PRINCE2 is a structured, scalable project-management method focused on business value, clear accountability, and controlled delivery.

1) The Documentation Spine (What actually matters)

Think of your project as a product line. These artifacts form the production line that moves ideas to outcomes.

1. Business Case (living)

• Purpose: Prove continued viability.
• Advanced moves:
• Benefits profile per stage with confidence bands (P50/P80).
• Sensitivity table (scope/time/cost/risk vs. NPV).
• Decision rule: no re-baselined benefits → no next stage.

2. Project Initiation Documentation (PID)

• Purpose: Your governance contract.
• Advanced moves:
• Tolerances per theme (time/cost/scope/quality/benefits/risk).
• Tailoring matrix: what you’re not doing and why.
• Data AI appendix (privacy, lineage, model risk if applicable).

3. Management Approaches (How you run)

• Quality Management Approach, Risk Management Approach, Change Control Approach, Communication Management Approach, Benefits Management Approach, Configuration Management Strategy.
• Advanced moves: link each approach to a single source of truth (one register each), plus automation hooks (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow, SharePoint).

4. Product Descriptions

• Purpose: Define “what good looks like.”
• Advanced moves: measurable acceptance criteria + service acceptance criteria for transition, and sustainability/non-functional constraints.

5. Plans (Project, Stage, and optionally Team)

• Advanced moves:
• Rolling-wave planning with a Critical Chain or Reference Class estimate annotation.
• Resource-constrained view (not just Gantt).
• Buffer burn chart embedded in Highlight Reports.

2) Registers: The Truth Databases

Risk Register

• Probability × Impact × Detectability; top-10 list has owners and funded responses.
• Add leading indicators (e.g., vendor delivery variance 15% for two sprints).

Issue Register

• Classify: request, off-spec, problem/concern.
• Link to Change Log entries and Exception Reports.

Change Log

• Impacted baselines, decision authority, effective date.
• Pre-authorised Change Authority thresholds (e.g., ≤ 2% cost drift).

Lessons Log

• Use “signal → experiment → adoption” format; move adopted items into the PID at stage boundaries.

3) Reporting that Drives Decisions (not theatre)

Executive Pack (monthly or at Stage Boundary)

• 1 page: RAG summary benefit trajectory vs baseline.
• 1 page: Stage progress (plan vs actual) + buffer burn.
• 1 page: Top risks/issues/changes with decisions required.
• 1 page: Financials (to-date, EAC, variance bands).
• Annex: RAID detail (for PMO/Audit).

Rule of thumb: 4 pages for decisions, unlimited in annex. If a page doesn’t prompt a decision or re-affirm one, delete it.

Highlight Report (PM → Board, cadence 2–4 weeks)

• Essentials: since last report, to next report, forecast to complete, tolerances status, key risks/issues/changes, decisions required.
• Advanced: lead indicators (decision latency, requirements volatility, defect escape rate).

Checkpoint Report (Team → PM, weekly/bi-weekly)

• Work Package status, completed products, quality results, next tasks, impediments.

End Stage Report / End Project Report

• Evidence for continue/redirect/close; benefits review plan confirmed with owners.

Exception Report

• Triggered when tolerances at risk: cause, options, impact, recommendation, decision request.