The principle of ‘Manage by stages’ requires that the project is planned, monitored, and controlled on a stage-by-stage basis. Creating a detailed plan for the upcoming delivery stage, separate from the overall project plan, is a direct application of this principle. It allows the project board to retain control by authorizing one stage at a time.

PRINCE2’s principle of ‘Manage by exception’ and its change control theme require that potential changes are handled in a controlled manner. The correct approach is to log it as an issue. This allows the suggestion to be properly assessed for its impact on the project’s products, business case, risks, costs, and timeline before any decision is made by the appropriate authority (likely the project manager or project board).

The End Project Report is a key management product used during the ‘Closing a Project’ process. Its core purpose is to provide the project board with a summary of the project’s performance against its original baselines (cost, time, scope, quality, benefits, and risks). This enables the board to make an informed decision on whether to authorize project closure.

The Project Initiation Documentation (PID) is the primary output of the initiation stage. It contains all the baseline information needed to direct and assess the project, including the detailed Risk Management Strategy and the initial Risk Register. The project board approves the PID, thereby approving the documented approach to managing identified risks like this one.

The core of ‘Controlling a Stage’ is managing work and issues within the agreed stage tolerances. The project manager’s first action should be to assess the impact. If the deviation is forecast to take the stage outside of its agreed tolerances (e.g., exceed the time tolerance), then it becomes an issue that must be escalated to the project board. If it stays within tolerance, the project manager can authorize a workaround.

‘Directing a Project’ defines the project board’s responsibilities. A fundamental duty is stage boundary management: reviewing the performance of the current stage via an End Stage Report and, based on that and the plan for the next stage, making the decision to authorize the next stage (or not). This is how the board exercises ‘manage by stages’ and retains overall control.

The principle of ‘Continued Business Justification’ states that a project must have a justifiable business reason for starting and, critically, for continuing. The Business Case is a living document that must be reviewed and updated at key points (like stage boundaries). If the business justification disappears (e.g., strategy changes, costs balloon, benefits evaporate), the project should be stopped. It is not solely about initial ROI or rigid scope.

The Quality Management Strategy is a high-level document created during initiation. It defines the ‘how’ of quality for the project: the standards to be used, the quality responsibilities (who does what), the techniques and processes for quality control (e.g., testing, reviews) and quality assurance (e.g., audits). Option A belongs in Product Descriptions, Option B in plans, and Option D in a detailed Work Package or test plan.

The ‘Managing a Stage Boundary’ process is fundamentally about governance and control. Its purpose is to assure the project board that the current stage has been completed as planned and to provide them with a updated view of the project (updated Business Case, Plan, Risk Register) and a detailed plan for the next stage. This enables the board to make an informed ‘go/no-go’ decision for the next stage, ensuring continued business justification.

The principle of ‘Manage by stages’ requires that the project is planned, monitored, and controlled on a stage-by-stage basis. Creating a detailed plan for the upcoming delivery stage, separate from the overall project plan, is a direct application of this principle. It allows the project board to retain control by authorizing one stage at a time.0