PRINCE2F People: organizations, teams, and leadership Practice Question
According to PRINCE2, which role is responsible for defining the project's tolerances?
⚠ Common exam trap
PRINCE2F often tests the confusion between who sets tolerances versus who works within them — candidates incorrectly assume the Project Manager defines tolerances because they create the plans.
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
✓
Project Board
In PRINCE2, the Project Board is the authority that sets project-level tolerances for the six performance targets (time, cost, scope, quality, risk, benefit). Tolerances define the delegated authority limits within which the Project Manager can manage without escalation. The Project Board defines these at project initiation and reviews them 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.
- ✗
Team Manager
Why it's wrong here
The Team Manager manages a work package within tolerances already delegated, and cannot set project-level tolerances. It is tempting because the Team Manager genuinely agrees work package tolerances with the Project Manager, which is a narrower, delegated form of the same concept.
- ✗
Senior User
Why it's wrong here
The Senior User represents user interests and specifies requirements, but holds no authority to define tolerance boundaries. It is tempting because the Senior User genuinely owns benefits specification and acceptance criteria, and would be the right answer for a question about defining user requirements rather than tolerances.
- ✗
Project Manager
Why it's wrong here
The Project Manager records tolerances in the project initiation documentation and monitors against them, but does not set them. The role is tempting because the Project Manager legitimately owns day-to-day delivery within the agreed boundaries, and escalates when a tolerance is forecast to be exceeded.
- ✓
Project Board
Why this is correct
The Project Board sets project-level tolerances for time, cost, scope, quality, risk and benefit, delegating authority within those limits to the Project Manager. This satisfies the question's requirement, as tolerances define the permissible deviation before escalation to the Board.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,189 original PRINCE2F practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.