# Tailoring PRINCE2 to the Project

> Chapter 19 of the Courseiva PEOPLECERT-PRINCE2-FOUNDATION curriculum — https://courseiva.com/learn/peoplecert-prince2-foundation/tailoring-prince2-to-the-project

**Official objective:** 4.1 — Describe the concept of tailoring and how the PRINCE2 principles, themes, and processes are adapted to suit different project environments.

## Introduction

Tailoring PRINCE2 to the project environment. This is the skill that prevents the framework from being a rigid, bureaucratic nightmare and turns it into a flexible toolkit that actually helps you get work done. For the PRINCE2F exam, you must understand that tailoring is not optional; it is a required part of applying PRINCE2 correctly, and the exam loves to test whether you know when to 'adapt' versus when to 'ignore'.

## The Tailored Suit Analogy

A suit from a high-end tailor is never bought off the rack. The tailor starts with a master pattern, the fundamental design of a jacket and trousers, but then takes precise measurements of the client. They ask about the client's lifestyle: do they need a wristwatch pocket for business meetings or reinforced knees for crawling under a car? The tailor adjusts the fabric, the cut, and the details until the suit fits that one person perfectly. The core structure of the suit remains the same, a left sleeve, a right sleeve, and a centre seam, but a suit for a courtroom lawyer looks and behaves very differently from a suit for a gardening enthusiast.

This is exactly how Tailoring works in PRINCE2. You don't throw away the framework. You keep the seven principles, the seven themes, and the seven processes as your master pattern. But you adjust every part of it to fit the specific project's size, risk, complexity, and environment. A tiny project to organise a team lunch uses the same PRINCE2 principles as a multi-million-pound infrastructure project, but the lunch project might combine several management products into one simple checklist and skip elaborate reporting. The tailoring makes PRINCE2 lightweight and useful rather than a bureaucratic burden. Without tailoring, you force a square peg into a round hole; with it, you get a system that genuinely helps the project succeed rather than one that just creates paperwork.

## Core explanation

Tailoring is the process of adapting the PRINCE2 method to suit the specific context of a project. Context includes the project's size, complexity, importance, time frame, risk level, and the culture of the organisation that is running it. The PRINCE2 manual says that tailoring is one of the seven principles, specifically the principle called 'Tailor to suit the project environment'. This means you are not allowed to just copy the method from a textbook. You must deliberately choose which parts of the framework to use, how much detail to include, and what language to use.

To understand tailoring, you must first understand what it is NOT. Tailoring is NOT removing or ignoring any of the seven principles. You cannot decide that 'Continued business justification' is too hard for your small project and drop it. The principles are universal and must always be applied. Tailoring is also NOT creating a completely new method. You cannot invent your own project management system and call it 'PRINCE2-ish'. You start with the full PRINCE2 framework and then adjust the way you apply the themes and processes.

Why does tailoring exist? The official reason is found in the principle itself: a project's environment is unique. A government defence project with 1,000 people working for five years has a completely different environment from a small charity project to update a website that takes three people two weeks. If you used the exact same paperwork, the same number of meetings, and the same level of detail for both projects, either the small project would drown in unnecessary admin or the large project would lack enough control. Tailoring solves this problem by making the framework scalable.

The elements you can tailor include:

- The processes: You can combine activities, skip certain management products, or change the frequency of management reviews. For a very small project, the Initiation Stage and Directing a Project process might be merged into a single short meeting.
- The themes: Each theme (like Business Case, Risk, or Quality) has required management products (like a Business Case or a Risk Register). You can decide the format of these products. A small project might use a single page checklist for the Business Case, while a large project uses a 50-page document.
- The roles: PRINCE2 defines four levels of management (Corporate/Programme Management, the Project Board, the Project Manager, and the Team Manager). In a tiny project, one person might fulfil multiple roles. For example, the Project Manager might also be the Team Manager and part of the Project Board.
- The management products: These are the documents and logs you create (Project Plan, Risk Register, Quality Register, etc.). For a low-risk project, you might combine the Risk Register and Issue Register into a single 'Log of Concerns'. You can also change the language to match your organisation's terminology.
- The controls: These are the management stages, tolerances, and reporting frequency. A long-term project might have quarterly reporting, while a short project might have weekly reporting.

There are boundaries to tailoring. The exam emphasises that you must always retain the essence of each process and theme. For example, the 'Starting up a Project' process always happens, even if it is a five-minute mental exercise. The 'Business Case' theme always exists, even if it is just a verbal agreement. The principle of 'Manage by stages' always applies, even if you define stages by week rather than by calendar month.

The organisation's project management method may have its own tailoring guidelines. Some large organisations have a 'PRINCE2 Manual' that tells teams exactly which management products are mandatory and which can be dropped. This is called an 'embedded approach' where PRINCE2 is built into the organisation's standard way of working. Other organisations leave the tailoring choices up to the Project Manager for each project, which is called a 'free approach'. Both methods are valid, but the Project Manager must always document their tailoring decisions in the Project Initiation Documentation (PID) so that everyone knows what has been changed and why.

Finally, the exam tests your ability to recognise good tailoring versus bad tailoring. Good tailoring makes the method easier to use while preserving its integrity. Bad tailoring drops essential controls like risk management or stage boundaries, which then creates hidden risks. A classic exam trap is a question where a scenario describes a very small project, and the correct answer is to 'simplify the management products' rather than 'ignore the Risk theme'. Always remember: principles are non-negotiable; everything else is adjustable.

## Real-world context

An IT professional, let's call them a Project Manager at a medium-sized retail company, is assigned to a project: 'Update the company website with a new checkout feature'. The project has a budget of £50,000, a team of five people (four developers and one tester), and a duration of three months. The company has a formal PRINCE2-based project management framework that was written for large infrastructure projects. The Project Manager must now tailor that framework to fit this small, low-risk web development project.

Step one: The Project Manager reads the company's standard framework. It requires a full Project Brief, a Business Case with detailed financial calculations, a Risk Register with 50 rows pre-populated, a Quality Register, an Issue Register, a Lessons Log, and a 20-page Project Plan. The standard framework also mandates a formal end-stage assessment with the Project Board every month, even if the stage is only two weeks long. The Project Manager recognises that this level of detail would cost more than the entire project budget in administrative overhead.

Step two: The Project Manager decides what to keep and what to simplify. They decide to keep all seven principles but adjust the application. For 'Continued business justification', they create a one-page Business Case that lists the expected increase in online sales, the one-time cost, and the break-even point. For 'Manage by stages', they define two stages: 'Build and Test' and 'Launch'. Each stage lasts about six weeks. For 'Focus on products', they identify the key deliverables (new checkout page, payment integration, and automated receipt email) and write a simple Product Description for each.

Step three: The Project Manager simplifies the management products. Instead of separate Risk and Issue Registers, they create a single 'Decision Log' where they list risks, issues, and changes in one table. Instead of a separate Quality Register, they add a 'QA Check' column to the project plan spreadsheet. Instead of a formal Lessons Log, they schedule a 30-minute retrospective meeting at the end of each stage. They document all of these tailoring decisions in a two-page Project Initiation Documentation (PID) that includes a section called 'Tailoring Approach'.

Step four: The Project Manager adjusts the control levels. The standard framework requires a monthly Project Board meeting. Because this project only lasts three months, the Project Manager schedules two formal board meetings: one at the end of each stage. Between those, they send the board a weekly one-paragraph email status update. They also negotiate a higher tolerance (the amount of variance allowed before escalation) because the project is small and the board trusts the team. The tolerance for cost is set at 20% instead of the standard 10%, and the tolerance for time is set at two weeks instead of one.

Step five: The Project Manager communicates the tailoring to the team and the board. They call a 15-minute kick-off meeting where they explain that PRINCE2 will be used 'light-touch'. They show the team the simplified Decision Log and explain that each week they will update it during a 10-minute stand-up meeting. The board receives the PID and approves it. Throughout the project, the team creates the required management products but in a low-friction format: the Project Plan is a Gantt chart in a shared spreadsheet, the Business Case is a short document in the team's wiki, and the Decision Log is a shared online sheet.

What did the IT professional actually do? They did not abandon PRINCE2. They used it strategically, keeping the principles that enforce good governance (business justification, defined roles, learning from experience) while dropping the paperwork that would have slowed the project down. This real-world scenario shows that tailoring is a practical skill: you must know the method deeply enough to decide what is essential and what is optional for your project.

## Exam focus

The PRINCE2F exam tests 'Tailoring PRINCE2 to the Project' in several specific ways. First, you must know that tailoring is one of the seven principles. The exam will ask you to identify which principle is being described when a scenario involves adapting the method to fit the project environment. The correct answer is always 'Tailor to suit the project environment'. Do not confuse it with 'Manage by stages' or 'Focus on products'.

Second, the exam tests what can and cannot be tailored. The three things that are NEVER tailored are the seven principles themselves. A common exam question presents a scenario where a very small project drops the 'Business Case' theme altogether. The correct response is that this is wrong, because principles cannot be tailored away. Another common trap is a question where the project decides to skip the 'Starting up a Project' process entirely for a very urgent project. The correct answer is that this is not allowed because every project must have a starting-up phase, even if it is very short. However, the exam will accept that you can combine activities from different processes or use simpler management products.

Third, the exam tests your understanding of 'embedding' PRINCE2 into an organisation. If a question describes an organisation that has its own standard project management method that includes PRINCE2 as a core component, the correct term is 'embedding'. Do not confuse this with 'tailoring' for a single project. Embedding is when the whole organisation adopts a customised version of PRINCE2. Tailoring is when an individual project adapts that embedded method or adapts PRINCE2 directly.

Fourth, the exam tests your knowledge of the 'Project Initiation Documentation' (PID). The PID must document the tailoring decisions. A typical exam question will ask: 'Where are the tailoring decisions recorded for a project?' The answer is the Project Initiation Documentation (PID). Another common variant asks: 'What is the purpose of documenting tailoring decisions?' The answer is to ensure that everyone involved understands how PRINCE2 is being applied and that the method is being used appropriately.

Fifth, the exam tests the concept of 'scalability'. The exam will describe a project with certain characteristics (e.g., small budget, short duration, low risk) and then ask which tailoring approach is most appropriate. The correct choices will always involve simplifying management products, combining roles, and using fewer controls. The incorrect choices will involve skipping entire themes, ignoring risk management, or eliminating the Project Board.

Sixth, the exam tests the boundaries of tailoring. A classic trap question: 'A project manager decides to use a single-page checklist instead of a formal Business Case document for a small internal project. Is this acceptable?' The answer is yes, as long as the Business Case theme (the principle of continued business justification) is still applied. The format can change, but the function must remain.

Finally, the exam tests the relationship between tailoring and the other principles. For example, 'Manage by stages' is always applied, but the length of stages can be tailored. 'Focus on products' is always applied, but the detail of Product Descriptions can be tailored. 'Learn from experience' is always applied, but the method of recording lessons (e.g., a formal Lessons Log versus a team discussion) can be tailored. Memorise this list of what is fixed (principles) versus what is flexible (processes, themes, management products, roles, controls).

Exam traps to watch:
- A scenario that says 'the project was too small for a Business Case' – the correct answer is that the principle of continued business justification must still be applied, even for a small project.
- A scenario that says 'the team decided to use a simple risk log instead of a full Risk Register' – this is acceptable because the Risk theme is being applied, just in a simpler format.
- A scenario that says 'the project combined the roles of Project Manager and Team Manager' – this is acceptable for a small project.
- A scenario that says 'the project skipped the Managing a Stage Boundary process' – this is NOT acceptable because stage boundaries must be managed, even if they are very informal.
- A scenario that says 'the organisation has an embedded PRINCE2 method' – this means the organisation has its own version of PRINCE2 that all projects use.
- A scenario that says 'the Project Manager decided to use the full PRINCE2 method exactly as described in the manual for a two-week project' – this is bad tailoring because it is not suited to the project's size and complexity.

The key memorisation point: the principles are the non-negotiable core; everything else (processes, themes, management products, roles, controls) can be tailored.

## Step by step

1. **Assess the project environment** — The Project Manager analyses the project's size, complexity, risk, budget, duration, organisational culture, and any regulatory constraints. This assessment determines how formal or lightweight the PRINCE2 application needs to be.
2. **Identify mandatory elements from the organisation's method** — If the organisation has an embedded PRINCE2 method (a customised standard), the Project Manager must identify which parts are compulsory and which parts are optional for all projects. This sets the boundaries for tailoring.
3. **Choose what to simplify or combine** — The Project Manager decides which management products can be combined (e.g., Risk and Issue Registers into one log), which controls can be made less frequent (e.g., monthly reporting instead of weekly), and which roles can be merged (e.g., Project Manager also acting as Team Manager). The goal is to reduce overhead without losing governance.
4. **Document the tailoring approach in the PID** — The Project Manager writes a 'Tailoring Approach' section in the Project Initiation Documentation. This section lists every deviation from the full PRINCE2 method, along with the justification. This ensures transparency and provides a basis for approval by the Project Board.
5. **Obtain Project Board approval for the tailoring** — The Project Board reviews the PID and approves the tailoring decisions. The Board must ensure that the tailored approach still meets the organisation's governance requirements and that no critical controls are missing. Without approval, the tailoring is not authorised.
6. **Communicate the tailoring to the project team** — The Project Manager explains to the team how PRINCE2 will be applied in practice for this specific project. Team members need to understand which processes, management products, and reporting mechanisms they must follow, especially if they are different from what they expect.
7. **Review and adjust tailoring at stage boundaries** — At the end of each management stage, during the Managing a Stage Boundary process, the Project Manager reviews whether the current tailoring is still appropriate. If the project environment changes (e.g., risk increases, budget cuts), the tailoring may need to be tightened or loosened. Changes are documented and approved again.

## Comparisons

### Tailoring vs Embedding

**Tailoring:**
- Applies to a single project
- Decisions documented in the Project Initiation Documentation (PID)
- Done by the Project Manager with Project Board approval

**Embedding:**
- Applies to the entire organisation
- Decisions documented in the organisation's project management manual
- Done by senior management or a Centre of Excellence

### Principle (non-negotiable) vs Theme or Process (negotiable)

**Principle (non-negotiable):**
- Cannot be dropped or ignored under any circumstances
- Examples: 'Continued business justification', 'Learn from experience'
- Must always be applied, even if in a very simple way

**Theme or Process (negotiable):**
- Can be simplified, combined, or changed in format
- Examples: Business Case theme can be a one-page checklist
- Must retain its essential purpose but the form is flexible

### Simplified management products vs Full management products

**Simplified management products:**
- Used for small, low-risk, or short-duration projects
- Combines multiple products into one document (e.g., one log for risks and issues)
- Requires careful justification to ensure no loss of governance

**Full management products:**
- Used for large, complex, or high-risk projects
- Separate detailed products (e.g., Risk Register, Issue Register, Quality Register)
- Provides maximum control and traceability

### Project Board approval of tailoring vs Project Manager deciding tailoring alone

**Project Board approval of tailoring:**
- Correct and required by PRINCE2
- Ensures oversight and accountability
- The Board checks that governance is still adequate

**Project Manager deciding tailoring alone:**
- Not allowed by PRINCE2
- Avoids proper scrutiny and may introduce hidden risks
- The Project Manager does not have authority to change the method unilaterally

## Common misconceptions

- **Misconception:** Tailoring means I can drop any part of PRINCE2 that seems inconvenient for my project. **Reality:** Tailoring means you can change the format and level of detail of the methods, but you cannot drop any of the seven principles. (Beginners hear 'adapt' and think 'ignore what I don't like'. The exam explicitly tests that principles are non-negotiable, so this misconception leads to wrong answers on principle questions.)
- **Misconception:** If my project is very small, I don't need to use PRINCE2 at all because it's too heavy. **Reality:** PRINCE2 is designed to be scaled down for small projects. You still use it, but with simplified processes and products. (People naturally think small projects don't need 'big methodology'. The exam wants you to know that PRINCE2 can work for any size project if tailored properly.)
- **Misconception:** Tailoring is only needed at the start of the project, during initiation. **Reality:** Tailoring is a continuous activity that can be refined or adjusted throughout the project as circumstances change. (Beginners mistakenly think you set tailoring once and forget it. The exam may describe a scenario where the project environment changes mid-project, and the correct response is to reassess the tailoring approach in the managing a stage boundary process.)
- **Misconception:** The Project Manager alone decides how to tailor PRINCE2 for the project without any input from others. **Reality:** Tailoring decisions must be agreed with the Project Board and documented in the PID. It is a collaborative decision between the Project Manager and the Project Board. (Newcomers think the Project Manager is a dictator. The exam tests that the Project Board has authority over the project management method, and tailoring is a board-level decision.)
- **Misconception:** Tailoring means I can use a completely different project management method and still call it PRINCE2. **Reality:** Tailoring starts from the full PRINCE2 framework and makes adjustments within its boundaries. You cannot replace PRINCE2 with another method and claim it is tailored. (This misconception arises from confusing 'tailoring' with 'replacement'. The exam explicitly tests that you must retain the core structure of PRINCE2.)
- **Misconception:** Embedding PRINCE2 into an organisation is the same as tailoring it for one specific project. **Reality:** Embedding is when an organisation creates a standard, customised version of PRINCE2 for all projects to use. Tailoring is the project-level adaptation of that embedded method (or of PRINCE2 directly). (Both terms involve customisation, but at different levels. The exam loves to test the distinction between organisational-level embedding and project-level tailoring.)

## Key takeaways

- Tailoring is the seventh PRINCE2 principle: 'Tailor to suit the project environment', and it is non-negotiable.
- You can never drop or ignore any of the seven principles, only adjust how they are applied in practice.
- Tailoring applies to processes, themes, management products, roles, and controls, but not to the principles themselves.
- All tailoring decisions must be documented in the Project Initiation Documentation (PID).
- Embedding is an organisation-wide adoption of a tailored version of PRINCE2; tailoring is project-specific adaptation.
- Even a very small project must apply all seven principles; it can use simpler management products and combined roles.
- Bad tailoring removes essential controls such as risk management or stage boundaries, creating hidden project risks.
- The Project Board must approve the tailoring approach; the Project Manager proposes it.
- Tailoring is not a one-off activity at the start of the project; it can be reviewed and refined at stage boundaries.
- A correctly tailored project keeps the essence of each process and theme even if the format is changed.

## FAQ

**How do I know which parts of PRINCE2 to tailor for a small project?**

Start by listing all the management products (Business Case, Risk Register, etc.) and ask which ones are absolutely necessary. For a tiny project, you can often combine the Business Case with the Project Brief and use a single log for risks and issues. The key is to keep the principles intact but simplify the paperwork.

**Can I drop the Business Case for a very small internal project?**

No, you cannot drop the Business Case because the principle of 'Continued business justification' is non-negotiable. However, you can use a one-page memo or even a verbal justification documented in meeting minutes as long as it is recorded somewhere and reviewed regularly.

**Is it okay for one person to be Project Manager and Team Manager in a small project?**

Yes, this is a common tailoring approach for small projects where the same person can handle both the management and the technical work. The roles themselves still exist, but they are combined in one individual. The exam accepts this as valid tailoring.

**What is the difference between 'embedding' and 'tailoring' in PRINCE2?**

Embedding is when an organisation permanently adapts PRINCE2 into its own standard project management method that all projects must follow. Tailoring is when an individual project makes further adjustments to that embedded method (or to vanilla PRINCE2) to fit its unique environment.

**Can I skip the 'Starting up a Project' process if my project is very urgent?**

No, the Starting up a Project process must always be performed, even if it is very short. It ensures that the project has a clear mandate, a chosen project approach, and a defined Project Board before any work begins. For an urgent project, this process might take an hour instead of a week.

**Where should I document the tailoring decisions for my project?**

All tailoring decisions must be documented in the Project Initiation Documentation (PID) in a specific section called 'Tailoring Approach'. This document is then approved by the Project Board, which gives everyone a shared understanding of how PRINCE2 is being applied.

**What happens if my tailoring misses a critical control and something goes wrong?**

If a Project Manager makes poor tailoring decisions that remove essential controls (like skipping risk management or stage boundaries), they are personally accountable for the consequences. The organisation's governance framework should catch poor tailoring during the PID approval process, but ultimately, the Project Manager and Board share responsibility.

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Interactive version with quiz and diagrams: https://courseiva.com/learn/peoplecert-prince2-foundation/tailoring-prince2-to-the-project