Processes, Themes & Principles Flashcards
To cement learning of the themes, principles and processes required for PRINCE2 Project Management.
What is Continued Business Justification, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Principle.
Continued Business Justification says a project must make good business sense. There needs to be a clear return on investment; use of time and resources should be justified, this should be continually re-evaluated throughout the lifespan of a project.
Which PRINCIPLE states a project must make good business sense?
Continued Business Justification
What is Learn from Experience, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Principle.
Project teams should take lessons from previous projects into account. A lessons log is kept updated for this purpose.
Why does PRINCE2 have principles?
The PRINCE2 principles provide a framework for good practice.
Why does PRINCE2 have themes?
Themes provide guidelines on how the project should be managed.
They can be thought of as knowledge areas, or how principles are put in practice. They are set up at the beginning of the project and then monitored throughout. Projects are kept on track by constantly addressing these themes.
How do the PRINCE2 processes work in practice?
The PRINCE2 method separates the running of a project into 7 processes. The Project Manager and teams must follow the processes to complete the project. The Project Board approve the processes.
If a project does not include any of the 7 processes, it cannot be considered a PRINCE2 project.
Which PRINCIPLE reminds the project team to take lessons from previous projects into account?
Learn from Experience
What is Define Roles and Responsibilities, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Principle.
Everyone involved in a project should know what they and others are responsible for. This includes knowing who the decision makers are.
What is Manage by Stages, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Principle.
Tasks should be divided into manageable chunks, or management stages so that work can be checked against agreed progress markers.
What is Manage by Exception, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Principle.
Members of the project team should be empowered to make decisions within their responsibilities. Tolerances should be agreed so that issues can be escalated, and managed, if any element of the project exceeds these tolerances.
What is Focus on Products, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Principle.
The project team should be clear on the core objective of the project - the output, or “product”.
The products should be agreed in the first stages of the project and everyone should know how their work contributes to that product.
What is Tailor to the Environment, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Principle.
PRINCE2 should be scaled and tailored as required for each individual project.
What is Business Case, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Theme.
Related to the continued business justification principle. This theme establishes the objectives of a project, and decides if they are worthwhile and achievable.
What is Organisation, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Theme.
Related to the define roles and responsibilities principle. The organisation theme requires project managers to have everyone’s roles and responsibilities on record.
What is Quality, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Theme.
The qualities expected from of the output of the project should be defined in the first stages so that progress can be checked against expectations throughout.
Related to the focus on products principle.
What is Plans, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Theme.
A plan describes how targets will be achieved. It focuses on the products, timescale, cost, quality and benefits.
What is Risk, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Theme.
The purpose of this theme is to identify, assess and control uncertain events during a project. These are recorded in a risk log. Negative risks are called threats and positive ones are called opportunities.
What is Change, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Theme.
This theme is about handling change requests and issues that arise during the project. The idea is not to prevent changes, but ensure the customer and project board are in agreement before changes are included.
What is Progress, and what does it refer to?
A PRINCE2 Theme.
Progress is about tracking the project. This allows project managers to check and control where they are relative to the plan. Not only can projects go off the rails without this – or any one – of the themes, but by not tracking, you may not even be aware that it’s happening.
