Core Principles and Frameworks
The Core Principles and Frameworks domain tests selection and tailoring, not memorized slogans. You must know what a principle, framework, method, and tool are, and when a framework is inappropriate.
Core distinctions
- A principle is a durable rule or value, such as accountability or evidence-based decisions.
- A framework is a structured set of roles, processes, and artifacts; it guides work but does not replace judgment.
- A method is a repeatable way of doing a specific activity; a tool automates or supports it.
- Tailoring is deliberate adaptation to context, risk, regulation, and stakeholder needs; it is not abandoning controls.
Common frameworks include PDCA for iterative improvement, stage-gate for controlled investment decisions, RACI for decision-right clarity, risk registers for uncertainty management, and benefits maps for linking outputs to outcomes.
Worked example
A regulated, low-uncertainty system rollout needs formal stage gates, documented acceptance, and independent review. A high-uncertainty discovery pilot needs short iterative cycles, explicit learning goals, and a decision to stop or scale. Using stage-gate for the pilot can slow learning; using pure iteration for the regulated rollout can weaken audit evidence. The reasoning is context fit, not fashion.
Traps that cost marks
Cargo-culting a framework because it is popular; confusing Responsible (does the work) with Accountable (owns the outcome); treating a stage gate as a bureaucratic sign-off rather than an investment decision; and assuming Agile means no governance. Governance and iteration can coexist.
Exam habit
Ask: What decision does this framework improve, who owns it, and what evidence does it require? If the answer is unclear, the framework is being misapplied.