The Secret Of PRINCE2-Exams PRINCE2-Practitioner Exam Price

- (Topic 1)
The Manage by Exception principle sets tolerances for six areas of the project, Time. Cost and Quality are three of them, what are the other three?

- (Topic 10)
Two weeks after starting work the Team Manager noticed that each completed product had exceeded its estimated effort by around 10%. If this trend continues the Work Package will exceed its agreed cost tolerance of 5%.
Which 2 actions should the Team Manager take in response to this situation?

- (Topic 3)
Additional Information

Further information on some resources who could be involved in the project: Outcome Account Manager: He represents Outcome which is a recruitment agency that
provides specialist outsourcing resources. Outcome provided the consultants who carried out the feasibility study and the same consultants will be providing support and guidance to the Information Technology and Facilities teams during the project.
Director of Finance Division: She was transferred from the Information Technology Division 12 months ago. She is responsible for ensuring a cost-conscious approach is adopted in all operational and project activities across the Ministry of Food Hygiene.
Hardware Manager: Reports to the Director of Information Technology. He provides computer hardware to all business functions but has little awareness of the needs of his colleagues working in software.
Payroll Manager: Reports to the Director of Finance. He is a very experienced and efficient qualified accountant who has much of the responsibility of running the Finance Division on behalf of the Director of Finance. He has been involved in drafting the Ministry's business strategy and assisting in a full business risk assessment. He also drafted the corporate Business Case standards.
Which 2 alternative actions apply to the proposed user assurance for this project?

- (Topic 11)
It is now late October and the project is in stage 3. The label design competition has been held and the photos of the staff have been taken. The CEO and Marketing Director still need to choose the winning label design and the 12 photos for the calendar. However, the Executive has learned that two competitors are issuing calendars to MNO's customers by the middle of November. After analyzing the impact of this Issue, one of the options the Project Manager has presented to the Project Board is to close the project prematurely.
There are a number of key facts relating to this project that would need to be recorded if the project Y-e to be closed now.
Which product should register that the risk of a competitor producing a calendar at the same time was identified at the beginning of the project but the assessment of this risk appears to have been poor?

- (Topic 2)
Scenario
A central government department, the Ministry of Food Hygiene (MFH), faces increasing pressure to cut costs, better manage suppliers’ performance and reduce the confusion caused by inadequate internal controls, outdated standards and outdated technology. External consultants were employed to conduct a feasibility study to identify options to address the problems, and the likely costs and benefits. The following options were considered:
Do nothing.
Re-engineer selected business functions. Outsource selected business functions.
The feasibility study concluded that there was a case for outsourcing the MFH Information Technology
Division and the Facilities Division (maintenance of buildings and grounds). The recommendations were:
One service provider should be contracted to provide the services currently provided by the
Information Technology Division and the Facilities Division.
A 10-year service contract should be agreed with the selected service provider.
The feasibility study developed high-level designs of the current organization, processes, systems and
operating models, plus an outline Business Case for the required project. The external consultants
also made the following recommendations for the management of the project:
Use PRINCE2.
Set up the project with 4 management stages:
Stage 1. Standard PRINCE2 initiation activities.
Stage 2. Create detailed designs (future organization, processes, systems and operating models) and the service level agreement between MFH and the future service
provider.
Stage 3. Request and evaluate proposals, select service provider and agree contract. Stage 4. Transfer equipment and staff, transfer responsibility for service provision and run trial period.
Initial estimates indicated that the project would cost £2.5m and take two years to complete.
MFH senior management agreed that there was a case for outsourcing, and accepted the recommendations as a basis for the project. There is an expected saving of £20m over 10
years.
The Outsourcing project has completed the Starting up a Project process and is now in the initiation stage. Because of the strategic importance of the project, the MFH Chief Executive Officer has taken the role of Executive. A PRINCE2-experienced Project Manager has been appointed from within MFH. Staff within the business functions being outsourced will work with the external consultants who conducted the feasibility study to define the detailed designs.
Which 2 statements should be recorded under the Business options heading?

- (Topic 9)
Which of the following is NOT an objective of Initiating a Project?

- (Topic 4)
Additional Information Product Description

Quality notes from the Daily Log
The Director of Information Technology Division (DIT) has been asked to ensure that any changes to the outsourced staff employment contracts adhere to employment law. The DIT will review future job descriptions of the transferred staff before the final contract is signed with the selected service provider.
The service level agreement between MFH and the selected service provider will specify the type and quality of service required. The selected service provider must follow the industry standards for providing outsourced services.
MFH has a quality management system which contains a document control procedure for all its documentation, however this does not include change management.
All project documents will be subject to a quality review. Nominated products will require a formal approval record signed-off by the quality review chair.
Extract from the draft Quality Management Strategy (may contain errors) Introduction
1. This document defines the approach to be taken to achieve the required quality levels during the project.
2. The Project Board will have overall responsibility for the Quality Management Strategy.
3. Project Assurance will provide assurance on the implementation of the Quality Management Strategy.
Quality management procedure - Quality standards
4. The selected service provider will operate to industry standards for providing outsourced services.
5. MFH document standards will be used.
Records
6. A Quality Register will be maintained to record the planned quality events and the actual results from the quality activities.
7. Configuration Item Records will be maintained for each product to describe its status, version and variant.
8. Approval records for products that require them will be stored in the quality database. Roles and responsibilities
9. The DIT will check that the employment contracts for outsourced staff adhere to employment law.
10. Team Managers will provide details of quality checks that have been carried out.
11. Team Managers will ensure that the Quality Register is updated with the names of team members who are involved in the review process.
12. The Senior User will review the Product Descriptions of the products to be produced by the selected service provider to ensure that they can be achieved.
Which is a correctly defined acceptance criterion for the transferred staff?

- (Topic 9)
Additional Information
Extract from the Communication Management Strategy.
The project information in the table below is true, but it may not be recorded under the correct heading or be in the correct document.

Using the Project Scenario, select the appropriate response to each of the following 5 questions which have been raised by the Project Board.
The project is now at the end of the initiation stage. Having decided that the Calendar project is a relatively simple project, the Project Manager combined the Starting Up a Project process and the Initiating a Project process. No Project Brief has been produced. Instead the Project Manager used the project mandate to produce a simple Project Initiation Documentation (PlO). The PlO includes the Business Case, a product checklist and several Product Descriptions, Including the Project Product Description. Short sections are also included for each of the strategies and the controls to be applied. The Project Manager has elected to use the Daily Log to record all risks, issues, lessons and quality - results.
After the initiation stage there will be two further stages during which a small number of Work Packages will be authorized. While these are being managed, the Project Manager will hold regular checkpoints, which will support the production of weekly Highlight Reports to the Project Board.
There is no mention of any Stage Plans, yet there are two further stages proposed. How will this be resolved?

- (Topic 4)
Which role is responsible for providing the customer's quality expectations and acceptance criteria for the project?

- (Topic 5)
PRINCE2 proposes 3 levels of Plan, which are they?

HOTSPOT - (Topic 5)
Product Summary
A list of customers will be collated. This will use existing information from the Accounts department about current customers, and existing information from the Marketing department about prospective customers.
Using the tariff of mailing costs available from the Post Office, a production cost forecast will be produced to allow the CEO and the Marketing Director to decide whether to continue with the project. If they decide to continue, they will give the approval to launch the internal label design competition. Competition rules will be required to communicate details of the competition to the staff. The chosen label design will then be selected from the competition entries.
The photos for the calendar must be based on existing photo design ideas available from the Marketing department. The selected photos will be chosen from these. Monthly calendar displays will be created to show the required layout of each page.
Product Breakdown Structure (contains errors)

Extract from Stage Plan for stage 3.
(All entries are true statements but may not be shown under the correct heading or in the correct document).

Using the Product Summary and Product Breakdown Structure provided as additional Information for this question In the Scenario Booklet, answer the following question.
Column 1 is a list of some of the entries in the product breakdown structure. Determine whether each entry in Column 1 has been correctly shown in the product breakdown structure. Select from Column 2 the appropriate statement that correctly describes that entry. Each selection from Column 2 can be used once, more than once or not at all.


Solution:


Does this meet the goal?

- (Topic 7)
In which strategy would the change control process be recorded?

- (Topic 5)
Product Summary
A list of customers will be collated. This will use existing information from the Accounts department about current customers, and existing information from the Marketing department about prospective customers.
Using the tariff of mailing costs available from the Post Office, a production cost forecast will be produced to allow the CEO and the Marketing Director to decide whether to continue with the project. If they decide to continue, they will give the approval to launch the internal label design competition. Competition rules will be required to communicate details of the competition to the staff. The chosen label design will then be selected from the competition entries.
The photos for the calendar must be based on existing photo design ideas available from the Marketing department. The selected photos will be chosen from these. Monthly calendar displays will be created to show the required layout of each page.
Product Breakdown Structure (contains errors)

Extract from Stage Plan for stage 3.
(All entries are true statements but may not be shown under the correct heading or in the correct document).

Using the Project Scenario and the Extract from Stage Plan for stage 3 provided as additional intonation for this question in the Scenario Booklet, answer the following 5 questions.
The Stage Plan for stage 3 has been produced.
The Engineering Manager insists that there are to be no interruptions to operations whilst photographs are being taken of the engineering staff performing their everyday duties and operating machinery. Two weeks ago the professional photographer produced the photo session schedule based on the operational staff schedule. The operational staff schedule is produced weekly and maintained by the Engineering Manager.
None of the £500 change budget has been used to date and this is available for the stage. Which 2 statements apply to the External dependencies section?

HOTSPOT - (Topic 10)
Column 1 is a list of entries from the Daily Log that occurred during stage 4 in the Controlling a Stage process. For each entry in Column 1, select the first management product from Column 2 that should have been updated, or created, as a result of the entry. Each selection from Column 2 can be used once, more than once or not at all.
Drop down the right answer from column 1 to column 2.


Solution:


Does this meet the goal?

- (Topic 3)
Additional Information
Chief Executive Officer (CEO): He started the company 25 years ago and knows his job very well. He injured his leg two years ago which has restricted his visits to the engineering area. As CEO he has an overall perspective of the business strategic requirements and the authority to commit resources as required.
Marketing Director: She has been with the company for three years, following a successful career with a publicity company. She has the ability to represent the needs of the business, particularly as this is a marketing project. She has the authority to commit the annual business marketing budget, from which the project will be funded, as she sees appropriate. She will be responsible for monitoring the expected benefits of the calendar, in particular the improvement of the company's image.
Engineering Manager: He has been responsible for many engineering innovations in the company and is still as keen and energetic as the day he started. VVhilst he will not be part of the project team, his staff will feature in the photos for the promotional calendar.
Central Records: This group of five staff looks after all company records and document control. They now maintain all project files.
Bright Lights: This is the local office supplies company. It supplies all the stationery and office equipment needs of the company and will supply the stationery for this project.
Portraits ltd: This is a professional photographic company with a number of excellent photographers and a history of successful work. This company has been selected to take the photos for the company calendar. It has yet be decided which of the photographers to use.
Which 2 statements explain why the Marketing Director should be appointed as the Executive for this project?

- (Topic 3)
In which Management product would the Project Board specify where the authority for change requests lies?

HOTSPOT - (Topic 2)
Scenario
A central government department, the Ministry of Food Hygiene (MFH), faces increasing pressure to cut costs, better manage suppliers’ performance and reduce the confusion
caused by inadequate internal controls, outdated standards and outdated technology. External consultants were employed to conduct a feasibility study to identify options to address the problems, and the likely costs and benefits. The following options were considered:
Do nothing.
Re-engineer selected business functions. Outsource selected business functions.
The feasibility study concluded that there was a case for outsourcing the MFH Information Technology
Division and the Facilities Division (maintenance of buildings and grounds). The recommendations were:
One service provider should be contracted to provide the services currently provided by the
Information Technology Division and the Facilities Division.
A 10-year service contract should be agreed with the selected service provider.
The feasibility study developed high-level designs of the current organization, processes, systems and
operating models, plus an outline Business Case for the required project. The external consultants
also made the following recommendations for the management of the project:
Use PRINCE2.
Set up the project with 4 management stages:
Stage 1. Standard PRINCE2 initiation activities.
Stage 2. Create detailed designs (future organization, processes, systems and operating models) and the service level agreement between MFH and the future service
provider.
Stage 3. Request and evaluate proposals, select service provider and agree contract. Stage 4. Transfer equipment and staff, transfer responsibility for service provision and run trial period.
Initial estimates indicated that the project would cost £2.5m and take two years to complete.
MFH senior management agreed that there was a case for outsourcing, and accepted the recommendations as a basis for the project. There is an expected saving of £20m over 10 years.
The Outsourcing project has completed the Starting up a Project process and is now in the initiation stage. Because of the strategic importance of the project, the MFH Chief Executive Officer has taken the role of Executive. A PRINCE2-experienced Project Manager has been appointed from within MFH. Staff within the business functions being outsourced will work with the external consultants who conducted the feasibility study to define the detailed designs.
Lines 1 to 6 in the table below consist of an assertion statement and a reason statement. For each line identify the appropriate option, from options A to E, that applies. Each option can be used once, more than once or not at all.

Solution:


Does this meet the goal?

- (Topic 8)
Project Scenario
Calendar Project (Note: The companies and people within the scenario are fictional.)
There has been a reduction in fie number of orders at the MNO Manufacturing Company due in part to the increased marketing activities of its competitors. To help counter this, the company has decided to create a promotional calendar for next year for all its current and prospective customers. The end product of this project will be a prepared calendar pack, ready for printing. The design of the calendar will be similar to one sent out previously, and must reflect the company image as described in the existing corporate branding standards. Another project is currently producing a new company logo when is to be printed on each page of the promotional calendar. The prepared calendar pack will consist of:
✑ Design for each month - correctly showing at public holidays and new company logo
✑ Selected photographs- 12 professionally-produced photographs, showing different
members of staff
✑ Selected paper and selected envelope - for printing and mailing the calendar
✑ Chosen label design - a competition to design a label will be held as part of this project
✑ List of customers - names and addresses of customers to whom the calendar will be sent.
The project is currently in initiation and will have two further stages:
Stage 2 will include tie activities to:
✑ Create the customer fast using information from the Accounts and Marketing departments
✑ Confirm compliance with the Data Protection Legislation
✑ Create a design for each month - this will be done by the internal creative team
✑ Select and appoint a professional photographer
✑ Gather photograph design ideas from previous project and agree photographic session schedule
✑ Prepare a production cost forecast
✑ Select paper and envelope.
Stage 3 will include the activities to:
✑ Produce and select tie professionally-taken photographs
✑ Hold the label design competition and choose the label design
✑ Assemble the prepared calendar pack.
A production cost forecast, based on the options and costs for the paper, envelope, printing and marketing of the calendar is to be produced in stage 2. However, the actual production and distribution of the calendars is not within the scope of the project. The product cost forecast will be reviewed by the Project Board to determine whether tie project should continue.
It is now 05 October and the prepared calendar pack must be delivered to the print company by 30 November, to enable printing and distribution of the calendar in time for Christmas. The cost of the activities to develop the specialist products and the cost of the project management activities are estimated to be £20,000. There is a project time tolerance of +1 week /-2 weeks and a project cost tolerance of +£6,000 / -£6,000. A change budget of £500 has been allocated but there is no risk budget.
During stage 2, if the Project Manager decides to recommend that the Project Plan is revised to finish three weeks later, which statement is correct?

- (Topic 2)
Scenario
A central government department, the Ministry of Food Hygiene (MFH), faces increasing pressure to cut costs, better manage suppliers’ performance and reduce the confusion caused by inadequate internal controls, outdated standards and outdated technology. External consultants were employed to conduct a feasibility study to identify options to address the problems, and the likely costs and benefits. The following options were considered:
Do nothing.
Re-engineer selected business functions. Outsource selected business functions.
The feasibility study concluded that there was a case for outsourcing the MFH Information Technology
Division and the Facilities Division (maintenance of buildings and grounds). The recommendations were:
One service provider should be contracted to provide the services currently provided by the
Information Technology Division and the Facilities Division.
A 10-year service contract should be agreed with the selected service provider.
The feasibility study developed high-level designs of the current organization, processes, systems and
operating models, plus an outline Business Case for the required project. The external consultants
also made the following recommendations for the management of the project:
Use PRINCE2.
Set up the project with 4 management stages:
Stage 1. Standard PRINCE2 initiation activities.
Stage 2. Create detailed designs (future organization, processes, systems and operating models) and the service level agreement between MFH and the future service
provider.
Stage 3. Request and evaluate proposals, select service provider and agree contract. Stage 4. Transfer equipment and staff, transfer responsibility for service provision and run trial period.
Initial estimates indicated that the project would cost £2.5m and take two years to complete.
MFH senior management agreed that there was a case for outsourcing, and accepted the recommendations as a basis for the project. There is an expected saving of £20m over 10
years.
The Outsourcing project has completed the Starting up a Project process and is now in the initiation stage. Because of the strategic importance of the project, the MFH Chief Executive Officer has taken the role of Executive. A PRINCE2-experienced Project Manager has been appointed from within MFH. Staff within the business functions being outsourced will work with the external consultants who conducted the feasibility study to define the detailed designs.
Which 2 statements should be recorded under the Expected dis-benefits heading?