(a) Explain the importance of project reviews
Project reviews provide opportunities to review the progress of a project at logical points of its lifecycle, checking it is being well managed and progressing at the right pace. The need for any corrective actions can be identified early, enabling them to be addressed as they arise. They also enable the regular monitoring of project risks so that they can be managed effectively.PN Mark 6/10
(b) List and describe four different types of review that may be carried our during a project, and their main purposes
PN add a list
1. Gate Reviews
2. Stage Reviews
3. Post Project Reviews
4. Benefits realisation reviews
1. Gate reviews: These are formal reviews that occur at the end of the Concept and Definition phases (as a minimum). They are often linked to funding decisions. At the end of the Concept phase their main purpose is to review the project against the business case and determine if the project should progress to the next (Definition) phase. At the end of the Definition phase their main purpose is to review the project against the project management plan and to determine if it can proceed to the Development phase. PN mark: 9/10
2. Stage reviews: These reviews occur during the Development phase and the number /frequency of them depends on the length and complexity of the project (particularly in relation to risks) and also the phase may itself be divided into a number of stages. The main purpose is to check on progress of the project such as against the KPIs, in order to identify variations, risks/issues and any need for corrective actions.PN 4/8 add “As such the differ from gate reviews because the intention is to continue with the project.”
3. Post project review: These occur at the end of the Handover and Closure phase. Their main purpose is to provide a mechanism for identifying lessons learned (to help inform future projects) as well to confirm the completion of the project. The review considers the project’s performance such as against the KPIs, its successes and the effectiveness of its procedures. PN mark 4/8 add Typically they will be organised by the project manager and involve a cross section of the project team.
4. Benefits realisation reviews: These occur during the Benefits Realisation phase (once the project is operational) and are generally organised by the sponsor. The main purpose of these reviews is to determine whether the project has been a successful in its product delivery and what the real benefits are (compared to what was anticipated in the Business Case). PN mark 4/8 add “Unlike end of project reviews benefit reviews are organised by the sponsor and can occur years after the end of the project”
Not a bad start, I think it would have passed the exam, see the marks above. However to be sure I have added a few extra details in italics. Remember to think about what, why, how, who and when for these answers. You get a maximum of 2 marks per sentence so you need to provide more detail to get a really good mark.