PRINCE2 Documents

Question 1

Project initiation documentation (PID)

Answer 1

The project initiation documentation gives the direction and scope of the project and (along with the stage plan) forms the ‘contract’ between the project manager and the project board.

The three primary uses of the project initiation documentation are to:
● ensure that the project has a sound basis before asking the project board to make any major commitment to the project
● act as a base document against which the project board and project manager can assess progress, issues, and ongoing viability questions
● provide a single source of reference about the project so that people joining the ‘temporary organization’ can quickly and easily discover what the project is about and how it is being managed.

Question 2

Change management approach (PID)

Answer 2

To establish the target organizational state required for the project to meet its objectives together with the means by which the business will shift from the current state and through any interim states.

Question 3

Communication management approach (PID)

Answer 3

To define and describe the means and frequency of communication with and receiving feedback from across the project ecosystem, supporting alignment and shaping of the project. It facilitates engagement with stakeholders through the establishment of a controlled and bidirectional flow of information.

Question 4

Benefits management approach (PID)

Answer 4

The purpose of the benefits management approach is to define the benefits management actions and benefits reviews that will be established to ensure that the project’s outcomes are achieved and to confirm that the project’s benefits are realized.

Question 5

Sustainability management approach (PID)

Answer 5

The purpose of the sustainability management approach is to define the actions, reviews, and controls that will be established to ensure that sustainability performance targets for the project are achieved.

Question 6

Commercial management approach (PID)

Answer 6

The purpose of the commercial management approach is to describe the procedures, techniques, and standards to be applied and the responsibilities for effective commercial management.

This covers the approach to secure, service, and maintain all commercial agreements required for the project to be a success. This may include activities such as market engagement, procurement, and contract management.

Question 7

Project management team structure (PID)

Answer 7

The purpose of the project management team structure is to define who is involved in the project, their relationships, and how they will work together. It may also include a description of relevant key personnel outside the project team.

Question 8

Quality management approach (PID)

Answer 8

The purpose of the quality management approach is to describe the quality techniques and standards to be applied and the roles and responsibilities for achieving the required quality specifications and acceptance criteria during a project.

Question 9

Risk management approach (PID)

Answer 9

The purpose of the risk management approach is to describe how risk will be managed on the project. This includes the specific procedures, techniques, standards, and responsibilities to be applied.

Question 10

Issue management approach (PID)

Answer 10

The purpose of the issue management approach is to describe how issues will be captured and reported and explain how changes to the project baseline will be assessed and controlled.

Question 11

Digital and data management approach (PID)

Answer 11

How digital technology will be used to support project management (for example, project controls) and project work (for example, the use of digital twins for design and construction).

How data and information will be created, used, and managed across the project ecosystem and through the project lifecycle and afterwards.

Question 12

Role descriptions

Answer 12

The purpose of role descriptions is to describe the roles of those in the project management team and their specific responsibilities.

Question 13

Project Log (PL)

Answer 13

The purpose of the project log is to capture the continually changing records of issues, lessons, products, quality, risk, and other formal/informal actions or events. The project log is dynamic in that it contains the current and historic record of project activities and progress.

Question 14

Quality register (PL)

Answer 14

The purpose of the quality register is to summarize all quality management activities that are planned or have occurred. The quality register is used by the project manager and project assurance as part of reviewing progress.

Question 15

Product register (PL)

Answer 15

The purpose of the product register is to list of all products required of a plan and the status of those products.

Question 16

Risk register (PL)

Answer 16

The purpose of the risk register is to maintain a record of identified risks related to the project, including their status and history. It is used to capture and maintain information on all the identified threats and opportunities relating to the project.

Question 17

Issue register (PL)

Answer 17

The purpose of the issue register is to log all issue reports raised during the project lifecycle, their current status, and date of closure.

Question 18

Daily log (PL)

Answer 18

The purpose of the daily log is to record informal issues, required actions, or significant events not captured by other PRINCE2 management products. It can act as the project diary for the project manager. It can also be used as a repository for issues and risks during the starting up a project process if the other registers have not been set up.

There may be more than one daily log, as team managers may elect to have one for their work packages, separate from the project manager’s daily log. Entries are made when the project manager or team manager feels it is appropriate to log some event. Often entries are based on thoughts, conversations, and observations.

Question 19

Lessons log (PL)

Answer 19

The purpose of the lessons log is to provide a repository to record lessons that apply to this project or future projects. Some lessons may originate from other projects and should be captured on the lessons log for input to the project’s approaches and plans. Some lessons may originate from within the project, where new experience (both good and bad) can be applied to this project and/or transferred to others.

Question 20

Project brief

Answer 20

The purpose of the project brief is to provide a full and firm foundation for the initiation of the project.

Question 21

Business case

Answer 21

The purpose of the business case is to document the business justification for undertaking a project, based on the estimated costs against the expected benefits to be gained and offset by any associated risks. It should outline how and when the expected benefits can be measured.

Question 22

Plan

Answer 22

The purpose of the plan is to provide a proposal that outlines the what, where, when, how, and by whom the project as a whole (or a subset of its activities) will be performed. When approved, a plan provides a baseline against which progress can be measured and issues assessed.

Question 23

Project product description

Answer 23

The purpose of the project product description is to describe the project’s major products and intended purpose, including the user’s quality expectations and the acceptance criteria and acceptance methods for the project. It is created in the process of starting up a project and refined during the process of initiating a project.

Question 24

Work package description

Answer 24

The purpose of a work package description is to describe how one or more products will be produced and delivered. It is used to pass responsibility for work formally to a team manager or team member.

Question 25

Product description

Answer 25

The purpose of a product description is to describe a product’s purpose, composition, where it is derived from, and quality specifications. It is produced at the planning phase as soon as possible after the need for the product is identified.

Question 26

Issue report

Answer 26

The purpose of the issue report is to describe the issue’s impacts on the project baseline and identify ways to resolve the issue or address off-specification and recommend a decision.

Question 27

Checkpoint report

Answer 27

The purpose of a checkpoint report is to report to the project manager the status of the work package at a frequency defined in the work package.

Question 28

Highlight report

Answer 28

The purpose of a highlight report is to provide the project board (and possibly other stakeholders) with a summary of the stage status at intervals defined by them.

Question 29

Lessons report

Answer 29

The purpose of a lessons report is to share lessons and trigger actions to ensure that lessons become embedded in the appropriate organization’s way of working. A lessons report can be created at any time in a project and should not necessarily be delayed until the end. Typically it can be included as part of the end stage report or end project report. It may be appropriate (and necessary) that there are several lessons reports specific to a particular organization (for example, user, supplier, business).

Question 30

Exception report

Answer 30

The purpose of an exception report is to inform the project board when a stage plan or project plan is forecast to exceed tolerance levels set and to offer options and recommendations for the way to proceed.

Question 31

End stage report

Answer 31

The purpose of an end stage report is to give a summary of progress to date, the overall project situation, and sufficient information to ask for a project board decision on what to do next with the project.

Question 32

End project report

Answer 32

The purpose of the end project report is to review how the project performed against the version of the project initiation documentation used to authorize it.