Project Management Professional / PRINCE2 Management Products, Roles and Exam Technique Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Management Products, Roles and Exam Technique deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. Which roles together form the PRINCE2 project management team structure?

   Project Board (Executive, Senior User, Senior Supplier), Project Assurance, Change Authority, Project Manager, Team Manager(s), and Project Support — within the wider context of corporate, programme or customer management.

2. In PRINCE2, the Executive and Project Manager roles cannot be shared or delegated. What principle does this reflect?

   The principle of 'defined roles and responsibilities' and clear single-point accountability — there must always be one Executive and one Project Manager, each held by a single individual.

3. What is meant by 'management by exception' in PRINCE2 decision making?

   Establishing tolerances for each project objective to define delegated authority limits. A higher level of management is only involved when those tolerances are forecast to be exceeded (an exception), enabling efficient escalation without unnecessary involvement.

4. Name the six tolerance areas (aspects of project performance to be managed) in PRINCE2.

   Cost, Time, Quality, Scope, Risk (and benefits), and Benefit. Commonly summarised as the six aspects: cost, time, quality, scope, benefit and risk.

5. How does authority flow down through the PRINCE2 management levels?

   Corporate/programme/customer management sets the project mandate and tolerances; the Project Board authorises the project and delegates day-to-day authority (within stage tolerances) to the Project Manager, who delegates product creation (within Work Package tolerances) to Team Managers.

6. What triggers the Project Board to authorise the next management stage?

   At the end of each stage, the Project Manager produces an End Stage Report and the next Stage Plan; the board reviews these at an end-stage assessment and decides whether to authorise the next stage, based on continued business justification.

7. What is the relationship between corporate management and the project in PRINCE2 governance?

   Corporate, programme management or the customer sits above the Project Board. It commissions the project (issues the mandate), sets overall project tolerances, owns the realisation of benefits beyond the project, and the Executive is accountable to it.

8. What does 'continued business justification' as a PRINCE2 principle imply for decision making?

   There must be a justifiable reason to start the project and that justification must remain valid throughout. If it ceases to be valid, the project should be stopped — the Business Case is checked at key decision points.

9. How does the Benefits Management Approach support governance and alignment with corporate management?

   It defines how and when measurement of the project's benefits will be achieved, often extending beyond the project's life. Responsibility for post-project benefit reviews usually transfers to corporate or programme management, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives.

10. At which level is the PRINCE2 Foundation examination pitched, and what does it assess?

    It assesses whether a candidate knows and understands the PRINCE2 method well enough to work effectively with, or as a member of, a project management team. It tests recall and comprehension of principles, themes, processes and terminology.

11. Describe the format of the PRINCE2 (7th edition) Foundation examination.

    60 multiple-choice questions, closed book, 60 minutes duration. The pass mark is 36 out of 60 (60%). There is no negative marking.

12. What does the PRINCE2 Practitioner examination assess, and what is its prerequisite?

    It assesses whether a candidate can apply and tailor PRINCE2 to the running and managing of a project within a scenario. The prerequisite is holding a valid PRINCE2 Foundation certificate (or an accepted equivalent qualification).

13. Describe the format of the PRINCE2 (7th edition) Practitioner examination.

    Objective testing, 70 questions, 150 minutes (2.5 hours), open book (only the official PRINCE2 manual allowed). The pass mark is 42 out of 70 (60%); no negative marking.

14. Why is the Practitioner exam described as 'scenario-based' and 'open book'?

    Questions are set against a project scenario to test application and tailoring of the method, not just recall. It is open book (official manual only) because the focus is on applying knowledge rather than memorising every detail.

15. What is the standard pass mark percentage for both PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner exams?

    60% in both cases — 36/60 for Foundation and 42/70 for Practitioner.

16. In the PRINCE2 Practitioner exam, what is a 'matching' question style?

    A question type where each item in a list must be matched to the most appropriate option from a second list (e.g. matching a management product to its purpose), with each option potentially used once, more than once, or not at all.

17. In the Practitioner exam, what is an 'assertion/reason' question, and how is it answered?

    It presents an assertion statement and a reason statement; the candidate must decide whether each is true and whether the reason correctly explains the assertion. The answer is chosen from a fixed set of options (typically A–E) reflecting these combinations.

18. What is good exam technique for Foundation multiple-choice questions with 'negative' wording (e.g. 'which is NOT')?

    Read carefully to identify the negative qualifier, since the correct answer is the exception. Underline or note the key word, eliminate the options that ARE true, and select the one that does not fit. Always answer every question because there is no negative marking.

19. Why should candidates attempt every question in PRINCE2 exams even if unsure?

    Because there is no negative marking, an unanswered question scores zero whereas a guess has a chance of being correct. Therefore no answer should ever be left blank.

20. What is an effective time-management technique for the open-book Practitioner exam?

    With 70 questions in 150 minutes, allow roughly 2 minutes per question. Use the manual selectively (rely on tabbing/indexing rather than reading) and flag difficult questions to revisit, ensuring all questions are attempted within the time.

21. How long is a PRINCE2 (7th edition) Practitioner certification valid, and how is currency maintained?

    The Practitioner certificate is valid for three years. Currency/digital badge status is maintained through PeopleCert's continuing professional development scheme (e.g. the membership/CPD programme) or by re-taking the Practitioner examination before expiry.

22. Does the PRINCE2 Foundation certificate expire?

    No. The Foundation certificate does not expire and is held for life; only the Practitioner certification requires renewal (every three years).

23. What are the main options for re-certifying or maintaining PRINCE2 Practitioner status before it lapses?

    Either retake and pass the Practitioner exam within the three-year window, or maintain status through PeopleCert's continuing professional development (CPD) / membership scheme that records ongoing professional development to keep the digital badge current.

24. Why does PRINCE2 emphasise 'learn from experience' as both a principle and through continuing development?

    Project teams should seek lessons from previous projects (recorded in the Lessons Log/Report) and apply them, while individuals maintain competence through ongoing CPD and re-certification — embedding continual improvement at both project and professional levels.

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