PRINCE2F PRINCE2 Processes Practice Question
In which process does the Project Board decide whether to authorise an Exception Plan?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the process that creates the Exception Plan (Managing a Stage Boundary) with the process that authorizes it (Directing a Project), because both involve the exception plan but at different decision levels.
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
✓
Directing a Project
The Project Board decides whether to authorize an Exception Plan during the Directing a Project process. This process covers the Project Board's decision-making responsibilities, including reviewing and approving exception plans when a stage is forecast to exceed its tolerances. The board either approves the exception plan, allowing the project to continue, or requests alternatives.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Starting Up a Project
Why it's wrong here
Starting Up a Project appoints the project board and prepares the project brief; no exception exists yet to plan against. It is tempting because the board is first established there, but authorising an Exception Plan belongs to the process triggered when a stage or project tolerances are forecast to be exceeded.
- ✓
Directing a Project
Why this is correct
Exception Plans require Project Board authorisation, and that decision sits within Directing a Project, where the board governs by exception and approves plans escalated from Managing a Stage Boundary. No other process grants the board this authority.
- ✗
Managing a Stage Boundary
Why it's wrong here
Managing a Stage Boundary covers End Stage Reports and stage plans; Exception Plans are authorised in Directing a Project, where the Board responds to an Exception Report. The stage-boundary process suits routine stage closure, not exception escalation.
- ✗
Controlling a Stage
Why it's wrong here
Controlling a Stage is where the Project Manager escalates an Exception Report and drafts the Exception Plan; the board's authorisation decision sits elsewhere. It is tempting because the exception is first detected and reported there, but the board decides on the plan in the process that follows escalation.
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Same concept, more angles
4 more ways this is tested on PRINCE2F
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which process covers the Project Board's decision to authorise project closure?
easy- A.Managing a Stage Boundary
- B.Initiating a Project
- ✓ C.Directing a Project
- D.Closing a Project
Why C: The Directing a Project process is the responsibility of the Project Board and includes the activity 'Authorise Project Closure'. This activity is where the Project Board reviews the End Project Report and gives approval to close the project. It is a decision-making process, not a delivery or management process, and it sits above the other processes in the PRINCE2 process model.
Variation 2. Which process is used by the Project Board to authorise the start of a new stage?
medium- ✓ A.Directing a Project
- B.Initiating a Project
- C.Controlling a Stage
- D.Managing a Stage Boundary
Why A: In PRINCE2, the Directing a Project (DP) process is owned by the Project Board and includes the activity 'Authorise a Stage or Exception Plan.' The Project Board uses DP to authorize the start of each new stage after reviewing the End Stage Report and Next Stage Plan produced by Managing a Stage Boundary. This is the governance checkpoint where the Board commits resources to the next stage.
Variation 3. Which process is responsible for authorising the project's closure?
easy- ✓ A.Directing a Project
- B.Closing a Project
- C.Controlling a Stage
- D.Managing a Stage Boundary
Why A: The 'Directing a Project' process is responsible for authorizing the project's closure because it is the decision-making process performed by the Project Board. The Board reviews the End Project Report and confirms that all objectives have been met or that the project should be prematurely closed, then issues the formal authorization to close. This ensures that closure is a controlled, board-level decision, not an operational activity.
Variation 4. Which process is responsible for authorising the initiation of a project?
easy- A.Starting Up a Project
- B.Controlling a Stage
- C.Initiating a Project
- ✓ D.Directing a Project
Why D: The Directing a Project process is responsible for authorizing the initiation of a project. It is performed by the Project Board, which makes key decisions including authorizing the project initiation, stage boundaries, and project closure. The Project Board authorizes the Project Manager to proceed with Initiating a Project.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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