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