Focus on Products is one of the seven fundamental principles in PRINCE2 7 that guides project management practice. This principle emphasizes that successful projects are output-oriented, meaning they concentrate on defining, delivering, and quality-checking the products or deliverables that the pro…Focus on Products is one of the seven fundamental principles in PRINCE2 7 that guides project management practice. This principle emphasizes that successful projects are output-oriented, meaning they concentrate on defining, delivering, and quality-checking the products or deliverables that the project must produce.
At its core, this principle recognizes that projects exist to create specific outputs that enable desired outcomes and benefits. Rather than being activity-focused, PRINCE2 encourages teams to clearly identify what needs to be produced before determining how to produce it. This approach ensures that all project work is purposeful and contributes to tangible results.
The principle operates through Product Descriptions, which define each product's purpose, composition, quality criteria, and quality methods. These descriptions create a shared understanding among stakeholders about what will be delivered and the standards it must meet. This clarity reduces misunderstandings and scope creep while providing a solid foundation for planning and progress monitoring.
Product-based planning is the practical application of this principle. Teams create a Product Breakdown Structure that hierarchically decomposes the final deliverable into its component products. This visual representation helps identify all required products and their interdependencies, making it easier to estimate effort, allocate resources, and sequence work effectively.
The Focus on Products principle also strengthens quality management. By defining quality criteria upfront, teams can verify whether products meet requirements through quality reviews and testing. This prevents the delivery of substandard outputs that fail to satisfy stakeholder expectations.
Furthermore, this principle facilitates better communication with stakeholders, as discussing concrete products is often easier than discussing abstract activities. It also supports more accurate progress tracking, since completion of products provides measurable milestones.
Ultimately, Focus on Products ensures that project effort translates into valuable deliverables that fulfill the project's objectives and contribute to realizing anticipated benefits.
Focus on Products - PRINCE2 Foundation V7 Complete Guide
Introduction to Focus on Products
Focus on Products is one of the seven PRINCE2 principles that forms the foundation of successful project management. This principle emphasizes that successful projects are output-oriented, meaning they concentrate on defining, delivering, and quality-checking the products (deliverables) that the project is designed to create.
Why is Focus on Products Important?
Understanding why this principle matters is essential for exam success:
• Clear expectations: When products are clearly defined, all stakeholders understand what will be delivered • Reduced scope creep: Well-defined product descriptions help prevent unauthorized changes and additions • Better planning: Activities can be planned more accurately when the end products are understood • Quality management: Clear product definitions enable effective quality criteria and testing • Stakeholder alignment: Ensures that what is being built matches what customers actually need • Resource efficiency: Teams know exactly what they need to produce, reducing wasted effort
What is Focus on Products?
This principle states that a PRINCE2 project focuses on the definition and delivery of products, particularly their quality requirements. A product in PRINCE2 terms is any input or output of the project, whether tangible (like a building or software) or intangible (like a training course or organizational change).
Key concepts include:
• Product Description: A document that defines purpose, composition, quality criteria, and quality methods for each product • Product-based planning: Planning technique that identifies products first, then determines activities needed to create them • Quality criteria: Measurable specifications that products must meet • Quality tolerance: Permissible deviation from quality criteria
How Does Focus on Products Work?
The principle operates through several mechanisms:
1. Product-Based Planning Technique • Create a project product description for the final deliverable • Break down the project product into component products • Develop a product breakdown structure • Write product descriptions for each product • Create a product flow diagram showing dependencies • Use this to derive activities and estimates
2. Product Descriptions Every significant product should have a product description containing: • Identifier and title • Purpose • Composition (what it contains) • Derivation (source materials needed) • Format and presentation • Development skills required • Quality criteria • Quality tolerance • Quality method
3. Integration with Quality Theme The Focus on Products principle supports the Quality theme by ensuring: • Products are specified before work begins • Quality expectations are documented and agreed • Quality can be verified against defined criteria
Benefits of Applying This Principle
• Provides a common understanding of what the project will create • Enables accurate estimation of time, cost, and resources • Facilitates effective change control • Supports meaningful progress reporting • Helps identify all work required • Reduces misunderstandings between project team and stakeholders
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Focus on Products
Key Points to Remember:
1. Products come before activities - PRINCE2 identifies WHAT needs to be delivered before determining HOW to deliver it
2. Product descriptions are central - They are the primary tool for implementing this principle
3. Quality is built in - Product descriptions include quality criteria, making quality integral to planning
4. This is a planning principle - It drives the Plans theme and product-based planning technique
Common Exam Question Types:
• Questions asking which principle relates to product-based planning • Questions about the purpose of product descriptions • Scenarios where unclear deliverables cause problems (answer relates to this principle) • Questions linking this principle to the Quality theme
Watch Out For:
• Distinguish between Focus on Products (the principle) and product-based planning (the technique) • Remember that products include outputs, outcomes, and benefits • This principle applies throughout the project, not just during initiation
Sample Exam Scenario: If a question describes a project where team members are unclear about what they should deliver, or where quality checks are failing because requirements were not specified, the answer likely involves the Focus on Products principle.
Key Phrase to Remember: A successful project is output-oriented, not activity-oriented.