5 questions

The Seven Principles

How many principles does PRINCE2 7 define, and what is their defining characteristic?

  • a.Seven principles that must all be applied for a project to be genuinely following PRINCE2✓
  • b.Seven principles that apply only to large, high-risk projects
  • c.Nine principles that replace the need for a business case
  • d.Five principles that may be adopted selectively depending on project size

PRINCE2 7 has seven principles, and they are universal: unless all seven are applied, the project is not being managed with PRINCE2. They are not optional or scaled by project size.

The Seven Principles

Which PRINCE2 principle requires that there be a justifiable reason to start the project and that this justification remains valid throughout its life?

  • a.Manage by stages
  • b.Continued business justification✓
  • c.Learn from experience
  • d.Focus on products

Continued business justification means a project must have a documented, verified reason to proceed, and that reason must be checked at each key point. If justification disappears, the project should be stopped.

The Seven Principles

Under the 'manage by exception' principle, what should a manager do while a plan is forecast to stay within its agreed tolerances?

  • a.Halt the work until the Project Board reviews progress
  • b.Reduce all tolerances to zero to keep tight control
  • c.Continue without escalating, as the delegated level of management has authority to proceed✓
  • d.Escalate to the next level of management for approval before any further work

Manage by exception sets tolerances for each objective and delegates day-to-day authority. As long as work is forecast to stay within tolerance, the lower level proceeds; only a forecast breach is escalated as an exception.

The Seven Principles

A project is divided into distinct sections, each ending with a Project Board decision on whether to continue. Which principle does this reflect?

  • a.Defined roles, responsibilities and relationships
  • b.Focus on products
  • c.Manage by stages✓
  • d.Tailor to suit the project

Manage by stages breaks the project into management stages separated by decision points, giving the Project Board control to authorize the next stage only when justification and plans remain sound.

The Seven Principles

When should lessons be sought and acted upon under the 'learn from experience' principle?

  • a.Throughout the project: lessons are sought at the start, recorded during, and passed on at the end✓
  • b.Only during the initiation stage, before the plans are baselined
  • c.Only at project closure, when an end project report is written
  • d.Only when a serious problem or exception occurs

Learn from experience is continuous. Teams look for relevant lessons when starting, capture new lessons as the project runs, and pass lessons on when it closes so future projects benefit.

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