7 Principles: Prince2
This story demonstrates how the 7 principles are not abstract rules—they are practical, daily tools for delivering successful projects.
Define each deliverable in detail before you build it. Quality is built in from the start, not inspected in at the end. 7. Tailor to Suit the Project Environment (No Silver Bullet) The Story: David reads the official PRINCE2 manual. It says to create 26 different documents. For a 6-month, 8-person project, that is overkill.
Maria chooses option 2. David continues. Maria only hears about problems when tolerances are breached. She is not bothered with daily status updates. She manages the project by exception .
Maria nods. "Roll this out to all our project managers next quarter." prince2 7 principles
Follow David as he navigates the project using the 7 principles. Each principle is highlighted and explained within the story. The Story: Before David writes a single line of code, he asks Maria one question: "Why are we doing this?"
David creates a for his own project. Every week, the team asks: "What have we learned this week?" Midway through, they learn that the payment gateway provider is slow to respond. David logs this and escalates early, avoiding a two-week delay.
"How did you avoid all the disasters of our last project?" This story demonstrates how the 7 principles are
"I didn't. We had 17 issues and 8 risks. But the PRINCE2 principles gave us a system. The Business Case kept us honest. Stages gave us checkpoints. Roles stopped blame games. Lessons from the past saved us from repeating mistakes. And we tailored everything so it didn't drown us in bureaucracy."
The principles had worked. Summary Table of the 7 Principles in the Story | Principle | In Story | Key Takeaway | |-----------|----------|----------------| | 1. Continued Business Justification | David updated the Business Case when competitor launched & new tech emerged. | Always ask: Is this still worth doing? | | 2. Learn from Experience | Read Lessons Log from past failed IT project; called Chloe. | Capture and apply lessons from day one. | | 3. Define Roles & Responsibilities | Sarah changed database; David posted RACI chart. | No role ambiguity = no finger-pointing. | | 4. Manage by Stages | Planned in 4 stages; reviewed after each before continuing. | Plan, execute, then re-evaluate at fixed points. | | 5. Manage by Exception | Cost exceeded tolerance; David escalated to Maria for decision. | Senior management sets limits; PM works within them. | | 6. Focus on Products | Used Product Description for Shopping Cart before coding. | Define what you deliver, not just what you do. | | 7. Tailor to Suit | Dropped 26 documents to 1 spreadsheet + stand-ups. | Fit the method to the project, not vice versa. |
Use PRINCE2 as a toolkit, not a straitjacket. A small website project does not need the same controls as a nuclear power plant. Adjust the method to fit the project size, risk, and team culture. The Ending Six months later, the new platform goes live. It is stable, fast, and within budget. Maria calls David into her office. For a 6-month, 8-person project, that is overkill
The project must make sense financially and strategically from start to finish. No blind loyalty to a sunk cost. 2. Learn from Experience (Don't Reinvent the Wheel) The Story: On Day 1, David doesn't start planning. He visits the company's "Lessons Log" from a failed IT project three years ago. He reads: "We failed because we didn't test with real customers until the end."
Three months in, a competitor launches a similar platform. David re-runs the numbers. The original $2M benefit is now only $800k. The project still makes sense, but just barely. He updates the Business Case. At month five, a new technology emerges that would cost an extra $50k but double the speed. David presents this to the board. They agree the extra benefit justifies the cost. The Business Case remains viable until the very end. If it ever became un justified, David would be mandated to stop immediately.
