Starting Up and Initiating a Project in Agile Context
5 minutes
5 Questions
In PRINCE2 Agile, the Starting Up a Project (SU) and Initiating a Project (IP) processes retain their core purpose but are adapted to work harmoniously with agile ways of working. Starting Up a Project focuses on determining whether the project is viable and worthwhile before committing significant…In PRINCE2 Agile, the Starting Up a Project (SU) and Initiating a Project (IP) processes retain their core purpose but are adapted to work harmoniously with agile ways of working. Starting Up a Project focuses on determining whether the project is viable and worthwhile before committing significant resources. In an agile context, this process should be kept lightweight and rapid, avoiding excessive documentation. The Project Brief is created collaboratively, often through workshops, and captures high-level requirements as epics or user stories rather than detailed specifications. Emphasis is placed on understanding the product vision, customer needs, and the overall direction, embracing the agile principle of just enough planning upfront. Initiating a Project establishes solid foundations by creating the Project Initiation Documentation (PID). In agile, this remains important because it defines governance, tolerances, and the strategies for delivery, but it is produced with agile behaviours in mind. Requirements are prioritised using techniques like MoSCoW (Must, Should, Could, Won't), enabling flexibility in scope while protecting time and cost. The concept of flexing what is delivered is embedded here, ensuring the project can adapt while still meeting fixed constraints. Agile workshops play a vital role in both processes. Collaborative sessions such as visioning workshops, requirements workshops, and release planning help engage stakeholders, build shared understanding, and produce artefacts quickly. Techniques like the product breakdown structure, story mapping, and prioritisation exercises are used to define and organise work. The Cynefin framework and Agilometer may be applied to assess complexity and suitability of agile approaches. Overall, SU and IP in PRINCE2 Agile ensure the necessary control and direction from PRINCE2 while incorporating agile values of collaboration, iterative delivery, early stakeholder engagement, and responsiveness to change, striking a balance between upfront planning and the flexibility to adapt as the project progresses through its delivery stages.
Starting Up and Initiating a Project in Agile Context
Starting Up and Initiating a Project in Agile Context
The Starting Up a Project (SU) and Initiating a Project (IP) processes are the foundation of any PRINCE2 project. When applied in an agile context, these processes retain their core purpose but are tailored to embrace agile ways of working, ensuring the project starts on solid ground while remaining flexible and responsive to change.
Why It Is Important
A well-executed start sets the tone for the entire project. In an agile environment, teams often want to 'just start delivering,' but PRINCE2 Agile reminds us that some upfront thinking is essential. Getting these processes right ensures:
• There is a viable and worthwhile project with a clear business justification. • Roles, responsibilities, and expectations are understood early. • The right level of governance and control is established without stifling agility. • The project baselines (scope, quality, cost, time, benefits) are defined with sufficient flexibility.
Skipping or rushing these stages risks building the wrong product or lacking the direction needed to succeed.
What It Is
Starting Up a Project (SU) is a pre-project process that answers the question: Do we have a viable and worthwhile project? It produces the Project Brief and the outline Business Case, appoints the project management team, and captures previous lessons.
Initiating a Project (IP) establishes solid foundations for the project. It answers: What must we do, and how, before committing significant resources? It produces the Project Initiation Documentation (PID), including the management approaches, controls, and project plan.
In the agile context, these processes are lighter and more collaborative. Emphasis is placed on just enough documentation, engaging the whole team, and defining what is fixed versus what can flex (using the concept of tolerances and the five behaviours: transparency, collaboration, rich communication, self-organisation, and exploration).
How It Works
During SU in an agile context: • The team gains a shared understanding of the vision and desired outcomes. • Lessons from previous agile deliveries are captured. • The project management team is designed, often including agile roles such as Scrum Master or Product Owner mapped onto PRINCE2 roles. • A Project Brief is created — kept concise and outcome-focused.
During IP in an agile context: • Requirements are captured at a high level (e.g., a prioritised backlog using MoSCoW). • The concept of 'fixing time and cost, flexing scope' is embedded in the plans. • Management approaches (risk, quality, change, communication) are tailored to be lean. • Workshops are used heavily to collaboratively build the PID.
Agile Workshops play a key role. Facilitated sessions bring stakeholders together to define the vision, agree on the backlog, establish working agreements, and plan release cycles. These workshops promote collaboration, transparency, and rich communication — hallmarks of agile.
How to Answer Exam Questions
Exam questions on this topic typically test whether you understand how PRINCE2 processes are tailored rather than replaced. Focus on:
• Recognising that the purpose of SU and IP stays the same, but the approach becomes more collaborative and lightweight. • Knowing which products are produced (Project Brief, outline Business Case, PID). • Understanding that scope is typically the flexed variable while time and cost are fixed. • Applying the five PRINCE2 Agile behaviours and knowing where techniques like MoSCoW, backlogs, and workshops fit.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Starting Up and Initiating a Project in Agile Context
1. Read the scenario carefully. Questions often present a project situation — identify whether they are asking about SU (pre-project viability) or IP (establishing foundations).
2. Look for the word 'tailoring.' Correct answers usually reflect keeping the process purpose but adapting the method and documentation to be leaner and more collaborative.
3. Remember the flexing principle. If a question involves managing constraints, the agile answer typically flexes scope while protecting time, cost, and quality.
4. Match agile roles to PRINCE2 roles. Be ready to map Product Owner, Scrum Master, and delivery teams onto PRINCE2 governance structures.
5. Favour collaboration and workshops. Answers promoting stakeholder involvement, transparency, and rich communication are usually correct in an agile context.
6. Avoid extremes. Do not select answers that eliminate all documentation or all governance — PRINCE2 Agile is about balance, not abandoning control.
7. Justify with business value. Keep the Business Case and benefits in mind; agile still requires a worthwhile, viable project.
By understanding both the enduring purpose of these processes and how agile principles shape their application, you will be well prepared to answer exam questions confidently and correctly.
