ISO 21502:2020 Clause 6.6.2 Progressive justification

Project Management 6 Minutes

The justification for the project can be further developed over several phases of the project, for different options, as work progresses. The business case should be updated, in consultation with the project sponsor, to reflect changes in the project’s context and scope, prior to every gate or decision point to validate continuing the project.

“Progressive justification” in project management refers to the iterative and evolving process of justifying project decisions and actions as the project progresses through its life cycle. This concept emphasizes the importance of continuously validating and providing a rationale for project choices, strategies, and changes. Here’s a breakdown of the key aspects of progressive justification:

  1. Continuous Reevaluation: Project managers and teams engage in continuous reevaluation of project decisions, strategies, and plans. Rather than relying solely on initial justifications, the team consistently reviews and reassesses these elements as more information becomes available and the project environment evolves.
  2. Adaptability to Changes: Progressive justification supports adaptability to changes in project scope, requirements, or external factors. When changes occur, the project team justifies why these changes are necessary, considering their impact on project objectives, timelines, and resources.
  3. Iterative Decision-Making: Decision-making in project management is often an iterative process. As new data emerges or as the project advances, decisions may need to be revisited. Progressive justification encourages the project team to refine and iterate on decisions, ensuring alignment with project goals.
  4. Transparent Communication: Transparent communication is a crucial aspect of progressive justification. Project managers communicate not only the decisions but also the reasoning behind them. This transparency fosters understanding among team members, stakeholders, and sponsors.
  5. Documentation of Rationale: The rationale behind project decisions is documented at each stage of the project life cycle. This documentation serves as a historical record, allowing project managers to trace the evolution of decisions and providing valuable insights for future projects or audits.
  6. Stakeholder Involvement: Involving stakeholders in the decision-making process is integral to progressive justification. Seeking input, feedback, and collaboration ensures that decisions are well-informed and aligned with the expectations and interests of key stakeholders.
  7. Risk Management Integration: Progressive justification is closely tied to risk management. As the project team identifies and assesses risks, they justify the chosen risk response strategies and continuously reassess these strategies based on the evolving risk landscape.
  8. Alignment with Project Objectives: Every decision and action is justified in terms of its alignment with the overall project objectives. Progressive justification ensures that the project stays focused on its goals and that every project element contributes meaningfully to those objectives.
  9. Feedback-Driven Adjustments: Feedback from team members, stakeholders, and project reviews contributes to the progressive justification process. Adjustments are made based on this feedback, ensuring that the project remains responsive to changing conditions and requirements.
  10. Learning and Continuous Improvement: Progressive justification supports a culture of learning and continuous improvement. Project teams reflect on past decisions, outcomes, and justifications, extracting lessons learned and applying them to enhance future decision-making and project management practices.

In summary, progressive justification recognizes the dynamic nature of projects and the need for ongoing validation and explanation of project decisions. It promotes flexibility, transparency, and a proactive approach to managing project complexities and uncertainties.

The justification for the project can be further developed over several phases of the project, for different options, as work progresses.

the justification for a project is not a static document; it evolves and is further developed over the various phases of the project life cycle. As the project progresses, more information becomes available, allowing for a more comprehensive and detailed justification. Here’s how the justification can be developed over several phases:

  1. Initiation Phase: In the initiation phase, the preliminary justification for the project is presented. This typically includes a high-level overview of the project’s goals, objectives, scope, and expected benefits. The focus is on outlining why the project is necessary and aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives.
  2. Options Analysis: During the initiation or early planning phases, different options for achieving project goals may be considered. These options could involve different approaches, technologies, or solutions. The justification is further developed by comparing and analyzing these options to determine the most viable and beneficial one.
  3. Feasibility Study: In subsequent phases, particularly during the planning phase, a detailed feasibility study is often conducted. This involves a more in-depth analysis of technical, operational, economic, legal, and scheduling feasibility. The justification is refined based on the findings of this study, providing a more robust rationale for the project.
  4. Business Case Development: The business case, initially outlined in the initiation phase, is further developed during the planning phase. This document provides a comprehensive justification for the project, including an analysis of costs, benefits, risks, and potential returns on investment. It demonstrates how the project aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives.
  5. Detailed Planning and Design: As the project moves into the execution phase, detailed planning and design activities take place. The justification is continually refined to incorporate the specifics of the project plan, including detailed project schedules, resource requirements, and technical specifications.
  6. Progress Monitoring and Evaluation: Throughout the project execution and monitoring phases, the project team continually assesses progress and outcomes. The justification is revisited and adjusted based on actual project performance, ensuring that it remains aligned with the evolving project context.
  7. Risk Management: The justification is influenced by ongoing risk assessments and management efforts. As the project team identifies and responds to risks, the rationale for certain decisions and risk response strategies becomes part of the evolving justification.
  8. Change Management: Changes to the project, whether in scope, schedule, or budget, are managed through a change control process. The justification is updated to reflect authorized changes, providing a transparent record of why modifications were deemed necessary.
  9. Closure and Lessons Learned: In the project closure phase, the final justification is documented. This includes an evaluation of project outcomes, comparing them against the initial justification. Lessons learned during the project are incorporated into the justification, contributing to continuous improvement for future projects.
  10. Post-Implementation Review: After project completion, a post-implementation review is often conducted. The justification is revisited to assess the actual benefits realized and to identify any variances between the expected and actual outcomes.

By allowing the justification to evolve throughout the project life cycle, project managers ensure that the decision to undertake the project remains well-founded and that stakeholders have a clear understanding of the project’s purpose and value at every stage.

The business case should be updated, in consultation with the project sponsor, to reflect changes in the project’s context and scope, before every gate or decision point to validate continuing the project.

This highlights a best practice in project management—updating the business case in alignment with changes in the project’s context and scope, particularly before major gates or decision points. This process is crucial for ensuring ongoing project viability, alignment with organizational goals, and effective decision-making. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

  1. Regular Business Case Updates: The business case is a dynamic document that should be updated regularly, especially when there are significant changes in the project’s context or scope. This includes updates to project objectives, benefits, risks, and any other relevant information.
  2. Consultation with the Project Sponsor: Collaboration with the project sponsor is essential during the business case update process. The project sponsor, being a key stakeholder with a vested interest in the project’s success, provides insights, approvals, and the necessary context to validate the updates.
  3. Contextual Changes: External and internal factors may change throughout a project. These changes could include shifts in market conditions, regulatory requirements, technology advancements, or organizational priorities. The business case should reflect these changes to ensure the project’s continued relevance.
  4. Scope Adjustments: If there are changes to the project scope, whether due to internal decisions, stakeholder requests, or external factors, the business case should be updated accordingly. This includes a clear justification for the scope adjustments and an assessment of their impact on project objectives.
  5. Risk Assessment and Mitigation: Changes in the project’s context may introduce new risks or alter the severity of existing ones. The updated business case should include a thorough risk assessment, along with strategies for mitigation and contingency planning.
  6. Benefits Realization: As the project progresses, the business case should track the realization of benefits. If there are deviations from the expected benefits or if new opportunities emerge, these should be reflected in the updated business case.
  7. Gate or Decision Points: Before reaching major gates or decision points in the project life cycle, the business case should be reviewed and updated. These decision points often involve assessments of project progress, risks, and the overall business case to determine whether the project should proceed to the next phase or be adjusted.
  8. Validation of Continuing the Project: The primary purpose of updating the business case before decision points is to validate the ongoing viability of the project. This ensures that decision-makers have the most current information and can make informed choices regarding the project’s future.
  9. Alignment with Strategic Goals: The business case should consistently align with the organization’s strategic goals. If there are shifts in organizational priorities or strategies, the business case needs to be updated to reflect this alignment.
  10. Documentation and Transparency: All changes to the business case should be well-documented. This documentation provides transparency into the decision-making process and serves as a reference for future assessments or audits.

By integrating regular business case updates into the project management process, organizations can enhance their ability to adapt to changing conditions, optimize project outcomes, and make informed decisions at critical points in the project life cycle.

Published by Pretesh Biswas

Pretesh Biswas has wealth of qualifications and experience in providing results-oriented solutions for your system development, training or auditing needs. He has helped dozens of organizations in implementing effective management systems to a number of standards. He provide a unique blend of specialized knowledge, experience, tools and interactive skills to help you develop systems that not only get certified, but also contribute to the bottom line. He has taught literally hundreds of students over the past 5 years. He has experience in training at hundreds of organizations in several industry sectors. His training is unique in that which can be customized as to your management system and activities and deliver them at your facility. This greatly accelerates the learning curve and application of the knowledge acquired. He is now ex-Certification body lead auditor now working as consultancy auditor. He has performed hundreds of audits in several industry sectors. As consultancy auditor, he not just report findings, but provide value-added service in recommending appropriate solutions. Experience Consultancy: He has helped over 100 clients in a wide variety of industries achieve ISO 9001,14001,27001,20000, OHSAS 18001 and TS 16949 certification. Industries include automotive, metal stamping and screw machine, fabrication, machining, assembly, Forging electrostatic and chrome plating, heat-treating, coatings, glass, plastic and rubber products, electrical and electronic equipment, assemblies & components, batteries, computer hardware and software, printing, placement and Security help, warehousing and distribution, repair facilities, consumer credit counseling agencies, banks, call centers, etc. Training: He has delivered public and on-site quality management training to over 1000 students. Courses include ISO/TS -RAB approved Lead Auditor, Internal Auditing, Implementation, Documentation, as well as customized ISO/TS courses, PPAP, FMEA, APQP and Control Plans. Auditing: He has conducted over 100 third party registration and surveillance audits and dozens of gap, internal and pre-assessment audits to ISO/QS/TS Standards, in the manufacturing and service sectors. Other services: He has provided business planning, restructuring, asset management, systems and process streamlining services to a variety of manufacturing and service clients such as printing, plastics, automotive, transportation and custom brokerage, warehousing and distribution, electrical and electronics, trading, equipment leasing, etc. Education & professional certification: Pretesh Biswas has held IRCA certified Lead Auditor for ISO 9001,14001 and 27001. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a MBA in Systems and Marketing. Prior to becoming a business consultant 6 years ago, he has worked in several portfolios such as Marketing, operations, production, Quality and customer care. He is also certified in Six Sigma Black belt .

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