PRINCE2-7-Practitioner PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner (Version 7) Questions and Answers

The correct answer is C . The purpose of capture issues and risks is not merely to record information. Newly identified concerns must be considered sufficiently to determine their nature, significance, and appropriate treatment. An informal concern can subsequently prove to be a material issue or risk affecting project objectives, stakeholders, regulatory obligations, cost, schedule, or reputation.

The possibility that completed foundations have altered rainwater flow onto neighbouring property has potentially significant consequences. Planning approval does not demonstrate that this newly identified condition is harmless. The project manager should therefore assess the concern before deciding whether it can be handled informally, requires formal entry in the issue or risk register, needs specialist investigation, or demands escalation or corrective action.

Option A incorrectly treats recording as equivalent to management. A log entry provides traceability but does not establish whether further action is required. Option B similarly conflicts with effective issue and risk management because an informal route does not exempt a concern from proportionate assessment. Option D is incorrect because potentially significant matters should be raised when identified; the team manager is not required to wait for the next scheduled checkpoint report.

The essential PRINCE2 control is to capture, assess, and determine an appropriate response , rather than dismissing uncertainty solely because existing approval had previously been obtained.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Controlling a stage; capture issues and risks; project log; issue assessment; risk assessment; corrective action.

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The correct answer is C — Prepare the project plan . Product-based planning is central to preparing a reliable PRINCE2 plan. The project team begins by defining and analysing the products that must be delivered and then establishes their dependencies, activities, resource requirements, estimates, and sequence.

The workshop described in the scenario is explicitly breaking the site-preparation and foundation products into greater detail. That is a planning activity. The discovery that a more comprehensive environmental impact assessment will be necessary also affects the work required to produce the project’s products and potentially its schedule, resources, dependencies, and costs. Those implications should therefore be incorporated while preparing the project plan.

Option A concerns deciding how PRINCE2 and organizational project-management requirements will be adapted to the circumstances of LouisShopping. It is not the activity in which detailed product decomposition is performed. Option B concerns establishing the management approaches governing areas such as risk, issues, quality, commercial management, sustainability, and digital/data management. Option D uses the resulting estimates and other planning information to develop the project’s detailed justification, but the product-based planning workshop itself belongs to preparation of the project plan.

The sequence is important: detailed planning information can subsequently inform refinement of the full business case.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Initiating a project; prepare the project plan; plans practice; product-based planning; product analysis; estimates and dependencies.

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The correct answer is B . Selecting the project approach during starting up a project is intended to establish an appropriate basis for how the project will be delivered before the organization commits significant resources to initiation. The delivery method and use of external suppliers can materially influence management controls, commercial arrangements, quality, sustainability, communication, risk, and other management approaches subsequently developed during initiation.

The team has identified an uncertainty arising directly from its proposed approach: a traditional delivery model combined with external suppliers may make sustainability requirements more difficult to achieve. Recording this early in the project log is appropriate because risks, issues, lessons, and other relevant information identified during starting up should not be ignored simply because detailed management approaches have not yet been completed.

Option A is too narrow. Clarifying contractual obligations may be relevant, but it is not the primary rationale demonstrated here. Option C incorrectly suggests that a manageable risk should be deferred; early identification allows it to influence initiation planning and development of the PID. Option D creates a false choice. Sustainability expectations may indeed inform quality requirements, but an uncertainty concerning whether the delivery approach will enable those requirements to be achieved is still legitimately a risk.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Starting up a project; select the project approach; project log; early risk identification; sustainability; project initiation documentation.

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The correct answer is D . PRINCE2 7 recognizes that successful change depends on understanding and actively engaging people who can influence the project, its outputs, and the eventual adoption of those outputs. The Chief Technology Officer is explicitly described as an influential stakeholder. Limiting that person’s involvement simply because some preferred technologies are unproven would sacrifice potentially valuable organizational influence instead of managing the disagreement constructively.

The appropriate response is to maintain engagement while separately assessing the technical and delivery risks associated with the proposed technologies. Stakeholder engagement and risk management are complementary activities: an influential stakeholder can remain involved even when particular proposals require challenge, evaluation, or risk responses. Continued engagement also helps the project understand expectations, build support, and facilitate adoption of the eventual solution across the wider organizational ecosystem.

Options A and B treat stakeholder exclusion as a risk-control technique, which is inconsistent with effective change leadership. Option C is too narrow because merely recording technological concerns as risks does not address the people and stakeholder dimension. Risks should be managed, but the stakeholder relationship should also be deliberately maintained.

The scenario therefore distinguishes between managing the uncertainty attached to an idea and excluding the person advocating it . PRINCE2 supports the former, not the latter.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: People; leading successful change; stakeholder engagement; organizational ecosystem; relationships and communication.

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The correct answer is B . During evaluate a work package , the team manager periodically assesses actual and forecast performance against the authorized work package and, where applicable, the team plan. This requires consideration of relevant product, quality, risk, issue, lesson, and progress information so that the current status and forecast completion can be determined accurately.

Here, the missing electrical cabling has caused the security-system installation to be forecast one week late and beyond the delegated work-package time tolerance. Because management by exception operates through delegated tolerances, the team manager cannot simply absorb a forecast breach that lies outside the authority provided by the project manager. The project manager must therefore be informed.

The checkpoint report is the normal mechanism by which the team manager reports work-package progress to the project manager. However, a forecast tolerance breach should also be brought promptly to the project manager’s attention rather than waiting passively for routine reporting.

Option A identifies only one aspect of evaluation and fails to address the forecast tolerance breach. Option C incorrectly removes evaluation responsibility from the team manager. Option D bypasses the management hierarchy: a team manager escalates work-package exceptions to the project manager , not directly to the project board.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Managing product delivery; evaluate a work package; checkpoint reports; work-package tolerances; management by exception; escalation.

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The correct answer is A . Effective change management requires the project to understand who will be affected by the change, who can influence it, and what relationships may need active management. PRINCE2 7 therefore supports proactive stakeholder identification rather than waiting until stakeholders independently approach the project.

The Heritage Manager already possesses useful knowledge from previous work. Using that knowledge during initiation enables the project manager to identify heritage-protection groups early, assess their likely interests and influence, and determine suitable engagement and communication activities. Their anticipated opposition makes early identification more important, not less important, because potential concerns can be understood before they develop into avoidable resistance, issues, or reputational problems.

Option B is incorrect because identifying a stakeholder does not guarantee support. Stakeholder analysis provides information that enables appropriate engagement; it cannot predetermine stakeholder attitudes. Option C is also incorrect because stakeholder identification is appropriate during initiation and should continue throughout the project as circumstances change. Option D assumes that contact or identification necessarily increases opposition, which is unsupported. Early engagement may instead clarify concerns, reveal constraints, and improve the project’s ability to manage change.

The scenario therefore demonstrates proactive use of organizational knowledge to strengthen the project’s understanding of its stakeholder environment.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: People; leading successful change; stakeholder identification; stakeholder analysis; communication; organizational ecosystem.

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The correct answer is A — Authorize a work package . Within the controlling a stage process, the project manager formally delegates responsibility for producing one or more products through a work package . Authorization establishes the controlled interface between the project manager and the team manager and gives the team manager authority to begin the agreed specialist work.

In this scenario, the request for change has already been approved, BuildyBrick has agreed to produce the promotional video, and its product description has been prepared. The remaining action is therefore to formally instruct the BuildyBrick team manager to commence production. That instruction belongs to the authorize a work package activity.

During authorization, the work package description should be reviewed and co-created as appropriate with the team manager. The project manager confirms relevant products, constraints, tolerances, reporting arrangements, quality requirements, interfaces, and other applicable information before obtaining the team manager’s acceptance and authorizing work to begin.

Option B concerns monitoring an already authorized work package. Option C concerns capturing newly identified issues and risks, whereas the request for change has already been dealt with. Option D involves corrective action within the project manager’s delegated authority when actual or forecast performance requires intervention; it is not the standard mechanism for authorizing new specialist work.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Controlling a stage; authorize a work package; work package description; project manager/team manager interface; Ref. 16.4.1.

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The correct mapping is Action 1 — A; Action 2 — E; Action 3 — C .

For Action 1 , the appointment of an additional contractor exceeds the project manager’s delegated authority. Although both options remain within overall stage cost and time tolerances, the project manager cannot authorize a decision that falls outside their defined authority. The matter must therefore be referred to the appropriate project-board authority, with the project executive responsible for leading the decision.

For Action 2 , maintaining project records is part of the project manager’s day-to-day management responsibility. Once a decision has been taken, the project manager should ensure that the issue record is updated with the authorized response and decision so that there is an accurate audit trail.

For Action 3 , the senior supplier represents those providing specialist resources and expertise to create the project’s products. Confirming that appropriate supplier resources can be made available for additional site-clearance work consequently aligns with the supplier interest.

This question illustrates that issue management must operate within the project’s governance and delegation arrangements. Remaining within tolerance does not automatically permit the project manager to take an action specifically outside their delegated authority.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Issues practice; delegated authority; issue report; issue register; project executive; project manager; senior supplier.

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The correct answer is D . In PRINCE2, an exception exists when it is forecast that an agreed tolerance will be exceeded. The critical point is that the breach does not have to have occurred already. Once the project manager forecasts that stage tolerance cannot be maintained, the matter exceeds the project manager’s delegated authority and must be escalated to the project board.

An issue report may contain detailed analysis of an issue, and the issue register can record the underlying matter. However, neither replaces the specific progress-control mechanism required when stage tolerance is forecast to be exceeded. The project manager must produce an exception report , explaining the cause of the forecast deviation, its consequences, available options, and an appropriate recommendation. The project board can then decide whether to request an exception plan or take another authorized course of action.

Option A therefore understates the governance consequence of the tolerance breach. Option B incorrectly treats the matter solely as an off-specification; the decisive factor for progress control is that an authorized stage-level tolerance is forecast to be exceeded. Option C is incorrect because the immediate escalation is from the project manager to the project board, not automatically to the portfolio office.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Progress practice; stage tolerances; exception; exception report; escalation; management by exception.

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The correct answer is B — Project executive . Selecting the project approach is an activity within the starting up a project process. The approach establishes the overall way in which the project’s products will be created and delivered, including considerations such as delivery method, sourcing, specialist techniques, and relevant organizational or commercial constraints.

The project manager performs substantial analysis and coordination in developing the proposed approach, drawing on specialist advice where required. However, the question specifically asks which role is accountable . Accountability rests with the project executive , who is ultimately accountable for the project’s success and for ensuring that the chosen approach is compatible with the business justification, organizational environment, and project mandate.

Option C is attractive because the project manager has operational responsibility for preparing and developing many elements of the project approach. However, responsibility for performing an activity and accountability for ensuring its appropriate outcome are distinct concepts. Option D is also too narrow: the senior supplier provides important specialist expertise concerning feasibility and delivery, but represents the supplier interest rather than holding overall accountability. Option A establishes the wider organizational direction but does not own this project-level decision.

The executive therefore remains accountable while drawing on the project manager and specialist supplier expertise to establish a viable approach.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Starting up a project; select the project approach; project executive accountability; project manager responsibility; supplier expertise.

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The correct answer is B . PRINCE2 product-based planning determines the logical sequence of work by examining the products to be created and the dependencies between those products . Once those relationships are understood, activities or work packages that do not depend on one another can legitimately be scheduled in parallel.

In this scenario, the project manager and BuildyBrick’s planning specialist use the product flow together with historical information from previous projects. This is appropriate because the product flow provides the dependency logic, while previous project data can improve the realism of estimates and planning decisions. If the utilities and systems products are independent, separate work packages can therefore proceed concurrently.

Option A is incorrect because historical information should inform planning but cannot replace dependency analysis. A schedule should be derived from the logical relationships between products rather than copied mechanically from previous projects. Option C introduces a restriction that PRINCE2 does not impose: products delivered by the same supplier do not automatically need to be produced sequentially. Option D confuses tolerances , which establish delegated performance limits, with dependencies, which determine the logical production sequence.

The scenario is therefore a valid example of using product-based planning to identify opportunities for parallel delivery without compromising dependency logic.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Plans practice; product-based planning; product flow; dependencies; scheduling; work packages; lessons from previous projects.

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The correct answer is C . PRINCE2 requires project roles, responsibilities, authority, accountability, and working relationships to be sufficiently clear for the people performing those roles to understand what is expected of them. A standard organizational role description can provide a useful baseline, but it does not remove the need to establish how the role applies within the particular project context.

The project manager is responsible for day-to-day management within the authority delegated by the project board. Consequently, the Regeneration Manager must understand the specific responsibilities, decision rights, interfaces, tolerances, reporting expectations, and relationships relevant to this project. Urgency does not justify leaving those matters ambiguous. PeopleCert describes clear roles and responsibilities as fundamental to accountability, reduced ambiguity, effective communication, and project success.

Option A incorrectly treats a generic portfolio description as sufficient in every circumstance. Option B identifies a legitimate project initiation responsibility but does not justify refusing clarification. Option D is incorrect because portfolio management does not replace the PRINCE2 project-level organization and governance responsibilities.

The principle is therefore being applied incorrectly: standardized descriptions may support implementation, but the individual performing the project management role still needs a clear, project-specific understanding and acceptance of the responsibilities assigned.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: Principles — Define roles, responsibilities and relationships; Organization practice; Starting up a project; role clarity and accountability.

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The correct answer is C . PRINCE2 7’s people element emphasizes effective leadership, collaboration, capability, relationships, and understanding the people actually available to the project. A capability shortfall should therefore be diagnosed before a disproportionate organizational response is selected.

The survey team is described as generally qualified; only a specific technical capability is missing. Replacing the entire team without assessing the competency gap could discard useful knowledge, disrupt established relationships, increase transition time, and—as the scenario explicitly states—cause substantial additional delay. A better leadership response is first to establish exactly what capability is missing and then assess proportionate interventions such as specialist support, targeted training, temporary augmentation, mentoring, or bringing in one specialist rather than replacing the complete team.

PeopleCert’s PRINCE2 7 guidance stresses the importance of team skills and collaboration and explicitly cautions against assuming that successful project leadership means replacing existing people whenever difficulties arise. It emphasizes working effectively with the team available and adapting the approach to people and circumstances.

Option A jumps directly to a disruptive solution. Option B incorrectly assumes that authority alone makes the proposed response appropriate. Option D overstates co-creation: agreed ways of working do not prevent justified changes to team composition.

PRINCE2 7 reference topics: People element; leading successful teams; capability and competency; collaboration; relationships; tailoring ways of working.

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