PRINCE2F PRINCE2 Practices Practice Question
What is the purpose of the product-based planning technique in PRINCE2?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the purpose of product-based planning with the purpose of a Product Description (which defines quality criteria) or with activity planning (which identifies dependencies), leading them to select options A or D instead of recognizing that product-based planning is about ensuring a product-focused approach from the start.
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
✓
To ensure the project is focused on delivering products and understanding what needs to be created
The product-based planning technique in PRINCE2 ensures that the project is focused on delivering products and understanding what needs to be created. It achieves this by requiring the project to identify, define, and document all products (both management and specialist) before planning the activities and resources. This technique is foundational to PRINCE2's product-based approach, which prioritizes the outputs over the activities.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
To define the quality criteria for each product
Why it's wrong here
Product-based planning produces the product breakdown structure, product descriptions and product flow diagram; quality criteria are captured within product descriptions, not defined by the technique itself. It is tempting because product descriptions do contain quality criteria, so the association is real but the stated purpose is inaccurate.
- ✗
To allocate resources to teams
Why it's wrong here
Product-based planning identifies required products and their sequence; allocating resources to teams belongs to organising and work package authorisation. It is tempting because plans do inform who delivers what, and resource allocation would be the answer if the question asked about the organisation theme.
- ✓
To ensure the project is focused on delivering products and understanding what needs to be created
Why this is correct
Product-based planning defines the project's products and their components before activities, so the plan is driven by what must be delivered. This satisfies the stem's purpose by focusing the project on creating and verifying agreed products, clarifying scope and reducing the risk of missing deliverables.
- ✗
To identify the activities and dependencies in the project schedule
Why it's wrong here
Product-based planning derives products first, then activities needed to create them; identifying activities and dependencies in a schedule is the activity-based planning approach. It is tempting because the product flow diagram does show dependencies between products, which resembles scheduling without being the technique's purpose.
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