PRINCE2F People: organizations, teams, and leadership Practice Question
A Project Manager receives a forecast that a Work Package will exceed its tolerance. What should the PM do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse Work Package tolerance with stage tolerance, leading candidates to immediately escalate to the Project Board (Option C) when the correct first step is to discuss with the Team Manager.
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
✓
Discuss with the Team Manager to understand the situation and consider options
In PRINCE2, when a Work Package is forecast to exceed its tolerance, the Project Manager must first discuss with the Team Manager to understand the situation and explore options. This aligns with the 'manage by exception' principle, where the PM is responsible for managing within stage tolerances and only escalates to the Project Board if the stage tolerance itself is threatened. The PM must gather detailed information before deciding on corrective actions or escalation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Discuss with the Team Manager to understand the situation and consider options
Why this is correct
Tolerance breaches are escalated, but the PM first works with the Team Manager to establish cause and evaluate corrective options. That discussion feeds an Exception Report to the Project Board, which decides; unilateral action exceeds the PM's authority.
- ✗
Inform the Senior Supplier and request additional resources
Why it's wrong here
Informing the Senior Supplier and requesting resources bypasses the agreed change and escalation routes; the PM should first take corrective action within delegated tolerance. It is tempting because suppliers provide resources, but PRINCE2 requires the PM to manage the Work Package within tolerance before escalating.
- ✗
Immediately raise an Exception Report to the Project Board
Why it's wrong here
A forecast breach of Work Package tolerance is first handled by the PM taking corrective action within stage tolerance; escalation to the Project Board occurs only if stage-level tolerance is threatened. It is tempting because Exception Reports address tolerance breaches, but they apply at stage or project level, not Work Package level.
- ✗
Update the Stage Plan with the new forecast
Why it's wrong here
Updating the Stage Plan alone does not address the forecast breach; the PM must first attempt corrective action, and if stage tolerance is threatened, escalate. It is tempting because plans are revised when forecasts change, but recording the variance does not resolve the tolerance issue.
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