# PRINCE2 Managing a Stage Boundary > Draft Managing a Stage Boundary (SB) documents aligned with PRINCE2. Covers End Stage Reports, next Stage Plans, updated Business Case, updated Project Plan, Exception Plans, and Lessons Reports. Tags: Project Management, PRINCE2, Stage Gate, Reporting ## Example Prompts - Write an End Stage Report comparing planned vs. actual performance across all dimensions - Create a next Stage Plan with product breakdown, schedule, resources, and tolerances - Draft an Exception Plan with recovery approach and revised Business Case impact assessment URL: https://rakenne.app/skills/prince2-managing-stage-boundary/index.md Try this skill: https://rakenne.app/a/?skill=prince2-managing-stage-boundary ## Overview Draft Managing a Stage Boundary (SB) documents aligned with PRINCE2. Covers End Stage Reports, next Stage Plans, updated Business Case, updated Project Plan, Exception Plans, and Lessons Reports. ## Getting Started Upload the Stage Plan, actuals data, issue and risk registers, and any lessons captured during the stage to the workspace and activate the *PRINCE2 Managing a Stage Boundary* skill. The agent will help you draft End Stage Reports, plan the next stage, and update the Business Case. --- ## Example Conversation Below is an example of a typical session preparing end-of-stage documentation for a supply chain digitalization project. The agent drafts the End Stage Report and next Stage Plan. > **You:** We're at the end of Stage 2 (Vendor Integration) of our supply chain digitalization project. Stage 2 was planned for 12 weeks and EUR 180K. It actually took 14 weeks and cost EUR 195K — the 2-week overrun was caused by a vendor API change mid-stage that required rework. All 5 planned products were delivered and accepted. I need the End Stage Report and the next Stage Plan for Board review. The Stage Plan and registers are in `plans/stage2_plan.md` and `registers/`. > > **Agent:** I've reviewed the Stage Plan and registers. Let me clarify for the next Stage Plan: > > 1. What is Stage 3's scope — warehouse automation rollout? How many warehouses and what's the sequence? > 2. Has the vendor API issue been resolved, or is there residual risk for Stage 3? > 3. What is the proposed Stage 3 budget and duration? > > **You:** Stage 3 is warehouse automation rollout — 3 warehouses in sequence (Hamburg, Leipzig, Stuttgart), each taking about 4 weeks. Total 14 weeks, EUR 220K budget. The vendor API issue is resolved — they've committed to a frozen API specification for 6 months with a contractual SLA. One lesson: we need API versioning in all future integrations. We're requesting +/- 3 week schedule tolerance and +/- EUR 25K cost tolerance. > > **Agent:** I've drafted both documents: > > **End Stage Report** (`reports/end_stage_2.md`): > - **Schedule:** 14 weeks vs. 12 planned (+2 weeks, 17% overrun) — outside stage tolerance of +/- 1 week but within project tolerance. Cause: vendor API v2.3 → v2.4 migration in Week 7. > - **Cost:** EUR 195K vs. EUR 180K (+EUR 15K, 8% overrun) — within stage tolerance of +/- EUR 20K. Additional cost: 120 hours rework. > - **Products:** 5 of 5 delivered and accepted. All quality reviews passed. > - **Benefits:** Real-time inventory visibility now operational for 2 pilot suppliers — 30% reduction in stock query response time (ahead of target). > - **Lessons:** (1) Mandate API version pinning in all vendor contracts. (2) Include API change risk buffer in future integration stages. (3) Pair-programming during rework was effective — reduced rework duration by estimated 3 days. > > **Next Stage Plan** (`plans/stage3_plan.md`): > - 14 weeks, EUR 220K, 3 sequential warehouse rollouts > - Product breakdown: 9 products (3 per warehouse: configuration, training, go-live verification) > - Risk: warehouse staff resistance to new system — mitigation: dedicated change champion per site > - Tolerances requested: +/- 3 weeks, +/- EUR 25K --- ## Document Excerpt Below is a representative excerpt from an **End Stage Report** prepared with the skill. --- ### End Stage Report — Stage 2: Vendor Integration (Excerpt) **Project:** Supply Chain Digitalization **Stage:** Stage 2 — Vendor Integration **Duration:** Weeks 13–26 (planned) / Weeks 13–28 (actual) --- #### 2. Performance Against Plan | Dimension | Planned | Actual | Variance | Stage Tolerance | Status | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Duration | 12 weeks | 14 weeks | +2 weeks (+17%) | +/- 1 week | Exceeded | | Cost | EUR 180,000 | EUR 195,000 | +EUR 15,000 (+8%) | +/- EUR 20,000 | Within | | Products | 5 | 5 delivered, 5 accepted | On target | — | Met | **Schedule Variance Explanation:** The vendor (LogiConnect GmbH) released API v2.4 in Week 7, deprecating 3 endpoints used in our integration layer. Rework required 120 person-hours over 2 weeks. The overrun exceeded stage tolerance (+/- 1 week) but remained within project tolerance (+/- 6 weeks). An Exception Report was not required because the Executive provided ad hoc direction to continue (ref: ADH-003, Week 8). #### 3. Products Delivered | ID | Product | Planned Delivery | Actual Delivery | Quality Status | |---|---|---|---|---| | PD-012 | Supplier onboarding portal | Week 16 | Week 16 | Passed — formal review | | PD-013 | Real-time inventory API integration | Week 20 | Week 22 | Passed — 2 conditions resolved | | PD-014 | Order synchronization module | Week 22 | Week 24 | Passed — peer review | | PD-015 | Supplier dashboard | Week 24 | Week 26 | Passed — UAT sign-off | | PD-016 | Integration test suite | Week 24 | Week 27 | Passed — 91% coverage | #### 7. Lessons Identified | # | Lesson | Impact | Recommendation | Applicability | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | Vendor API changed mid-stage without notice | +2 weeks, +EUR 15K | Mandate API version pinning in all vendor contracts. Include contractual change-notification clause (minimum 30 days). | All projects with external API dependencies | | 2 | Rework used pair-programming approach | Reduced estimated rework by 3 days | Adopt pair-programming for integration tasks in future stages. | Stage 3 and future projects | | 3 | Daily stand-ups during crisis were effective | Early detection of blockers | Continue daily stand-ups during high-risk activities, revert to weekly otherwise. | This project | --- *This excerpt is illustrative. Final content must reflect the specific project's data and stage performance.* --- Back to [Skill Library](https://rakenne.app/skills/index.md)