Try 10 focused PRINCE2 Foundation questions on People in Successful Projects, with answers and explanations, then continue with PM Mastery.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam route | PRINCE2 Foundation |
| Topic area | People in Successful Projects |
| Blueprint weight | 14% |
| Page purpose | Focused sample questions before returning to mixed practice |
Use this page to isolate People in Successful Projects for PRINCE2 Foundation. Work through the 10 questions first, then review the explanations and return to mixed practice in PM Mastery.
| Pass | What to do | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| First attempt | Answer without checking the explanation first. | The fact, rule, calculation, or judgment point that controlled your answer. |
| Review | Read the explanation even when you were correct. | Why the best answer is stronger than the closest distractor. |
| Repair | Repeat only missed or uncertain items after a short break. | The pattern behind misses, not the answer letter. |
| Transfer | Return to mixed practice once the topic feels stable. | Whether the same skill holds up when the topic is no longer obvious. |
Blueprint context: 14% of the practice outline. A focused topic score can overstate readiness if you recognize the pattern too quickly, so use it as repair work before timed mixed sets.
These questions are original PM Mastery practice items aligned to this topic area. They are designed for self-assessment and are not official exam questions.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
On a CRM upgrade project, the project manager is about to hand over a set of configuration tasks to an external development team led by a team manager. The main need is to create a clear agreement on what will be delivered, any constraints, and how progress will be reported.
Which action best shows how a work package supports collaboration between the project manager and team manager?
Best answer: D
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: A work package is the mechanism that creates a shared understanding between the project manager and team manager about a specific piece of work. It defines the required products (and quality expectations), constraints such as time and cost, and the reporting approach (typically via checkpoint reports). This supports coordinated delivery while keeping clear responsibilities.
In PRINCE2, a work package is the formal agreement used when the project manager delegates work to a team manager (or team member). It supports collaboration by making expectations explicit and mutually agreed before work starts, and by defining how the team will keep the project manager informed.
Typically, the work package will:
The project board authorizes stages (and handles exceptions), while the project manager and team manager collaborate through work packages to manage day-to-day delivery.
A work package is the agreed assignment from project manager to team manager, including what to deliver and how progress will be communicated.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
A project is delivering a new customer portal. The Senior User wants an extra analytics feature; the Senior Supplier says it will add 3 weeks and $25,000.
Stage tolerances are \(\pm 1\) week and \(\pm\)$10,000, and no change authority has been delegated.
What should the project manager do to address this stakeholder conflict?
Best answer: C
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: This is a conflict between user and supplier interests that results in a proposed change beyond stage tolerances. With no delegated change authority, the decision must be made at Project Board level. The project manager’s role is to surface the issue and escalate for direction, not to decide unilaterally.
PRINCE2 assigns decision-making to the right governance level. When a disagreement results in a proposed change that would exceed agreed stage tolerances, the project manager must escalate because it is outside their authority to approve.
In this scenario, the key factor is that no change authority has been delegated, so the Project Board retains authority to decide whether to accept, reject, or defer the change (balancing user benefits, supplier impact, and the Business Case). The project manager should therefore raise and escalate the issue for a Board decision, rather than letting one stakeholder group dictate the outcome.
Facilitation can help clarify options, but it does not replace the required governance decision when tolerances would be exceeded.
Because the proposed change exceeds stage tolerances and no authority is delegated, the Project Board must decide.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
A project is in the middle of a management stage. A supplier delay means the stage is forecast to finish 1 week late unless a specialist contractor is hired immediately.
Stage tolerances: time to +2 weeks, cost to +10% (stage budget 3200,000). The contractor would cost 38,000 and is expected to recover the lost week. The Business Case depends on meeting the planned go-live date, and the Project Board will not meet for another 2 weeks.
What decision best supports progress and reduces delay while following PRINCE2 tolerances and escalation rules?
Best answer: A
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: PRINCE2 uses tolerances to delegate decision-making so progress is not slowed by unnecessary escalation. Here, the time and cost impacts stay within the stage tolerances, so the project manager should take timely corrective action. Recording the decision and informing the Project Board maintains governance while avoiding avoidable delay.
Effective PRINCE2 decision making balances business justification with time, cost, quality, scope, risk, and benefits, while using tolerances to enable fast action. In this scenario, hiring the contractor increases cost by 38,000 (4% of 3200,000) and removes the 1-week delay, keeping the forecast within the stage time (+2 weeks) and cost (+10%) tolerances.
Because the forecast remains within delegated tolerances, the project manager should:
Escalation (Exception Report and Project Board decision) is needed only when tolerances are forecast to be exceeded; escalating unnecessarily can create delays and reduce control effectiveness.
The forecast remains within stage tolerances, so the project manager should decide promptly and record/communicate the action to maintain progress.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
In PRINCE2, the management product that documents sustainability requirements/targets (e.g., carbon, waste, social impact) and how they will be measured and reported, so they shape stakeholder expectations and project decisions, is the ____.
Best answer: D
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: Sustainability expectations need to be made explicit and managed like other performance requirements. In PRINCE2, this is done by defining sustainability targets and the method for monitoring and reporting them. That enables informed decisions and clear alignment with stakeholder priorities throughout the project.
Sustainability considerations often create specific stakeholder expectations (for example, lower emissions, reduced waste, ethical sourcing, or social value). In PRINCE2, these expectations influence project decisions when they are captured as clear requirements/targets and tracked over time. The Sustainability Management Approach is the management product used to define what sustainability means for the project, how it will be assessed, and how information will be reported, helping decision-makers balance sustainability against time, cost, scope, quality, risk, and benefits within agreed tolerances. The other management approaches may support delivery, but they do not set out the project’s sustainability targets and monitoring method.
It defines the project’s sustainability requirements/targets and how performance will be monitored and reported to stakeholders.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
A project is delivering a new HR system across several departments and an external payroll provider. In the last month, draft release dates and policy changes were shared with staff and the supplier before the Executive approved them, causing confusion, complaints, and rework to “walk back” messages. The project manager says it is unclear who is allowed to communicate what, to whom, and when.
What is the MOST likely underlying cause in PRINCE2 terms?
Best answer: A
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: The symptoms point to uncontrolled and inconsistent stakeholder messaging: sensitive information is being released without the right approvals and at the wrong time. In PRINCE2, this is prevented by defining and using a Communication Management Approach that sets who communicates, what, when, to which audiences, and through what approval routes.
Sensitive communications that need careful timing, audiences, or approvals should be governed through the project’s Communication Management Approach (often aligned with stakeholder engagement needs). In this scenario, messages about release dates and policy changes are being issued before Executive approval, and the project manager cannot state who is authorized to communicate what and when. That indicates the communications approach is missing, not agreed, or not being followed.
A fit-for-purpose Communication Management Approach typically clarifies:
Reporting products like Checkpoint Reports support control, but they do not define external-facing communication authority and approvals.
PRINCE2 requires an agreed approach defining audiences, timing, and approvals so sensitive messages are controlled and consistent.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
A project is developing a new online service for a government agency. During testing, the team finds a security weakness that will be fixed within two weeks. Rumours have started, and the project manager wants to send an immediate message to external users to “get ahead of the story”.
What should be verified first before deciding whether to send this communication?
Best answer: D
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: This is a sensitive communication with potential reputational and organizational impacts, so the first check is approval authority and governance for external messaging. In PRINCE2, communications are planned and controlled through the Communication Management Approach and wider organizational boundaries. Without confirming who can authorize the message (and be accountable for it), the project manager cannot safely decide what to send, to whom, or when.
PRINCE2 expects communications to be purposeful, targeted, and governed, especially when information is sensitive and could affect trust, reputation, or operational relationships. Before sending an external message, the project manager should confirm who is authorized to approve and issue it (often outside the project, e.g., corporate communications, information security, or the project board’s executive) and ensure it aligns with the Communication Management Approach.
This check comes first because it determines whether the project manager can communicate directly, what approvals are required, and which audiences and channels are appropriate. Details like schedule tolerance, acceptance status, or user counts may influence the content and urgency, but they do not establish the right to communicate.
Key takeaway: establish authorization and communication boundaries before acting on sensitive information.
Sensitive external messaging must follow the agreed communication approach and organizational authority for approvals and spokespersonship.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
A project is being delivered jointly by a government department and an IT supplier. Several changes have been raised, but teams are unsure who has authority to approve different types of changes and what escalation route to use when agreement cannot be reached.
Which PRINCE2 management product would provide the best evidence of the agreed decision rights and approval path for handling these changes?
Best answer: C
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: In a multi-organization project, unclear decision rights for changes should be resolved by an agreed change control method. The Change Control Approach documents who can approve which types of change, how decisions are made, and how items are escalated when they exceed authority or tolerances.
PRINCE2 clarifies decision rights across organizational boundaries by defining governance and delegated authorities up front. For changes and issues, the management product that sets out the decision-making and approval path is the Change Control Approach.
It typically documents:
Status reports (to show progress) and registers (to record items) do not, by themselves, define approval rights and escalation routes. The key takeaway is to look for the product that defines the control procedure and decision authority for change.
It defines how issues/changes are controlled, including approval authority, decision routes, and escalation.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
A project manager is staffing a team for a time-critical customer data migration stage. They need people who can perform specialist migration tasks and also work effectively with business users and suppliers.
Which statement is INCORRECT about capability and competency in this staffing decision?
Best answer: B
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: In PRINCE2, capability is about whether an individual has the knowledge, skills, and experience to carry out required work. Competency is about effectively applying those capabilities in the role, including relevant behaviours such as communication, teamwork, and leadership. For staffing and performance, both must be considered, especially in a time-critical stage.
For staffing in PRINCE2, capability is the person’s ability to do the work (e.g., specialist skills, knowledge, experience needed for data migration tasks). Competency is the person’s ability to perform effectively in the role by applying capability with appropriate behaviours (e.g., working with users and suppliers, communicating clearly, collaborating, and making decisions at the right level).
In the scenario, the project manager should check both:
Mixing up these definitions leads to poor staffing decisions and predictable performance problems (e.g., skilled specialists who cannot work effectively with others, or good communicators who lack the technical ability).
This reverses the concepts: capability relates to ability/skills to do the work, while competency includes the behaviours and application needed to perform the role effectively.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
A project is starting its first delivery stage for a new HR self-service portal. The project manager notices repeated delays because stakeholders disagree about who should approve product acceptance and who is responsible for sustainability reporting. Team members say “it’s not clear who decides what.”
In PRINCE2 terms, what is the most appropriate next step to reduce this ambiguity and improve collaboration?
Best answer: D
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: When people are unclear about who decides and who is accountable, PRINCE2 uses role descriptions to define responsibilities, authorities, and required collaboration interfaces. Updating and agreeing the role descriptions (typically captured in the PID’s project management team section) removes ambiguity and supports effective teamwork. Communicating them ensures everyone works to the same expectations.
Role descriptions exist to make responsibilities, authority, and reporting lines explicit so that decisions are taken by the right role and handoffs between roles are clear. In the scenario, the problem is not a lack of work instructions but unclear accountability for approval and reporting, which creates delays and conflict.
The appropriate next step is to update/create role descriptions for the relevant roles (for example, who approves acceptance on behalf of the Senior User, and who owns sustainability reporting) and get them agreed and communicated as part of the PID’s definition of the project management team. This reduces ambiguity, supports collaboration, and prevents the same confusion recurring across work packages and stages.
Agreed role descriptions clarify responsibilities, decision-making, and interfaces, reducing uncertainty and improving teamwork.
Topic: People in Successful Projects
At the end of Stage 1, the project board wants to avoid any gap in work. The project manager gives a verbal summary and asks the board to authorize Stage 2 to start immediately, but the End Stage Report and the updated Business Case have not been provided, and the Stage Plan (including stage tolerances) has not been approved. The board authorizes Stage 2 anyway.
What is the most likely near-term impact?
Best answer: B
What this tests: People in Successful Projects
Explanation: Effective project board decision making relies on timely, reliable inputs such as an End Stage Report, an updated Business Case, and an approved Stage Plan with tolerances. Authorizing the next stage without these removes the baseline needed for governance and control. The immediate consequence is weaker stage control and reduced ability to manage by exception.
Project board decisions are most effective when they are based on the right management products at the right time. At a stage boundary, the board uses the End Stage Report to understand what happened in the current stage and uses the updated Business Case and the next Stage Plan (including tolerances) to confirm continued viability and set clear control limits for the next stage.
If Stage 2 is authorized without an approved Stage Plan and tolerances, the project manager and board do not have an agreed baseline for monitoring progress, forecasting exceptions, and making timely control decisions. The key takeaway is that missing decision inputs most immediately damages governance and stage control, not distant outcomes.
Without an approved Stage Plan and tolerances, the board lacks a basis to monitor and control Stage 2 by exception.
Use the PRINCE2 Foundation Practice Test page for the full PM Mastery route, mixed-topic practice, timed mock exams, explanations, and web/mobile app access.
Read the PRINCE2 Foundation guide on PMExams.com, then return to PM Mastery for timed practice.