Projects and the PRINCE2 project context
What makes work a project
PRINCE2 defines a project as a temporary organisation created to deliver one or more business products according to an agreed business case. That definition carries the characteristics examiners test: projects are temporary (defined start and end), unique (a defined set of products), cross-functional, uncertain, and they exist to bring about change. Work that repeats indefinitely is business as usual, not a project.
Where projects sit
A project is usually part of a wider context: a programme (coordinated projects delivering business change and outcomes), a portfolio (the organisation's total investment), or a standalone project commissioned by a customer. Separate the customer (specifies the products and the benefits sought) from the supplier (provides resources and delivery expertise).
The PRINCE2 framework
PRINCE2 is a framework made up of seven principles, seven practices and seven processes, supported by guidance on people and on the project context, including linear/sequential, iterative/agile and hybrid ways of delivering. It is not a prescribed method to be applied literally.
Traps: descriptions of routine operational activity presented as projects; questions implying PRINCE2 is 'one size fits all'; confusing programme management (outcomes, business change) with project management (outputs and products).
Rule of thumb: if you cannot write a business case for the work, and it has no defined end, it is business as usual - not a project.