PRINCE2F PRINCE2 Processes Practice Question
A Project Manager is midway through the Controlling a Stage process. The Stage Plan shows sufficient remaining time and budget to complete all work packages, but the Project Manager has just received an Exception Report from a Team Manager indicating that a work package will exceed its agreed tolerances. What should the Project Manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any work package exception must be escalated immediately to the Project Board, when the Project Manager should first assess it against stage tolerances and take corrective action.
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
✓
Assess the exception against the stage tolerances and consider corrective action before escalating.
When a Team Manager raises an exception, the Project Manager must first assess it against the stage tolerances and decide whether corrective action can keep the stage within tolerance. Only if the stage tolerances are forecast to be exceeded does the Project Manager escalate to the Project Board. This ensures that manageable issues are resolved at the lowest appropriate level.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the exception to the Project Board immediately by producing an Exception Report for the stage.
Why it's wrong here
Escalating to the Project Board is premature. The Project Manager must first assess whether the exception can be resolved within the stage tolerances by taking corrective action, such as re-planning the work package or adjusting priorities. Only if the stage tolerances themselves are forecast to be breached should escalation occur.
- ✓
Assess the exception against the stage tolerances and consider corrective action before escalating.
Why this is correct
In Controlling a Stage, the Project Manager receives exceptions, assesses their impact against the stage tolerances and the Business Case, and takes corrective action if possible. Escalation to the Project Board only happens when the stage tolerances are forecast to be exceeded, so assessing and acting first is the correct sequence.
- ✗
Instruct the Team Manager to stop all work on the work package and await a new Work Package.
Why it's wrong here
Stopping work entirely is an overreaction and could cause unnecessary delay and cost. The Project Manager should first assess the exception and consider corrective action. Issuing a new Work Package may be part of the solution, but it is not the first step and stopping all work is not automatically required.
- ✗
Authorize the Team Manager to continue and record the issue in the Issue Register without further action.
Why it's wrong here
Simply recording the issue and allowing work to continue ignores the need to actively manage the exception. The Project Manager must assess the impact and decide on corrective action, not passively log it. The Issue Register is a record, not a substitute for the management action required in Controlling a Stage.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PeopleCert exam blueprint
This PRINCE2F practice question is part of Courseiva's free 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 PRINCE2F exam.