Requirements in PRINCE2 7 represent the documented specifications of what a product or project must deliver to satisfy stakeholder needs and expectations. They form the foundation of quality management within the methodology and are essential for ensuring project success.
In PRINCE2, requirements …Requirements in PRINCE2 7 represent the documented specifications of what a product or project must deliver to satisfy stakeholder needs and expectations. They form the foundation of quality management within the methodology and are essential for ensuring project success.
In PRINCE2, requirements are captured and managed through several key documents and processes. The Project Product Description defines the overall project output and includes customer quality expectations, acceptance criteria, and acceptance methods. These elements establish the measurable standards against which the final deliverable will be assessed.
Product Descriptions are created for each major product within the project, detailing the quality criteria that each deliverable must meet. These descriptions specify composition, format, quality tolerance levels, and the quality methods to be applied during development and verification.
The quality management approach, documented in the Project Initiation Documentation, outlines how requirements will be gathered, documented, and validated throughout the project lifecycle. This approach ensures consistency in how quality standards are applied across all project products.
Requirements in PRINCE2 serve multiple purposes. They provide clear expectations for the project team, enable accurate planning and estimation, establish criteria for quality reviews and testing, and create a baseline for change control. When changes to requirements are proposed, they are assessed through the change control procedure to evaluate their impact on time, cost, scope, and quality.
The Business Case also incorporates requirements as it justifies why the project outputs are needed and how they will deliver expected benefits. Stakeholder engagement is crucial in defining requirements, ensuring that diverse perspectives are considered and that the final products meet user needs.
Effective requirement management in PRINCE2 helps prevent scope creep, reduces rework, improves stakeholder satisfaction, and increases the likelihood of delivering products that are fit for purpose and meet defined quality standards.
Requirements in PRINCE2 - Complete Guide
Why Requirements are Important in PRINCE2
Requirements are fundamental to project success because they define what the project must deliver to meet stakeholder expectations. In PRINCE2, requirements form the foundation of the quality practice, ensuring that the project produces outputs that are fit for purpose. Poor requirements lead to products that fail to meet business needs, wasted resources, and dissatisfied stakeholders.
What are Requirements in PRINCE2?
Requirements in PRINCE2 are statements that describe what the project's products must do or what characteristics they must have. They fall into two main categories:
1. Functional Requirements - These describe what the product must do, its features, and capabilities. For example, a software system must process 1,000 transactions per hour.
2. Non-functional Requirements - These describe the qualities or characteristics the product must have, such as reliability, usability, performance, security, and maintainability.
Requirements are captured and documented in the Project Product Description for the overall project output, and in individual Product Descriptions for each product created during the project.
How Requirements Work in PRINCE2
PRINCE2 integrates requirements through several mechanisms:
Product Descriptions: Each product has a Product Description containing quality criteria derived from requirements. These criteria provide measurable standards against which the product can be assessed.
Customer's Quality Expectations: These capture the customer's overall quality requirements and are documented in the Project Product Description. They influence all subsequent product requirements.
Acceptance Criteria: These are prioritized requirements that define the conditions for the project board to accept the final product. They are typically expressed using MoSCoW prioritization (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have).
Quality Register: This tracks all quality activities including how requirements will be verified through quality methods.
The Requirements Process Flow: 1. Stakeholders express their needs and expectations 2. Requirements are captured in Customer's Quality Expectations 3. Acceptance Criteria are derived and prioritized 4. Product Descriptions document specific quality criteria 5. Quality methods verify products meet their requirements 6. Acceptance confirms requirements have been satisfied
Key Relationships
Requirements connect to other PRINCE2 elements: - Business Case: Requirements support the justification for the project - Plans: Activities to deliver requirements are planned - Change Control: Requirement changes are managed through issue and change control - Benefits: Meeting requirements enables benefit realization
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Requirements in PRINCE2
Tip 1: Know Where Requirements are Documented Remember that requirements appear in the Project Product Description (customer's quality expectations and acceptance criteria) and in individual Product Descriptions (quality criteria). Exam questions often test this knowledge.
Tip 2: Understand the Difference Between Types Be clear on functional versus non-functional requirements. Questions may present scenarios asking you to identify which type is being described.
Tip 3: Link Requirements to Acceptance PRINCE2 emphasizes that acceptance criteria must be met for project closure. Questions often explore this connection between initial requirements and final acceptance.
Tip 4: Remember MoSCoW Prioritization Acceptance criteria are typically prioritized. Know that Must haves are essential, Should haves are important but not vital, Could haves are desirable, and Won't haves are excluded from scope.
Tip 5: Connect Requirements to Quality Methods Understand that quality methods (testing, reviews, inspections) are used to verify that products meet their requirements. This is a common exam theme.
Tip 6: Watch for Scenario Questions When given a scenario, identify who is responsible for defining requirements (usually the customer or users) and who verifies them (often through quality review or testing).
Tip 7: Baseline Concept Once approved, requirements become baselined. Any changes must go through formal change control. This protects the project from uncontrolled scope creep.
Common Exam Question Themes: - Which management product contains acceptance criteria? (Project Product Description) - Who is responsible for specifying quality expectations? (Customer/Executive) - How are requirement changes handled? (Through issue and change control) - What is the purpose of quality criteria? (To provide measurable targets for product quality)