Project Manager Responsibilities in PRINCE2
Which TWO of the following are responsibilities of the Project Manager?
Quick Answer
The answer is managing the project within tolerances set by the Project Board. This is correct because the Project Manager is the day-to-day leader who must deliver the project’s products while staying within the agreed cost, time, scope, risk, and quality tolerances delegated by the Project Board; exceeding these tolerances requires an exception report and escalation. On the PRINCE2 Foundation exam, this responsibility tests your understanding of the management-by-exception principle, where the Project Manager operates autonomously within defined boundaries. A common trap is confusing the Project Manager’s role with the Project Board’s strategic oversight—remember that the Board sets tolerances, but the Manager works within them. For a memory tip, think “Tolerances are the fence; the Manager plays inside the yard.”
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the Project Manager's role in preparing Stage Plans with the Project Board's role in approving them, or mistaking the Project Manager for the owner of the Business Case, which is a common PRINCE2 Foundation exam pitfall.
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
✓
Preparing Stage Plans
A is correct because the Project Manager is responsible for preparing Stage Plans, which detail how the work for a management stage will be executed, including schedules, resources, and controls. This is a core PRINCE2 responsibility as the Project Manager translates the Project Plan into actionable Stage Plans for the Project Board's approval.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Preparing Stage Plans
Why this is correct
The Project Manager prepares Stage Plans.
- ✗
Providing independent assurance to the Project Board
Why it's wrong here
This is Project Assurance.
- ✗
Updating the Business Case
Why it's wrong here
The SRO maintains the Business Case.
- ✗
Approving Stage Plans
Why it's wrong here
Approval is done by the Project Board.
- ✓
Managing the project within tolerances set by the Project Board
Why this is correct
Day-to-day management within tolerances is a key PM responsibility.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PRINCE2F question from scratch — 1,599 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
3 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 TWO of the following are responsibilities of the Project Manager?
medium- A.Create the Project Initiation Documentation
- ✓ B.Prepare the Highlight Report for the Project Board
- ✓ C.Manage the project on a day-to-day basis
- D.Authorize Work Packages
- E.Provide independent assurance to the Project Board
Why B: The Project Manager is responsible for managing the project on a day-to-day basis and preparing Highlight Reports for the Project Board. Therefore, options B and C are correct. Authorizing Work Packages is also a Project Manager responsibility, but this question asks for the two key responsibilities typically emphasized. Creating the Project Initiation Documentation is a PM responsibility during the Initiating a Project process, but it is not the only correct answer here. Providing independent assurance is the role of Project Assurance.
Variation 2. Which TWO of the following are responsibilities of the Project Manager?
medium- ✓ A.Prepare the Stage Plan for approval by the Project Board
- B.Provide independent assurance
- ✓ C.Manage the project within tolerances
- D.Approve the Project Initiation Documentation
- E.Chair the Project Board meetings
Why A: The Project Manager is responsible for preparing Stage Plans, which detail how a management stage will be executed, and submitting them to the Project Board for approval. This aligns with PRINCE2's principle of management by stages, where the Project Manager provides the detailed plan for the next stage.
Variation 3. Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the Project Manager?
medium- A.Preparing Highlight Reports for the Project Board
- ✓ B.Performing Project Assurance
- C.Authorizing work packages for the Team Manager
- D.Managing the project within tolerances
Why B: Project Assurance is independent and cannot be delegated to the Project Manager.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.