Top 50 Most Asked PRINCE2 Interview Questions And Answers

Top 50 Most Asked PRINCE2 Interview Questions And Answers

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Making a career in the project management field is not at all easy. Having a specific skill set, knowledge about essential tools, process management, critical thinking, and so on is an important factor in the project management profession, but there is no doubt that skills like Prince2 in your CV are always a cherry on the top!

PRINCE2 Certification acts as proof of your knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage complex projects successfully, but alone having the certification is not sufficient. Strong preparation for the interview and clearing the interview is a key challenge. To help learners out, Wissenhive listed the top 50 interview questions asked for PRINCE2, which will help you get an idea about question types with the answers.

1. What is PRINCE2?

PRINCE2 full form is PRojects IN Controlled Environment, one of the best practitioner certification programs and structured project management system methods. Prince2 is a process-based approach that emphasizes the various divisions of projects into controllable and manageable stages.

2. What do you understand by 'Project'?

A project refers to a temporary endeavor that is undertaken to produce and carried out collaboratively or individually involving designs and research to produce a unique solution or product to define the starting and ending with the specific desired result.

3. What is the role and responsibility of the project manager?

• Activity and resource planning
• Communicating with key stakeholders
• Communicating with team members
• Time management and approval
• Issue identification and resolution
• Budgeting
• Team-building
• Monitoring progress
• Managing reports and necessary documentation
• Ensuring customer satisfaction
• Analyzing and managing project risk

4. What key skills should a project manager have?

• Leadership Quality
• Team and Time Management
• Budget Management
• Communication and Negotiation Skills
• Research and Interpersonal skills
• Active listening and Conflict management
• Problem-solving and Risk management
• Motivated and Adaptability
• Project management methodologies

5. What leadership skills do a project manager need to have to be a good leader?

• Lead with examples
• No politics 
• Rewarding talent
• Keep an open-door policy
• Reasonable performance standards
• Be accountable and hold others accountable.
• Share your vision

6. What are the different types of projects in PRINCE2 methodology?

There are five types of project that are popular in PRINCE2 methodology, and those projects are 

• Not for profit
• Compulsory
• Evolving Requirements
• External Project
• Multi organization project

7. What do you mean by a plan in the PRINCE2 method?

A plan refers to a list of important steps or any diagram with detailed resources and timing used to build and achieve the project’s main objectives. A plan defines proper strategies, which includes 

• Communication skills
• Required resources
• Risk management
• Project scope
• Budget control
• Project scheduling
• Quality management

8. What are the various measures included in the Plan?

• Designing and building plans
• Defining products
• Identifying dependencies and activities
• Preparing estimates
• Preparing Schedule
• Documentation planning
• Identifying problems and risks

9. What are the key features of PRINCE2?

• The central focus is on business and organization justification.
• The features of PRINCE2 are widely organized and easy to understand 
• PRINCE2 can be used and applied to any project 
• Provides well detailed organizational structure for the project handling team
• The planning approach method keeps the interest based on product and service scope.
• Loads of emphasis on dividing the project into several different stages of control and management 
• Improves the reusability of modules of the project 
• The flexibility can be offered and introduced at an appropriate level in the project lifecycle.

10. What are the major structure and elements of PRINCE2?

The main element of PRINCE2 has every aspect that provides the map to a project which includes three different leveled structures.

• PRINCE2 Principles
• PRINCE2 Themes
• PRINCE2 Processes

11. What are the seven principles of PRINCE2?

There are seven primary principals in PRINCE2, and those are 

• Continuing business justification
• Define roles and responsibilities
• Learn from experience and practices
• Manage by exception
• Focus on products
• Manage by stages
• Tailor to suit the project’s environment

 

12. What are the seven themes of PRINCE2?

PRINCE2 have seven themes to avoid confusion and delivery project on time to satisfy client’s requirement, and those themes are 

• Business Case
• Identify risk
• Document Planning
• Organization
• Quality
• Progress
• Change

 

13. What are the seven processes of PRINCE2?

Just like the seven principles and seven themes, processes are also seven that manage all the steps from beginning to ending.

• Starting of the project
• Directing a project
• Initiating a project
• Managing product delivery
• Controlling a stage
• Managing stage boundaries
• Closing a project

14. What do you mean by starting up a Project?

The starting up a project process includes various factors and activities. 

• Appoint project manager and executive
• Capture previous lessons
• Appoint and design the project management team
• Proper preparation of the outline business case
• Select and approach the project approach and brief
• Plan the initiation stage

15. What is directing a project and what does it include?

The main goal of directing a project process is to facilitate the project board to be accountable and responsible for the project’s progress and success by addressing key decisions and executing overall control while delegating the project manager’s day-to-day management.

• Authorize initiation and the project
• Authorize a stage or execution plan
• Give the right direction and ensure project needs.
• Authorize project closure

 

16. What are the roles involved in starting a project process?

• Agree on the tailoring requirements
• Prepare the risk management and change control approach.
• Prepare the quality management. plans
• Prepare communication management approach.
• Creating and setting up the project plans and controls
• Prepare the benefits management approach.
• Assemble the project initiation documentation

17. What are the steps included in controlling a Stage?

• Authorize a work package
• Review work package status
• Receive completed work packages
• Review the management stage status
• Report highlights
• Capturing assess issues and risks 
• Escalate risks and issues
• Take corrective action

18. What do you mean by managing a Stage Boundary?

• Planning of the next management stage
• Updatatation of the project plan and business case
• Reporting management stage end
• Production of an exception plan

19. Why is the closing project process important?

• To prepare planned closer.
• Preparing and ensuring premature closer
• Handing over products
• Evaluating project management report
• The recommended closer of project

20. What is the project initiation documentation, and who is responsible for it?

It is the project manager, management team, and executive’s responsibility to assemble project initiation documentation, which contains

• Project outlined descriptions 
• Project strategies and approach
• Project planning and controls
• Business-related problem and case
• Structure of Project management team
• Role description
• Multitasking 
• Communication management 
• Quality and risk management 
• Tailoring of PRINCE2

21. How to prioritize different tasks?

The project manager should be a multitasker who knows how to manage and prioritize multiple tasks that will help achieve the task’s completion at a defined budget and time.

• List the accountabilities and responsibilities. 
• Prioritize between significant and vigorous 
• Assessing every task in the project
• Prioritize the responsibilities by assessed efforts
• Stay ready and agile to collect updated information and say NO whenever essential.

22. What are some major types of risks project managers might encounter during the project lifecycle?

Some of the common types of risks faced by the project manager during the project lifecycle are 

• Cost Risk
• Operational Risk
• Schedule Risk
• Governance Risk
• Performance Risk
• Strategic Risk
• Resource Risk
• Legal Risk
• Technology Risk
• Market Risk

23. What are the various steps involved in directing a project?

The various activities and steps involved in directing project includes three main factors, and those are 

• Supporting the project
• Result acceptance or ending outcome
• Providing management approval

24. What are the objectives of directing a project process?

• Provides authority to initiate the project
• Allows to deliver the project’s products
• Management control and direction are provided throughout the project’s lifecycle. 
• Program or corporate management has an interface to the project.
• Authority to close the whole project.
• Planning for realizing the post-project advantages are managed and reviewed.

25. What are the levels of Plan?

There are many types of level planning which usually depends on the project manager, but some of the basic levels of the plan are 

• Project Plan
• Stage Plan
• Team Plan
• Exception Plan

26. What is Procurement Management?

It refers to purchasing the best goods and services at the possible beneficial amount to reach all the necessary demands such as quality, dimensions, quantity, and site. It requires a planned procurement cycle that includes

• Gathering Information
• Supplier Contact
• Reviewing background
• Negotiation
• Fulfillment
• Renewal 

27. What are the different types of procurement management?

There are seven different types of procedure management which includes

• Request For Proposal (RFP)
• Request For Quotation (RFQ)
• Request For Information (RFI)
• Offers 
• Solicitations
• Contracts
• Modification/Amendments

28. What are the multiple types of documentation used in PRINCE2 for reporting and storing project-related data?

There are different documentation types used during the PRINCE2 methodology to store and report data related to the project.

• Business Case - provides detailed information of expected benefits to the businesses or clients.
• Quality Register - includes running log of different quality to ensure and meet customers' expectations.
• Risk Register - contains the list of probability and potential opportunities and risks. 
• Issues Register - Holds concerns of team members and targeted problems.
• Daily Log - Includes everyday work entry by the project manager to report various progress and activities.
• Lessons Log - contains notes about new effective strategies and techniques to apply in the future.

29. Who are the main stakeholders of PRINCE2?

Three primary stakeholders play an important role in the PRINCE2 project, and those are

• Users 
• Suppliers
• Business sponsors

30. Name two progress controls provided by the PRINCE2 method?

The two advanced process control created and provided by PRINCE2 methodology.

• Time-driven control
• Event-driven control

31. Which method of the PRINCE2 methodology is the request permission to approve the next stage of planning?

In the Managing Stage Boundary process, the request permission is accepted by the project manager to approve the next Stage Plan is entirely prepared. It also provides some important information about the project board, and those are 

• Updated Business Case
• End-Stage Report and Documentation
• Next Stage Planning

32. Explain Quality Assurance, Planning, And Control?
 

Quality Management Activities
Quality Assurance	Quality assurance establishes a framework of organizational standards and procedures that leads to highly planned projects.
Quality Planning	Quality planning is a selection of appropriate standards and preparation to build a project and its modifying requirement.
Quality Control	Quality control is the process that ensures project quality standards and procedures which the project manager and their team follow.

 

33. In the PRINCE2 methodology, which document records planned and actual dates for product approval and hand-over?

The actual and planned dates for product approval and hand-over are contained and recorded in the Product Checklist document.

34. What are the risk strategies implemented in PRINCE2 projects?

• Risk tolerance
• Ongoing activity
• Risk appetite
• Neutral
• Seeking
• Avoiding

35. What is Project Tolerance?

A project tolerance is an approved (permitted) deviation from prepared, planned parameters. Usually, it decreases or increases the planned ideas about the project, which includes

• Project scope
• Project time
• Project cost.

36. In the PRINCE2 methodology, which department is responsible for establishing project tolerance?

Various department are involved in this, which takes care and are responsible for PRINCE2 methodology, and those are 

• Project Support
• Project Management
• Project Board
• Customer Support

37. Explain Team Forming Procedure for Team?

• Forming (focuses on relationship-building among the team)
• Storming (concentrates on understanding the opinions among the team)
• Norming (Get clarity on the point to reach next stage)
• Performing (built trust in the team to perform well in provided tasks)
• Adjourning (end process to release team member’s role)

38. How to handle a challenging client involved in the project?

Since the stakeholder or client holds the final passing and the authority of every stage in the project, it is important that the client passes all the stages and approves the completion procedure. To deal with challenging and unmanageable client, the project manager can 

• Take stakeholder’s consent without argument.

• Remove pre-assumptions and all the negative thoughts about the client.

• Take their advice and listen to them. 

• Use your communication and convincing skills.

• Understand client’s requirement and issues precisely

• Be open and thoughtful with your decisions.

• Admire stakeholder and built the connection

39. What are the project management tools used to refine PRINCE2 project activities?

The most popular and effective project management tools used to refine project activities are 

• Comparing and Baselining a Process
• Cause and Effect Analysis
• Value-Stream Mapping
• Hypothesis Testing

40. What management practices are used in every PRINCE2 project?

The management practices that apply to every type of projects are based on some following criteria, and those are  

• Core Values and planned goals of the organization
• Crucial business drivers of your project
• Possible risks that might occur 
• Limitations in the project
• Level of complication of the project
• Stakeholders related to the project
• Projected size and cost of the project

41. What is a business case?

• Captures the reasoning for initiating 
• Revalidates the project
• Kick start the entire project.
• Owned by organizations, businesses, or companies

42. What are the activities of the CP process?

• Prepare planned closure
• Prepare premature closure
• Analyze projects
• Deliver products 
• Recommend project closure

43. What are common communication blockers?

As communication plays an important role in project management fields, but some communication blockers can create an obstacle for project managers in building communication with client or stakeholders, and those barriers are 

• Accusing
• Judging
• Diagnosis
• Globalizing
• Interrupting
• Insulting
• Sarcasm
• Calling for Reassurance
• Threats or Orders
• Changing the Subject

44. How to achieve team agreement for results as a project manager?

• Keep clear prospects from the initial stage.
• Build attainable milestones for the team 
• Reach agreements with team’s opinion
• keep the team trust and work together throughout the project
• Schedule regular meetings 
• Conflict management in team

45. Which document outlines the acceptance role and criteria for the project?

The document that defines and outlines the project’s acceptance criteria and roles is known as Project Product Description Document. It designs and creates the start-up of the project process, which is used during the closing of the project process to verify whether the project delivered expectation is meeting or not.

46. Which process allows for integrating non-PRINCE2 practices into a PRINCE2 project environment when creating and developing products?

Managing Product delivery is one of the seven processes in PRINCE2 that allows and is responsible for integrating Non-PRINCE2 practices into a Prince2 project environment while creating and developing products.

47. What is the idea behind the product delivery process?

The main idea or purpose behind the Managing Product Delivery process is to build and control a strong link between the team manager and project manager to manage three important stage plans. 

• Accepting and checking work packages
• Ensuring and executing work packages
• Delivering the work packages

48. How many products are defined in PRINCE2?

There are a total of twenty-six products involved in PRINCE2, and those products are 

• Benefits Review Plan
• Work Package
• Business Case
• Risk Register
• Checkpoint Report
• Risk Management Strategy
• Communication Management Strategy
• Quality Register
• Configuration Item Record
• Quality Management Strategy
• Project Product Description
• Configuration Management Strategy
• Project Initiation Document
• Daily Log
• Project Brief
• End Project Report
• End-Stage Report
• Product Description
• Product Status Account
• Exception Report
• Highlight Report
• Lessons Report
• Lessons Log
• Plan – Project, Stage, and Team
• Issue Register
• Issue Report

49. What are the benefits of PRINCE2?

• Allows PM to manage projects flexibly.
• Delivers Reliability
• Widely Recognised
• Built for uncertainty
• Prince2 applied to any project irrespective of scale and type.  
• Common Vocabulary and Communication
• Prince2 is scalable and adaptable. 
• Customer’s interest while executing Prince2

50.What are the characteristics of the PRINCE2 project?

The main characteristic of the PRINCE2 project is 

• A well-defined lifecycle
• Defined and measurable business products
• Availability of specified amount of resources
• Provides the set of activities to achieve and deliver business products
• Organized structure to manage Prince2 with defined responsibilities.

 

Here is our series of the top 50 PRINCE2 interview questions. We, Wissenhive, pretty much covered all the Prince2 interview questionnaires, which helps candidates get an idea to stay prepared for the interview and will definitely help you clear it with flying colors.

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