When a move to Cloud based services has been decided then a managed plan is needed to undertake the journey.
Moving systems to a new platform will raise issues that have not been encountered before. To minimise risk, identify uncertainty and confirm the engagement of all who will be affected, several control steps are needed to suit the cloud context.
Using Prince2 as a framework a variety of components will need to be reduced, others emphasised. A 'P2 Lite' plan will recognise the aspects of Cloud services which are outside the interest and influence of the client.
The cycle of plan, delegate, monitor and control will be no different to any other project. As will the principles of justification, project roles, stage management, exception management, product focus and project environment.
The adoption of Cloud based services is often driven by value benefit as well as flexibility in scale and operational agility.
To keep these in focus during the life of the service the project would focus on business case, this would be linked to a programme measuring change, impact and benefits.
In managing cloud adoption account is usually taken of the pay-as-you-go arrangements, the detachment of the client from all but the simplest of vendor interfaces and arm’s length control.
The plan will ensure that the involvement of all stakeholders is fully undertaken before any migration work takes place.
We know what pitfalls to avoid when tailoring Prince2 so it can address all cloud migration issues, yet be optimised for agility and the avoidance of bureaucracy.