PRINCE2 7 Foundation cheat sheet

A project is a temporary organization created to deliver one or more business products according to an agreed business case.

Projects are characterized by change, temporary duration, uniqueness, cross-functional involvement and uncertainty.

Business as usual is ongoing operational work that maintains existing products and services; projects deliver change and then hand over.

PRINCE2 integrates principles, people, practices and processes, and it is tailored to the project context.

Project context includes organizational strategy, governance, stakeholder expectations, constraints, delivery approach, risk and scale.

PRINCE2 recognizes business, user and supplier stakeholder interests; the business case should balance them.

Project management is planning, delegating, monitoring and controlling all aspects of the project and motivating those involved to achieve objectives.

A project's objectives cover time, cost, quality, scope, benefits and risk; tolerances are set for these.

PRINCE2 has seven principles: continued business justification, learn from experience, defined roles and responsibilities, manage by stages, manage by exception, focus on products, and tailor to suit the project environment.

Principles are universal, self-validating and empowering; they must be applied for a project to be managed according to PRINCE2.

Continued business justification requires a justifiable reason to start and evidence that the project remains justified.

Learn from experience requires lessons to be sought, recorded and acted upon throughout the project.

Defined roles and responsibilities require roles, responsibilities and relationships to be agreed and understood.

Manage by stages requires at least two management stages: an initiation stage and at least one further stage.

Manage by exception sets tolerances for objectives and escalates only when forecast performance exceeds delegated limits.

Focus on products requires products, quality criteria and acceptance criteria to be defined before work is authorized.

Tailor to suit the project environment adapts the method to scale, complexity, risk and organizational context.

People is a PRINCE2 element that addresses behaviours, relationships and communication in projects.

Effective stakeholder collaboration includes identifying stakeholders, analysing interests and influence, planning engagement and maintaining communication.

Communication planning defines audiences, information needs, timing, channels, responsibilities and feedback mechanisms.

Project leadership creates purpose, builds trust, supports collaboration and enables accountability.

Emotional intelligence supports self-awareness, empathy and relationship management in project teams.

Change affects people; successful change requires clear purpose, engagement and support for those affected.

Team effectiveness depends on clear roles, shared objectives, appropriate skills and constructive working relationships.

Culture, values and behaviour influence how teams communicate, make decisions and respond to change.

The seven practices are business case, organizing, plans, quality, risk, issues and progress.

Business case practice judges whether the project is desirable, viable and achievable and keeps the business case updated.

Organizing practice defines roles, responsibilities, accountability and relationships, including project board and team roles.

Plans practice provides project, stage and team plans; product-based planning defines products before activities.

Quality practice covers quality planning, quality control and quality assurance, using product descriptions and a quality register.

Risk practice uses a risk management approach, risk register, risk appetite, tolerances and responses to threats and opportunities.

Issues practice manages requests for change, off-specifications and problems through an issue register and change control.

Progress practice uses tolerances, checkpoints, highlight reports, end stage assessments and exception reports.

Practices are tailored to the project; management products can be combined or simplified if the principles are maintained.

PRINCE2 has seven processes: starting up a project, directing a project, initiating a project, controlling a stage, managing product delivery, managing a stage boundary and closing a project.

Starting up a project ensures prerequisites, appoints the project board and project manager, captures lessons and prepares the project brief.

Directing a project enables the project board to authorize initiation, the project, stage or exception plans and closure.

Initiating a project establishes baselines and management approaches and prepares the project initiation documentation.

Controlling a stage authorizes work packages, monitors progress, manages issues and risks, and escalates exceptions.

Managing product delivery covers accepting, executing and delivering work packages to agreed quality criteria.

Managing a stage boundary reviews the stage, updates the project plan and business case, and prepares the next stage plan.

Closing a project confirms product acceptance, reviews benefits and lessons, and prepares handover and closure.

Process activities transform inputs into outputs; they can be tailored, but the principles must still be applied.

Tailoring is the PRINCE2 principle that adapts the method to the project environment.

Tailoring considers scale, complexity, risk, duration, organizational standards, stakeholders and delivery approach.

Tailoring may change practices, processes, roles, terminology and management products.

Tailoring must not remove or weaken any of the seven PRINCE2 principles.

Management products can be combined, simplified or adapted; the project records which products are required.

Roles can be combined or shared in smaller projects, but accountability and project board responsibilities remain.

Tailoring decisions are documented, agreed by the project board and reflected in the project initiation documentation.

Agile delivery can be tailored with timeboxes, prioritized requirements and iterative development while retaining PRINCE2 governance.