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PRINCE2 7 Practitioner study materials
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PRINCE2 7 Practitioner practice questions

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Question 1PRINCE2 principles

For a project to be considered a PRINCE2 project, how must the seven principles be applied?

  1. Only those the board considers relevant
  2. All seven must be applied, without exception Correct answer.
  3. Only the four principles relating to roles and stages
  4. At least five of the seven must be applied

Explanation

The principles are the mandatory foundation of PRINCE2: all seven must be applied for a project to be managed using PRINCE2. If any single principle is omitted, the project is not a PRINCE2 project, regardless of how thoroughly the processes and themes have been used.

Question 2PRINCE2 principles

Which principle requires tolerances to be defined for each project objective, thereby setting the limits of delegated authority?

  1. Learn from experience
  2. Manage by exception Correct answer.
  3. Focus on products
  4. Manage by stages

Explanation

Manage by exception establishes tolerances for each project objective so that authority can be delegated with confidence. Decisions are escalated only when a tolerance is forecast to be exceeded, which keeps senior management involvement proportionate.

Question 3PRINCE2 principles

Which principle states that lessons are sought, recorded and acted upon throughout the life of the project?

  1. Tailor to suit the project environment
  2. Continued business justification
  3. Learn from experience Correct answer.
  4. Defined roles and responsibilities

Explanation

Learn from experience requires that lessons are actively sought, recorded and acted upon at every point in the project, not only at closure. It also covers applying lessons from earlier, similar work when the project is being planned.

Question 4PRINCE2 principles

Which principle requires that the products to be delivered, and in particular their quality requirements, are defined and drive the work?

  1. Defined roles and responsibilities
  2. Manage by exception
  3. Manage by stages
  4. Focus on products Correct answer.

Explanation

Focus on products means the project defines its products and their quality requirements before work begins. Plans, work packages and quality activities are then built around the agreed definition of what is to be delivered.

Question 5PRINCE2 principles

A PRINCE2 project management team structure must engage which three stakeholder interests?

  1. Sponsor, programme and corporate
  2. Business, user and supplier Correct answer.
  3. Customer, contractor and auditor
  4. Internal, external and regulatory

Explanation

The principle of defined roles and responsibilities requires an organization structure that engages the business, user and supplier interests. These interests are represented at project board level by the Executive, Senior User and Senior Supplier respectively.

Question 6PRINCE2 principles

How do the seven principles relate to tailoring?

  1. They can be dropped on small, low-risk projects if the project board agrees
  2. They are replaced by the organization's own standards
  3. They apply only to projects above a defined size
  4. They are always applied; tailoring covers processes and documents Correct answer.

Explanation

Principles are applied invariably, whatever the size, sector or delivery approach of the project. Tailoring applies to the processes, themes, roles, terminology and management products, not to the principles themselves.

Question 7PRINCE2 principles

Which set of factors determines how much tailoring a project needs?

  1. Size, complexity, importance, capability, risk and environment Correct answer.
  2. Budget, sponsor preference, team location, technology and duration
  3. Duration, supplier type, contract form and industry sector
  4. Industry, regulator, organizational culture and language

Explanation

The tailoring principle states that PRINCE2 is tailored to suit the project's size, environment, complexity, importance, capability and risk. These factors, rather than personal preference, determine how much of the method is applied and in what form.

Question 8PRINCE2 principles

How many management stages must a PRINCE2 project have at minimum?

  1. As many as there are products to deliver
  2. Three: one each for initiation, delivery and closure
  3. One: covering initiation and delivery together
  4. Two: initiation and at least one delivery stage Correct answer.

Explanation

A PRINCE2 project must have at least two management stages: an initiation stage and at least one further stage in which the work is delivered. Beyond that minimum, the number of stages is a tailoring decision based on risk and the decisions the project board needs to take.

Question 9PRINCE2 principles

At a stage boundary the project board sees that the forecast benefits no longer outweigh the remaining costs. What does the principle of continued business justification require?

  1. Close the project early, or re-scope so that justification is restored Correct answer.
  2. Direct the project manager to find cost savings without informing the board
  3. Continue, because funding has already been approved for the stage
  4. Continue to the end of the stage and review the position again

Explanation

Business justification must remain valid throughout the project, and it is reviewed at each stage boundary. If the justification has gone, the project should be stopped in a controlled way or changed so that a valid justification exists.

Question 10PRINCE2 principles

A project manager forecasts that a stage will exceed its agreed cost tolerance, although the project-level cost tolerance will not be breached. What should the project manager do?

  1. Reduce quality activities to stay within the stage tolerance
  2. Continue and report the overspend in the end stage report
  3. Raise an exception report and escalate to the project board Correct answer.
  4. Request additional budget directly from the corporate function

Explanation

The project manager works within the stage tolerances set by the project board. A forecast breach of a stage tolerance is an exception that must be escalated to the board with an exception report so that a decision can be taken.

Question 11PRINCE2 principles

A team starts building a component before the product description has been agreed with the project manager. Which principle is being compromised?

  1. Defined roles, because the team manager has not been appointed
  2. Focus on products, because quality criteria are not yet defined Correct answer.
  3. Learn from experience, because no lessons have been captured
  4. Manage by exception, because no cost tolerance has been set

Explanation

Focus on products requires that a product and its quality requirements are defined before work to create it begins. Without an agreed product description, the team cannot know what quality criteria it is working to, and acceptance becomes uncertain.

Question 12PRINCE2 principles

Where should lessons identified during a project be recorded and maintained?

  1. In the quality register, with the quality checks
  2. In the daily log, as they arise during the day
  3. In the risk register, alongside the related threats
  4. In the lessons log, with actions, owners and status Correct answer.

Explanation

The lessons log is the management product in which lessons are recorded, together with the actions agreed, who owns them and their status. It supports the principle of learn from experience by making lessons visible and actionable rather than anecdotal.

Question 13PRINCE2 principles

On a small project the customer proposes that one person acts as both project manager and team manager. What does PRINCE2 require?

  1. Combining roles requires approval from the corporate organization
  2. Roles may be combined if responsibilities stay defined and agreed Correct answer.
  3. Team manager roles may never be combined with other roles
  4. Every role must be filled by a different individual

Explanation

The principle of defined roles and responsibilities requires that accountabilities are defined and agreed, not that each role is held by a separate person. On smaller or simpler projects, roles can therefore be combined or shared provided the responsibilities remain clear.

Question 14PRINCE2 principles

During initiation the project manager decides to merge several management products into a single combined report. What makes this consistent with the principles?

  1. The decision is deferred until the first end stage assessment
  2. Nothing; tailoring is at the project manager's discretion
  3. The change is logged as an issue and approved by the senior user
  4. The board agrees and records the decision, noting any risks Correct answer.

Explanation

Tailoring is a deliberate, agreed decision rather than a private one. The project board should approve the tailored approach and the decisions, with any resulting risks, should be recorded so that the approach can be reviewed later.

Question 15PRINCE2 principles

Who sets the stage tolerances within which the project manager operates?

  1. The senior user, as the owner of the expected benefits
  2. The project manager, using the risk management approach
  3. The corporate or programme organization that owns the project
  4. The project board, within the project tolerances it holds Correct answer.

Explanation

Tolerances cascade down the management levels: the project board holds project tolerances and sets stage tolerances for the project manager. The project manager in turn sets work package tolerances for team managers.

Question 16PRINCE2 principles

What should a project manager do about lessons when starting up a project?

  1. Review lessons from similar projects and apply them in planning Correct answer.
  2. Wait until the first stage boundary before collecting any lessons at all
  3. Ask the project board to summarise lessons within the business case
  4. Review lessons only if the project resembles a previous one

Explanation

Learn from experience applies from the outset: lessons from previous or similar work should be sought and used when shaping the project approach, plans and roles. Capturing lessons only later would waste the opportunity to avoid known problems.

Question 17PRINCE2 principles

Tolerances in PRINCE2 are defined against which six aspects of project performance?

  1. Scope, cost, benefits, people, risk and change
  2. Time, cost, scope, quality, benefits and risk Correct answer.
  3. Time, cost, quality, resources, issues and change
  4. Time, cost, scope, quality, people and progress

Explanation

Tolerances are set for time, cost, scope, quality, benefits and risk, and may be defined at project, stage and work package level. Setting them for each aspect allows authority to be delegated while keeping performance within agreed limits.

Question 18PRINCE2 principles

What is the purpose of a stage boundary in PRINCE2?

  1. To allow team managers to start their work packages
  2. For the board to review the stage and authorise the next plan Correct answer.
  3. To let the project manager re-baseline the business case alone
  4. To close the project and hand over the final products

Explanation

At a stage boundary the project board reviews the end stage report and the next stage plan, confirms that the business case is still valid and authorises the next stage. This is the control point that makes manage by stages meaningful.

Question 19PRINCE2 principles

Which role is accountable for the business case and for ensuring that the project remains justified?

  1. Project manager
  2. Senior supplier
  3. Executive Correct answer.
  4. Senior user

Explanation

The Executive is accountable for the business case and for continued business justification throughout the project. The project manager prepares and maintains the business case, but accountability for it rests with the Executive.

Question 20PRINCE2 principles

Which management product sets out a product's purpose, composition, quality criteria and quality method?

  1. Quality register
  2. Work package
  3. Product breakdown structure
  4. Product description Correct answer.

Explanation

A product description defines what a product is for, what it contains, the quality criteria it must meet and how quality will be checked. It is the practical expression of the focus on products principle and underpins planning and acceptance.

Question 21PRINCE2 principles

Two projects are equally long: one is highly complex and uncertain, the other is straightforward. What should determine the number of management stages?

  1. Risk and the decisions needed, with more stages where uncertainty is high Correct answer.
  2. The length of the project, with one stage per year
  3. The number of products to be delivered within each stage
  4. The project board's preference for reporting frequency

Explanation

Management stages are sized so that the board can retain control and take key decisions where risk is greatest. A complex, uncertain project benefits from more, shorter stages, while a simple project may need only a few.

Question 22PRINCE2 principles

A project exists solely to meet new statutory requirements and shows no financial return. How does the principle of continued business justification apply?

  1. The project is exempt from the continued business justification principle
  2. Benefits must be redefined in financial terms before the project starts
  3. The compliance reason is documented and reviewed in the business case Correct answer.
  4. The project cannot proceed because no financial return can be shown

Explanation

Justification need not be financial: compliance with legislation or corporate policy can be a valid reason to invest. The principle requires that the reason is documented in the business case and remains valid, not that a monetary return is forecast.

Question 23PRINCE2 principles

Which statement best describes the nature of the PRINCE2 principles?

  1. They are universal, self-validating and empowering Correct answer.
  2. They are techniques that can be adapted to each project
  3. They are optional good practices chosen by the project board
  4. They are detailed procedures that must be followed exactly

Explanation

PRINCE2 describes its principles as universal, in that they apply to every project; self-validating, in that they have been proven in practice; and empowering, in that they give practitioners confidence to tailor. They are not procedures, and they are not optional.

Question 24PRINCE2 principles

Why does PRINCE2 insist that products are defined before the activities needed to create them are planned?

  1. Products are owned by the senior supplier, who authorises work
  2. Products and quality criteria enable estimating and control Correct answer.
  3. Activities cannot be scheduled until resources are confirmed
  4. Defining products removes the need for separate stage plans

Explanation

Starting from products makes the scope explicit and gives the basis for estimating effort, identifying skills and planning quality checks. It also provides a firm reference against which progress and acceptance can be judged.

Question 25PRINCE2 principles

A team manager forecasts that a work package will exceed the tolerance agreed within it. What does the principle of manage by exception require?

  1. Escalate to the project manager, who may act within stage tolerance Correct answer.
  2. Suspend all work until the project board next meets
  3. Finish the work package and report the overspend at the stage boundary
  4. Ask the project board to agree a revised stage tolerance immediately

Explanation

Tolerances are delegated level by level, so a forecast breach of a work package tolerance is first escalated to the project manager. The project manager can take corrective action while inside stage tolerance, escalating to the board only if stage tolerance is threatened.

Question 26PRINCE2 principles

Which PRINCE2 principle requires that a project has a valid reason to exist and that this reason is reviewed and updated as the project progresses?

  1. Continued business justification Correct answer.
  2. Focus on products
  3. Manage by stages
  4. Defined roles and responsibilities

Explanation

Continued business justification requires a documented, viable business case before the project starts and at every stage boundary. The business case is reviewed and, if it is no longer justified, the project should be stopped.

Question 27PRINCE2 principles

A project manager divides a long project into several management stages, each ending with a review by the project board. Which principle is being applied?

  1. Manage by exception
  2. Manage by stages Correct answer.
  3. Learn from experience
  4. Tailor to suit

Explanation

Manage by stages requires the project to be planned and controlled in manageable chunks, with decision points at stage boundaries. This gives the project board the opportunity to review progress and authorize the next stage.

Question 28PRINCE2 principles

Which principle states that the project management team must have clearly defined roles, responsibilities and relationships?

  1. Continued business justification
  2. Focus on products
  3. Manage by exception
  4. Defined roles and responsibilities Correct answer.

Explanation

Defined roles and responsibilities ensures that everyone involved knows what they are accountable for and how they relate to others. This principle supports effective decision-making and delegation.

Question 29PRINCE2 principles

Which principle requires the project team to seek lessons from previous projects and to capture new lessons as the project progresses?

  1. Manage by stages
  2. Focus on products
  3. Learn from experience Correct answer.
  4. Tailor to suit

Explanation

Learn from experience requires lessons to be sought at the start and throughout the project, not only at closure. Lessons are recorded and used to improve plans and decisions.

Question 30PRINCE2 principles

A project board member asks the project manager to obtain board approval for every purchase order, whatever its value. Which principle is being undermined?

  1. Manage by stages
  2. Focus on products
  3. Learn from experience
  4. Manage by exception Correct answer.

Explanation

Manage by exception delegates authority within agreed tolerances and requires escalation only when a forecast exceeds those limits. Requiring approval for every low-value purchase removes that delegated authority and defeats the principle.

Question 31PRINCE2 principles

A project manager defines the quality criteria and acceptance criteria for each product before any work is carried out to create it. Which principle is being applied?

  1. Continued business justification
  2. Manage by exception
  3. Defined roles and responsibilities
  4. Focus on products Correct answer.

Explanation

Focus on products requires products to be defined, including their purpose, quality criteria and quality methods, before activities are planned. This ensures that work is driven by the required outputs and their quality.

Question 32PRINCE2 principles

Midway through a project, the customer requests a significant increase in scope. What does the continued business justification principle require the project manager to do?

  1. Escalate the request only if a stage tolerance is exceeded
  2. Replan the stage and continue without reviewing the business case
  3. Review the business case to confirm the project is still worthwhile Correct answer.
  4. Ask the team manager to update the product descriptions only

Explanation

Continued business justification means the business case must remain valid throughout the project. A significant change such as increased scope can alter costs, risks and benefits, so the justification must be reassessed before the change is accepted.

Question 33PRINCE2 principles

A project board includes business and supplier representatives but no one representing the users. Which principle is most directly affected?

  1. Tailor to suit
  2. Learn from experience
  3. Manage by stages
  4. Defined roles and responsibilities Correct answer.

Explanation

Defined roles and responsibilities requires all relevant interests, including business, user and supplier, to be represented and their responsibilities agreed. Without user representation, the project board lacks an essential perspective for decision-making.

Question 34PRINCE2 principles

A project manager plans technical stages for design, build and test but no management stages. Why does this conflict with the manage by stages principle?

  1. Management stages provide board decision points; technical stages group specialist work Correct answer.
  2. The project board must approve every technical activity within each stage
  3. Management stages are required only when the project lasts longer than six months
  4. Technical stages are used only in agile projects and are not compatible with PRINCE2

Explanation

Manage by stages is about management control, not the technical phases of specialist work. A project needs management stages that end at decision points where the project board can review progress and authorize continuation.

Question 35PRINCE2 principles

At the end of a project, the project manager prepares a lessons report and shares it with the organization's programme office. Which principle does this support?

  1. Learn from experience Correct answer.
  2. Focus on products
  3. Manage by exception
  4. Continued business justification

Explanation

Learn from experience requires lessons to be captured and shared so that other projects and the wider organization can benefit. A lessons report at closure is one way of applying this principle.

Question 36PRINCE2 principles

A project manager judges the project's success by whether the required products meet their agreed quality criteria, rather than by how much effort the team has spent. Which principle does this reflect?

  1. Defined roles and responsibilities
  2. Focus on products Correct answer.
  3. Manage by stages
  4. Tailor to suit

Explanation

Focus on products means that success is defined by the delivery of products that meet their agreed quality criteria and purpose. Effort and activity are not the primary measure of success.

Question 37PRINCE2 principles

A project manager uses a simplified set of management products for a low-risk project but still applies all seven principles. Which principle does this illustrate?

  1. Manage by exception
  2. Tailor to suit Correct answer.
  3. Manage by stages
  4. Continued business justification

Explanation

Tailor to suit the project environment allows the method to be adapted to the project's size, complexity, risk and other factors. Tailoring can simplify processes and products, but it must not remove or weaken the principles.

Question 38PRINCE2 principles

A project board decides not to set any tolerances for a stage. What is the most likely effect on the manage by exception principle?

  1. The principle no longer applies because the stage is too short
  2. The principle is strengthened because the board retains full control
  3. The team manager automatically receives authority to approve all changes
  4. The project manager must escalate every deviation for approval, so delegated control is lost Correct answer.

Explanation

Manage by exception depends on agreed tolerances that define the limits of delegated authority. Without tolerances, every deviation must be referred upward, which removes the exception-based control the principle is designed to provide.

Question 39PRINCE2 principles

A project manager applies manage by exception rigorously but has not defined who sits on the project board or who reports to whom. Which statement best reflects the PRINCE2 principles?

  1. The project manager should ignore the gap until the next stage boundary
  2. The principles are integrated, so applying one without the others undermines the method Correct answer.
  3. Only the defined roles and responsibilities principle needs to be applied
  4. Manage by exception can operate independently of the other principles

Explanation

The PRINCE2 principles are integrated and must be applied together. Manage by exception relies on defined roles and responsibilities because escalation requires clear authority and reporting lines.

Question 40PRINCE2 principles

A project manager claims that because the project uses an agile delivery approach, the manage by stages principle does not apply. Which statement is correct?

  1. The principle still applies but stages may be delivered as iterations Correct answer.
  2. The board must approve every sprint item to satisfy the principle
  3. Only the tailor to suit principle applies to agile projects
  4. The principle can be ignored because agile replaces stages

Explanation

The PRINCE2 principles are universal and must be applied regardless of delivery approach. Tailoring can change how manage by stages is implemented, for example through iterations, but it cannot remove the need for management control points.

Question 41People in projects

Which statement best describes why PRINCE2 addresses the people involved in a project?

  1. To specify the recruitment and selection process for project team members
  2. To record the cost of project resources within the business case
  3. To help projects get the best contribution from the people involved Correct answer.
  4. To define the reporting lines and delegated authority of the project board

Explanation

The people guidance addresses the human aspects of delivery, such as culture, change, stakeholder engagement and communication, so that individuals and groups contribute effectively to project objectives. It does not set recruitment rules or resource costs.

Question 42People in projects

Which situation best demonstrates that two-way communication has taken place?

  1. Information is sent to stakeholders using several different channels
  2. The receiver confirms they have understood the message as intended Correct answer.
  3. Written reports are issued to stakeholders at fixed intervals
  4. Senior managers approve messages before they are circulated

Explanation

Communication is only effective when the intended meaning is received and understood, which requires a feedback loop from the receiver. Sending more messages or gaining approval for them does not by itself confirm understanding.

Question 43People in projects

Which of the following best describes a stakeholder in a project?

  1. Any person whose work must be approved by the project board
  2. Any person who contributes funding to the project
  3. Any person or group with an interest in, or affected by, the project Correct answer.
  4. Any person who holds a formal role defined in the project's organization structure

Explanation

Stakeholders are those who have an interest in the project or who are affected by it, whether or not they hold a formal role or provide funding. The definition is deliberately broad so that influence and impact are not overlooked.

Question 44People in projects

A stakeholder has a strong interest in the project but very little influence over its outcome. How should they normally be engaged?

  1. Excluded from engagement until the project is complete
  2. Managed closely, with frequent detailed reporting
  3. Kept informed, since they care but cannot change outcomes Correct answer.
  4. Monitored with minimal communication to avoid distraction

Explanation

Analysis of interest and influence shows that stakeholders with high interest but low influence need sufficient information to remain supportive, without heavy management effort. Close management is reserved for those who are both interested and influential.

Question 45People in projects

Which of the following would normally be recorded in the communication management approach?

  1. Stakeholder attitudes towards the project
  2. The format, frequency and sender of each planned communication Correct answer.
  3. The project's organization structure
  4. Quality criteria for project documents

Explanation

The communication management approach defines what information will be shared, with whom, in what format, when and by whom. Stakeholder attitudes are captured through stakeholder analysis, and structures and quality criteria belong to other products.

Question 46People in projects

A project introduces a new system that changes long-established working practices, and the affected team begins to voice strong objections. What should the project manager do first?

  1. Escalate to the project board so that the change can be mandated
  2. Seek to understand the concerns behind the objections Correct answer.
  3. Proceed as planned and allow the objections to subside
  4. Replace the resisting team members with more flexible staff

Explanation

Resistance is a normal reaction to change, and it usually has an identifiable cause such as loss of familiarity or fear of competence. Understanding those causes allows the project manager to respond with information, involvement and support rather than pressure.

Question 47People in projects

The host organization has a cautious, approval-driven culture, but the project needs rapid iterative decisions. What is the most appropriate response by the project manager?

  1. Abandon the iterative approach so that existing practice is followed
  2. Ask the board to replace managers who prefer a cautious approach
  3. Understand the culture and tailor how decisions are taken Correct answer.
  4. Ignore the culture, since the project is judged on its own objectives

Explanation

Project culture is shaped by the wider organization, so the project manager needs to understand it and tailor working methods and decision routes accordingly. Simply overriding or abandoning the project's approach creates avoidable friction.

Question 48People in projects

Which statement best distinguishes leadership from management in a project?

  1. Leadership is concerned with plans; management is concerned with people
  2. Leadership is only required at project board level; management is required below it
  3. Leadership focuses on the control of resources; management focuses on vision
  4. Leadership sets direction; management delivers through control Correct answer.

Explanation

Leadership provides vision, direction and inspiration, while management provides the planning, monitoring and control that turn direction into delivered products. Both are needed throughout a project and at every level.

Question 49People in projects

A newly formed project team begins to disagree about who should carry out which tasks. What should the project manager do?

  1. Wait for the team to resolve the disagreement unaided
  2. Escalate the disagreement to the project board
  3. Reassign the work to avoid any further disagreement
  4. Clarify roles and facilitate agreement Correct answer.

Explanation

Early disagreement about roles is a normal stage of team development and is best resolved by making responsibilities explicit and helping the team reach agreement. Leaving it unmanaged allows the conflict to become personal.

Question 50People in projects

What is the main purpose of analysing stakeholders' levels of interest and influence?

  1. To decide how each stakeholder should be engaged Correct answer.
  2. To calculate the cost of communicating with each stakeholder
  3. To rank stakeholders for inclusion in the lessons log
  4. To decide which stakeholders should join the project board

Explanation

Interest and influence analysis determines the appropriate engagement approach for each stakeholder, ranging from close management to simple monitoring. It informs engagement planning rather than board composition or cost calculation.