PRINCE2-PRACTITIONER Processes — Timed 50 Questions

Question 1

A project is in the Starting up a Project (SU) process. The Project Manager has appointed the management team, prepared the project brief, and is now planning the initiation stage. What is the final activity the Project Manager must perform in SU before submitting the request to initiate the project to the Project Board?

50 minute time limit — choose an answer to begin.

Accepted Answer

Planning the initiation and requesting authorization to initiate the project.. The final activity in the Starting up a Project (SU) process is 'Plan the initiation stage' — producing the Initiation Stage Plan — and then assembling the Project Brief plus the plan into a request to the Project Board for authorization to initiate the project. The Project Board then decides whether to authorize the Initiation Stage. This is the last SU activity before the project moves into the Initiating a Project (IP) process.

Answer

Approving the detailed Stage Plans for the entire project life cycle.

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Authorizing the Project Management Plan.

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Conducting a formal End Project Evaluation.

Question 2

A project is operating under the Controlling a Stage (CS) process. The Project Manager needs to handle a request for change that impacts the Project Product Description. Who must approve this change before the Project Manager can incorporate it?

Accepted Answer

The Project Board. Under PRINCE2, changes that affect the Project Product Description — which defines the scope and quality expectations of the project's final product — are significant enough to require Project Board approval. The Project Board owns the project's scope and business justification, so any change to the Project Product Description must be escalated to them via an Exception Report or Change Request. The Project Manager cannot unilaterally approve such a change.

Answer

The Project Assurance role independently

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The Project Manager

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The Team Manager

Question 3

Which PRINCE2 process includes the activity 'Capturing and sharing lessons' as a continuous operational habit throughout the project lifecycle?

Accepted Answer

Controlling a Stage. In PRINCE2, 'Capturing and sharing lessons' is an activity within the Controlling a Stage process, where the Project Manager continuously captures lessons as events occur and shares them with the project team and wider organisation. This is not a one-off activity at the end of the project but an ongoing habit embedded in stage control. The other processes do not include this continuous lesson-capture activity.

Answer

Starting up a Project

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Closing a Project

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Managing Product Delivery

Question 4

Which TWO of the following are primary objectives of the Initiating a Project (IP) process?

Accepted Answer

Create the Project Management Plan and its subsidiary strategies. Option A is correct because the Initiating a Project (IP) process in PRINCE2 is where the Project Initiation Documentation (PID) is assembled, including the Project Management Plan and its subsidiary strategies (such as risk, quality, change, and communication management strategies). Option E is correct because IP establishes the project's business justification through the development of the Business Case, which is a core element of the PID and confirms the project remains viable and desirable before the project is authorized to proceed. Option B is incorrect because disbanding the Project Board is a closure activity, not an initiation objective. Option C is incorrect because handing over products to the operational environment occurs during the Closing a Project process, not IP. Option D is incorrect because the Executive is appointed as part of the Starting up a Project (SU) process, before the project mandate is received, not during IP.

Answer

Disband the Project Board permanently

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Hand over all project products to the operational environment

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Appoint the initial Executive prior to project mandate receipt

Question 5

Which THREE of the following activities are performed during the Managing a Stage Boundary (SB) process?

Accepted Answer

Updating the Business Case. During the Managing a Stage Boundary process, the Project Manager updates the Business Case (option A) to confirm the project remains viable and aligned with corporate strategy before requesting approval to proceed, and plans the next stage (option B) by preparing the Next Stage Plan with its products, activities, resources, and tolerances. The process also produces the End Stage Report (option C), which summarizes stage performance against the Stage Plan and supports the Project Board's decision to authorize the next stage. Options D and E do not belong: executing specialist Work Packages is performed in the Controlling a Stage process, and appointing the initial Project Manager occurs in the Starting up a Project process.

Answer

Executing specialist Work Packages

Answer

Appointing the initial Project Manager

Question 6

Which THREE of the following inputs are required when executing the Initiating a Project (IP) process?

Accepted Answer

The Project Mandate. In PRINCE2, the Initiating a Project (IP) process is triggered by the Project Mandate (A), which is the trigger that authorizes the start of the project and provides the initial statement of the reason for the project. Direction from the Project Board via the Directing a Project (DP) process (B) is required because the Project Board must authorize the project manager to proceed with initiation, typically through the 'Authorize Initiation' activity. The Project Brief (D) is also a required input, as it is the baseline document produced during Starting up a Project (SU) that IP uses to develop the Project Initiation Documentation (PID). Completed Work Package delivery sign-offs (C) belong to the Controlling a Stage and Managing Product Delivery processes, not to IP, since no work packages are delivered during initiation. The End Project Report from the previous project (E) is an output of Closing a Project and is not a required input to IP, though lessons from previous projects may be referenced via the Lessons Log.

Answer

Completed Work Package delivery sign-offs

Answer

The End Project Report from the previous project

Question 7

Which TWO of the following statements describe the relationship between Starting up a Project (SU) and Initiating a Project (IP)?

Accepted Answer

IP takes the Project Brief from SU and builds the comprehensive Project Management Plan.. Option B is correct because in PRINCE2, Initiating a Project (IP) takes the Project Brief produced by Starting up a Project (SU) as its trigger and develops it into the full Project Initiation Documentation, including the Project Management Plan, business case, and project controls. Option C is correct because SU is the pre-project process whose purpose is to ensure the prerequisites for initiating a project are in place and to decide whether the project is worthwhile and viable before committing to the IP process. Option A is wrong because both SU and IP are the responsibility of the Project Board and Project Manager, not Team Managers or Corporate. Option D is wrong because the sequence is the reverse: SU precedes and triggers IP, not the other way around. Option E is wrong because the baselined Project Management Plan is produced by IP, not by SU, which only creates the Project Brief and the outline business case.

Answer

IP is managed by Team Managers while SU is managed by Corporate.

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IP must be completed before SU can even begin.

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SU produces the final baselined Project Management Plan.

Question 8

Which TWO of the following roles are actively involved in the Managing Product Delivery (MP) process?

Accepted Answer

Team Manager. In PRINCE2, the Managing Product Delivery (MP) process is executed primarily by the Team Manager, who accepts work packages from the Project Manager, plans and executes the work, and reports progress and completion via Checkpoint Reports and Work Package status. Option C (Team Manager) is correct because the Team Manager is the role accountable for delivering the products within the work package constraints. Option D (Project Manager) is also correct because the Project Manager authorizes and agrees work packages with the Team Manager, monitors progress, and receives completed products, thereby actively participating in the MP process. Option A (Corporate/Programme management) is not involved at the process level; it provides the wider organizational context and mandates. Option B (Senior Supplier only) is incorrect because the Senior Supplier is a Project Board role providing supplier representation and does not perform MP activities. Option E (Executive) is incorrect because the Executive owns the business case and chairs the Project Board but does not actively execute the MP process.

Answer

Corporate/Programme management

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Senior Supplier only

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Executive

Question 9

Which TWO of the following documents are typically produced or updated during the Managing a Stage Boundary (SB) process?

Accepted Answer

Next Stage Plan. Option C (Next Stage Plan) is correct because the Managing a Stage Boundary process is where the Project Manager prepares the plan for the next stage so the Project Board can authorize it at the following stage boundary. Option D (End Stage Report) is correct because SB produces this report to summarize the current stage's performance and provide the Project Board with the information needed to decide whether to approve the next stage. The Project Mandate (A) and Initial Project Brief (E) are created during pre-project/SB activities, and the End Project Report (B) is produced in the Closing a Project process, not at a stage boundary.

Answer

Project Mandate

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End Project Report

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Initial Project Brief

Question 10

Which THREE of the following actions are valid responses by the Project Board when an Exception Report is escalated during Controlling a Stage?

Accepted Answer

Instruct project closure if the project is no longer viable. Option A is correct because when an Exception Report shows the project is no longer viable, the Project Board can instruct that the project be closed prematurely, which is a legitimate board-level decision under PRINCE2. Option B is correct because the Project Board can request an Exception Plan from the Project Manager, which is then submitted for approval to replace the stage plan that is forecast to breach its tolerances. Option E is correct because the Project Board can authorize an alternative stage plan or Exception Plan, thereby approving a revised approach to bring the stage back within tolerance. Option C is not valid because stage tolerances are set by the Project Board, not altered by the Project Manager, and any change to tolerances must be handled through the appropriate change control or Exception Plan process rather than a direct instruction without a plan. Option D is not valid because day-to-day management of work packages remains the responsibility of the Project Manager and Team Managers, not the Project Board, which operates at the directing level.

Answer

Direct the Project Manager to alter stage tolerances without a plan

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Take over day-to-day management of the work packages directly from the Team Managers

Question 11

Which process covers the activities undertaken by the Project Board to appoint the Project Manager and authorize the project mandate transition?

Accepted Answer

Starting up a Project. Starting up a Project (SU) is the process that includes the Project Board's activities to appoint the Project Manager and the Executive, and to respond to the project mandate by producing the Project Brief. The 'Authorize initiation' decision in Directing a Project formally approves the transition from the mandate to the initiation stage, but the SU process itself is where the Project Board appoints the Project Manager and prepares the mandate response. This makes SU the correct answer for the process covering these appointment and mandate-transition activities.

Answer

Closing a Project

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Managing Product Delivery

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Controlling a Stage

Question 12

A project is in the Managing a Stage Boundary (SB) process. The Project Manager is preparing the End Stage Report. Which of the following elements must be included in this report to give the Project Board a complete view of stage performance?

Accepted Answer

A review of how the stage performed against its planned cost, time, scope, and quality tolerances.. The End Stage Report is produced during the Managing a Stage Boundary process to give the Project Board a performance summary of the stage just completed. PRINCE2 requires it to cover actual versus planned performance across the six tolerance areas (time, cost, scope, quality, risk, and benefit), so a review of cost, time, scope, and quality tolerances is a mandatory element. This enables the Board to decide whether to approve the next Stage Plan.

Answer

A detailed personnel evaluation and salary review for all project team members.

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A request to dissolve the corporate organization.

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The final benefit realization audit conducted 5 years post-project.

Question 13

Which PRINCE2 process is responsible for creating the detailed plan for the stage immediately following initiation?

Accepted Answer

Initiating a Project. In PRINCE2, the Initiating a Project process creates the Project Initiation Documentation (PID), which includes the detailed plan for the first delivery stage (the stage immediately following initiation). This stage plan is produced as part of authorizing the project and is what the Project Board approves at the end of initiation.

Answer

Directing a Project

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Starting up a Project

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Managing a Stage Boundary

Question 14

A Project Manager is drafting the Project Brief during the Starting up a Project process. Which role is primarily responsible for approving the Project Brief before the Project Board is asked to authorize initiation?

Accepted Answer

Executive. In PRINCE2, the Executive is the single individual ultimately accountable for the project and is responsible for approving the Project Brief before it is presented to the Project Board for authorization to initiate. The Executive owns the Business Case and ensures the Project Brief aligns with corporate strategy, so their approval is a required gate in the Starting up a Project process.

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Project Assurance

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Project Manager

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Project Support

Question 15

A Project Manager is executing the Initiating a Project process and is assembling the Project Initiation Documentation (PID). Which of the following components must be newly created or baselined specifically for the PID rather than inherited from the Project Brief?

Accepted Answer

Project Plan. The Project Plan is a component of the Project Initiation Documentation (PID) that must be newly created during Initiating a Project, as it provides the baselined schedule, costs, and resource requirements for the entire project. The Project Brief contains only an outline of the project, so the detailed Project Plan is developed specifically for the PID. Other components like the Executive role description, project objectives, and project approach are inherited or refined from the Project Brief.

Answer

Executive role description

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Project objectives

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Project Approach

Question 16

A Project Manager in Controlling a Stage needs to handle a situation where a Work Package is forecasted to exceed its time tolerance. What is the immediate action the Project Manager should take regarding the Team Manager?

Accepted Answer

Instruct the Team Manager to submit an Exception Report. When a forecast indicates that a Work Package will exceed its tolerance, the Project Manager must raise a Highlight Report or request an exception from the Team Manager via an issue/exception process, but formally, the Team Manager must raise an Exception Report to the Project Manager if tolerances set by the Project Manager are forecasted to be exceeded.

Answer

Issue an Exception Report directly to the Project Board

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Terminate the Work Package immediately

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Adjust the Project Board's stage tolerances

Question 17

When executing the Closing a Project process, who is responsible for confirming handover and acceptance of the project's products?

Accepted Answer

The Customer / User. In PRINCE2's Closing a Project process, the activity 'Confirm acceptance of the project product' is performed by the Customer/User role, who confirms that the products meet the agreed acceptance criteria. The Project Manager facilitates this, but the authority to accept deliverables rests with the customer or user representative on the Project Board.

Answer

The Project Board Executive

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Project Assurance

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Project Manager

Question 18

A Project Manager is managing a stage using the Controlling a Stage process. A Team Manager reports that a Work Package will complete ahead of schedule and under budget. How should the Project Manager handle this positive variance?

Accepted Answer

Capture the variance in a Highlight Report and review stage-level impact. In PRINCE2's Controlling a Stage process, the Project Manager is responsible for monitoring Work Package progress and reporting variances through the Highlight Report to the Project Board. Positive variances (ahead of schedule, under budget) must still be captured and assessed for their impact on the stage plan, business case, and remaining work rather than being acted on unilaterally. Option D reflects the correct PRINCE2 principle of 'manage by exception' combined with proper reporting and review.

Answer

Automatically extend the project deadline by the saved amount

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Close the entire project immediately

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Immediately return the saved money to corporate treasury without informing anyone

Question 19

A Project Manager is executing the Closing a Project process. Which THREE of the following actions are mandatory requirements of this process?

Accepted Answer

Recommending follow-on action recommendations for uncompleted issues or maintenance. Option A is correct because the Closing a Project process requires the project manager to produce follow-on action recommendations for any uncompleted work, open issues, or ongoing maintenance needs so they can be passed to the appropriate owner after closure. Option C is correct because handing over the project's products and confirming operational acceptance is a mandatory activity that ensures the customer or operations team formally accepts the outputs before the project is closed. Option D is correct because the project must be evaluated against the baselined Project Initiation Documentation (PID) to assess performance against the original scope, cost, schedule, and benefits baselines. Option B is not correct because the Business Case is not rewritten during Closing a Project; it is reviewed and updated as part of the End Project Report, but the actual costs and benefits realized are recorded there rather than by rewriting the Business Case. Option E is not correct because appointing new Project Board members for post-project governance is not part of Closing a Project; the Project Board is disbanded at closure and any ongoing governance is handled by the relevant business or operational owner.

Answer

Rewriting the Business Case to reflect actual total costs and benefits realized

Answer

Appointing new members to the Project Board for post-project governance

Question 20

A project is in the Initiating a Project process. Which TWO of the following management approaches must be created or updated during this process?

Accepted Answer

Risk Management Approach. In PRINCE2, the Initiating a Project process creates the Project Initiation Documentation (PID), which includes the strategies/management approaches for the project. Option B (Risk Management Approach) is correct because the risk management approach must be created or updated during Initiating a Project to define how risks will be identified, assessed, and controlled throughout the project. Option C (Issue Management Approach) is also correct because the issue management approach is created or updated in this process to specify how issues and changes will be managed. Option A (Highlight Report template) is not correct because Highlight Reports are progress reports produced during the Managing a Stage Boundary and Controlling a Stage processes, not created in Initiating a Project. Option D (End Stage Report for the initiation stage) is not correct because the End Stage Report is produced at the end of a stage, typically during Managing a Stage Boundary, not during Initiating a Project. Option E (Team Plan for the first work package) is not correct because Team Plans are created during Managing Product Delivery or Controlling a Stage when work packages are agreed, not during Initiating a Project.

Answer

Highlight Report template for the Board

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End Stage Report for the initiation stage

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Team Plan for the first work package