In PRINCE2 7, the 'Starting Up a Project' (SU) process acts as a pre-project filter, ensuring that only viable projects proceed to initiation. Tailoring this process is essential to align the amount of preparatory effort with the project's scale, complexity, and environment. The goal is to establis…In PRINCE2 7, the 'Starting Up a Project' (SU) process acts as a pre-project filter, ensuring that only viable projects proceed to initiation. Tailoring this process is essential to align the amount of preparatory effort with the project's scale, complexity, and environment. The goal is to establish the minimum necessary foundation—justification, authority, and scope—without unnecessary bureaucracy.
For simple or low-risk projects, SU activities can be significantly compressed. Documentation like the Project Brief and the Outline Business Case may be combined or simplified into a short statement or email, provided the stakeholders agree on the objectives. The appointment of the Project Management Team can be streamlined by combining roles, such as the Executive also acting as the Senior User, as long as no conflicts of interest arise.
In a program or portfolio environment, tailoring involves leveraging existing assets. The program mandate may already contain the necessary information for the Project Brief, meaning the SU process focuses on validating this data rather than creating it from scratch. Lessons learned logs may be inherited from the program level rather than sought independently.
When applying PRINCE2 in an Agile context, the SU process acts as an inception phase or 'Sprint Zero'. The Project Brief may take the form of a Vision Statement or Project Charter. The activity 'Select the Project Approach' becomes critical here, as it defines the agile framework (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) and the frequency of feedback loops.
Ultimately, the Project Manager and Executive must use professional judgment to ensure that while the format changes, the purpose of SU is met: preventing projects with poor foundations from consuming resources in the initiation stage.
Tailoring Startup Activities in PRINCE2 Practitioner v7
What is Tailoring Startup Activities? In the PRINCE2 7th Edition methodology, Starting Up a Project (SU) is the pre-project process designed to ensure that the prerequisites for initiating a project are in place. Tailoring these activities means adapting the rigor, formality, and timing of the process to suit the specific context of the project. It involves deciding how much effort is needed to answer the fundamental question: Is this a viable and worthwhile project? before committing significant resources to planning.
Why is it Important? Tailoring is one of the seven principles of PRINCE2. In the context of Starting Up, it is vital because: 1. Efficiency: It prevents 'analysis paralysis' on small projects and avoids bureaucracy. For a simple task, a full SU process might cost more than the project itself. 2. Risk Management: For high-risk or complex projects, it ensures that sufficient time is spent defining the scope and authority before the work begins. 3. Contextual Alignment: It ensures the project fits within organizational constraints, such as being part of a larger program or portfolio.
How it Works Tailoring the SU process is usually driven by the complexity of the project and the environment: 1. General Projects (Scale): For small projects, management products are often combined. The Project Mandate might contain enough detail to serve immediately as the Project Brief. The Daily Log might be a simple notebook or digital list. Roles may be combined (e.g., the Executive is also the Senior User), provided there is no conflict of interest. 2. Projects within a Program: This is a critical area for the Practitioner exam. When a project is part of a program, the program manager usually conducts most SU activities. The program provides the Project Brief and appoints the Executive. The Outline Business Case is derived directly from the program's business case. In this scenario, the SU process is very short and focuses on validating the information provided by the program rather than creating it from scratch.
How to Answer Questions Regarding Tailoring To answer Practitioner questions effectively: Analyze the Scenario: Determine if the project is 'stand-alone' or part of a 'program'. Check the complexity rating (high/low risk). Assess the Tailoring: If the question asks if an action is a correct application of PRINCE2, ask yourself: Does this adaptation save effort without losing control? (e.g., "The Project Manager presented the Project Brief as a verbal presentation to the Board." This is valid tailoring for a simple project if recorded in the Daily Log/minutes). Check the Roles: Ensure that tailoring has not violated the principle of independent assurance or accountability (e.g., The Project Manager cannot also be the Executive).
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Tailoring Startup Activities Tip 1: Program Dependencies. If the scenario states the project is part of a program, look for answers where the 'feasibility' or 'appointment of the Executive' was done before the project team was formed. This is valid tailoring. Tip 2: The Project Brief. A common trick question involves the Project Brief. Remember, the format does not matter (it can be an email, a slide, or a document), but the content (scope, objectives, business case outline) must exist to authorize the Initiation Stage. Tip 3: The Minimum Requirement. Even in the most heavily tailored, simple project, the SU process must produce a decision to proceed (authorize initiation) or stop. If an answer suggests skipping the decision-making point entirely, it is incorrect. Tip 4: Combined Documents. It is very common in tailoring questions to see documents merged. If an answer states, "The Project Mandate was used as the Project Brief to avoid duplication," this is a correct application of tailoring for a project with a clear, detailed mandate.