Study PRINCE2 Foundation v7 Directing a Project: key concepts, common traps, and exam decision cues.
Directing a Project (DP) is the project-board governance process. Foundation questions here usually test whether you can distinguish what the board authorizes from what the project manager handles day to day.
The project board directs by making key decisions such as:
The stronger answer usually preserves this governance boundary. PRINCE2 does not expect the board to micromanage ordinary delivery detail, but it does expect the board to own the major control decisions.
| If the scenario says… | The stronger response usually… |
|---|---|
| initiation, stage continuation, or exception action needs authorization | thinks Directing a Project |
| the matter is ordinary day-to-day control inside tolerance | keeps the board out of routine management |
| the board must give ad hoc direction on a major governance matter | stays in DP rather than treating it like team or project-manager control |
| the answer gives the board routine operational work | recognizes that as too low-level for DP |
A project manager can usually manage normal stage work within tolerance. But deciding whether the project should proceed into a new stage is a governance decision for the board through Directing a Project.
A project is progressing, but the next major step needs formal board authorization. The stronger Foundation answer does not leave the decision at project-manager level just because normal work is continuing. It recognizes that PRINCE2 uses Directing a Project whenever governance authority must actively decide, authorize, or redirect.
Which PRINCE2 process is primarily concerned with project-board authorization and governance decisions?
A. Managing Product Delivery B. Controlling a Stage C. Directing a Project D. Closing a Project
Best answer: C
Why: Directing a Project is the board-level process for authorization and governance throughout the project.
Why the others are weaker: A and B sit lower in the control structure, and D is only the closure process.