1 : PRINCE2 Introduction

Question 1

Who is the Manual “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2” designed for? Name 2 types of readers.

Answer 1

The Manual “Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2” is designed for:
• People who wish to learn about project management and PRINCE2
• Experienced Project Managers who want to learn about PRINCE2
• And for PRINCE2 practitioners to use as a reference manual

Question 2

Wikipedia provides a useful definition of a project. Try to complete this sentence. “A project is a unique series of actions designed to accomplish a _______.”

Answer 2

“A project is a unique series of actions designed to accomplish a unique goal within a specific time and cost. It is good to know this.

Question 3

Complete the following definition of PRINCE2 in your own words: “A project is a temporary organization that is created for the purpose of _______.”

Answer 3

A project is a temporary organization that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products according to an agreed business case.

Question 4

In the PRINCE2 definition of a project what do you think is meant by the term “A temporary organization”?

Answer 4

Projects are temporary by nature. They have a certain start and end date. A project team is put together for the duration of the project and is dissolved at the end of the project. You can also refer to this project team as a Temporary Organization.

Question 5

Name some of the tasks that Project Management Deal with.

Answer 5

Project Management deals with planning, delegating, monitoring and control of the project; in other words the administration of the project.

Question 6

Finish the sentence: “Project Management is the planning, delegating, monitoring and control of all aspects of the project to achieve the project objectives within the expected performance target for ____.” (Tip: think of the 6 project variables)

Answer 6

Project Management is the planning, delegating, monitoring and control of all aspects of the project to achieve the project objectives within the expected performance target for time, costs, quality, scope, benefits and risks. These are known as the 6 project variables, which are managed throughout the project.

Question 7

What is meant by the following sentence: “PRINCE2 separates the management layer from the specialist work.”? Explain with an example.

Answer 7

PRINCE2 provides a management layer to take care of decision making like approving the business plan and the project plan and giving authorization for a new stage to start. It does not matter if the project involves designing a new car, building an airport or it is a software project. The management structure will work in a similar way. See the process model for more information.

Question 8

What is meant by the following statement: “PRINCE2 is principle based”?

Answer 8

This means that each project should be based on the 7 principles, so you should find the 7 principles in each project. If one of these is not there, it cannot be considered a PRINCE2 project.

Question 9

Try to list some of the 7 principles. Don’t worry about the exact names as you just have to recognize the names in the exam.

Answer 9

The 7 principles are:
• Continued business justification
• Learn from experience or Lessons Learned
• Defined roles and responsibilities
• Manage by stages
• Manage by exception
• Focus on Products – clear product descriptions
• Tailor to suit the project environment

Question 10

Name some of the 6 variables that must be controlled in any project.

Answer 10

These are Cost, Timescale, Quality, Scope, Benefits and Risk.

Question 11

Explain the variable Cost and why it needs to be controlled.

Answer 11

Projects have to give a return on investment, therefore costs need to be controlled and going over budget must be avoided.

Question 12

Explain the variable Scope and why it needs to be controlled.

Answer 12

The project scope needs to be well defined and clear to all stakeholders. Care must be taken by the Project Manager to avoid scope-creep, which is to allow new requirements to be added during the project as this can kill a project.

Question 13

Complete the following sentence: “PRINCE2 is a method that deals with the planning, delegation, monitoring and control of _____.”

Answer 13

PRINCE2 is a method that deals with the planning, delegation, monitoring and control of all six-project variables, which are Costs, Timescales, Quality, Scope, Risk and Benefits.

Question 14

Name the four elements of PRINCE2.

Answer 14

PRINCE2 has four integrated elements. These are Principles, Themes, Processes and Tailoring.

Question 15

Which PRINCE2 element is referred to in the following sentence: “They are the 7 best practices that should exist in each PRINCE2 project.”

Answer 15

Principles.

Question 16

Which PRINCE2 element is referred to in the following sentence: “They are the items must be continually addressed during each project. E.g.: Business Case, Organization and Quality”

Answer 16

These are the PRINCE2 Themes elements.

Question 17

Which PRINCE2 element is referred to in the following sentence: “This element lists the activities that are done during the project. It lists the products that will be created and when they will be created.”

Answer 17

This is the PRINCE2 Processes element.

Question 18

What do you think is meant by the statement, “PRINCE2 does not provide Detailed Techniques”?

Answer 18

There are many techniques that can be used like Critically Path Analysis or how best to run a brainstorm workshop. PRINCE2 advises to use the techniques which suit your kind of project environment and it only describes a few such as Product based planning and Quality Review techniques.

Question 19

What do you think is meant by the statement, “PRINCE2 does not provide Leadership Capability”?

Answer 19

Leadership, Motivational and other soft skills are important for good project management, but there are many different kinds of leadership skills and styles. PRINCE2 advises to choose the best training that suits your environment. So PRINCE2 does not provide Leadership Capability.

Question 20

List 4 advantages of using a Project Management method like PRINCE2.

Answer 20

I will list 8 advantages here:

1. Best Practice meaning that PRINCE2 has been used for over 30 years in many thousands of projects and PRINCE2 keeps learning from these projects.
2. PRINCE2 can be applied to any kind of project, from running an election, organizing a conference, constructing a bridge, to an IT project and so on.
3. PRINCE2 provides a structure for roles and accountability.
4. PRINCE2 is product focused; meaning that the product is well defined at the start of the project and this is made known to all stakeholders.
5. PRINCE2 uses Management By Exception, for example, it allows the project manager to handle certain project issues but once an issue goes beyond a certain tolerance it can be escalated to the project board.
6. PRINCE2 continues to look at the viability of the project from a business case point of view throughout the project.
7. PRINCE2 has a well defined structure for reports.
8. PRINCE2 promotes learning and a continual improvement mindset. And there are more.

Question 21

Name one of the first plans that the Project Manager creates in the project which are based on the plan product description found in the Appendix A.16 of the PRINCE2 manual.

Answer 21

The first plans are:
1) The Initiation Stage Plan for the Initiation Stage,
2) The Project Plan for the whole project,
3) The Next Stage Plan for the first stage after the Initiation Stage and these are all based on the Plan product description.
The Benefits Review Plan is also created in the IP stage but it is based on the Benefits Review Plan Product description.

Question 22

Describe in your own words what the main objective of the Project Manager is.

Answer 22

The main objective of the project manager is to see that the project goes according to the project plan. They constantly monitor how well the work is going according to the project plan. The Project Manager will also monitor the 6 variables that are part of the any project which are Timescales, Costs, Quality, Scope, Benefits and Risk.

Question 23

Should the Project Manager also try to look for opportunities to speed up the project and reduce costs or ignore these opportunities and just focus on getting the project to run according to the plan?

Answer 23

They should look for opportunities to reduce costs and speed up the project.