PRINCE2-PRACTITIONER Principles Practice Question
An R&D project has high uncertainty regarding whether the final technology can be successfully developed. To mitigate risk, the Project Manager recommends dividing the project into very short, high-frequency stages with explicit go/no-go decision gates. Which PRINCE2 principle is being leveraged most directly to control this uncertainty?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Manage by stages
Manage by stages enables control by breaking the project into discrete chunks, allowing the Project Board to re-evaluate viability and risk at each stage boundary.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Manage by exception
Why it's wrong here
Manage by exception deals with tolerance variances within a stage, whereas stage gates are planned boundary reviews.
- ✓
Manage by stages
Why this is correct
Breaking uncertain projects into short stages provides frequent governance control gates to mitigate risk.
- ✗
Continued business justification
Why it's wrong here
Although stage gates test the business case, the architectural breakdown into control points is manage by stages.
- ✗
Tailor to suit the project
Why it's wrong here
While stage length can be tailored, the primary mechanism of control through sequential decision points is manage by stages.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official AXELOS / PeopleCert exam blueprint
This PRINCE2-PRACTITIONER practice question is part of Courseiva's free AXELOS / PeopleCert certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PRINCE2-PRACTITIONER exam.