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PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief 

 October 13, 2024

By  Dave Litten

Before a project begins, someone has an idea or a need. The trigger for the project (which may come in a wide range of ways) in PRINCE2 is called a project mandate.

Before formally starting a project, it is important to assess and confirm that it is worthwhile and viable. This is done in the process of starting up a project process, in which the project manager and project board are appointed, and a project brief and a stage plan for the initiation stage are created.

PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief

The decision to proceed with project initiation is taken by the project board using their own process of directing a project. The project board then reviews the project brief and stage plan and decides whether and how to initiate the project and allocate the people and resources required.

PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief

The project mandate is provided by the business, (the organization commissioning the project) and can vary in form from a verbal instruction to a well-defined and justified project definition.

The Project Brief provides a brief of overview of the project, mainly written for the Project Board, and is used to provide a full and firm foundation for Initiating a Project and is created in the Starting up a Project process by the Project Manager.

The Project Brief is then used in the Initiating a Project process and extended into the Project Initiation Documentation. Sometimes the Project Brief is also referred to as the Project Charter (PMBOK® Guide)

The Project Mandate can provide little or a lot of data for the Project Brief. The Project Brief is created in the Starting Up a Project process.

It is use by the Project Board to make their first decision in the Directing a project activity Authorise Initiation, which is then used an input to the Initiation Stage. Most of the work effort goes into the Project Product Description which is the scope of the project.

The Project Brief is not used after the Initiation stage.

PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief
PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief

The Project Brief structure

The purpose of the project brief is to provide a full and firm foundation for the initiation of the project.

Project definition: explains what the project should achieve and should include the following:

  • the background
  • project objectives
  • desired outcomes
  • project scope and exclusions
  • constraints and assumptions
  • project tolerances
  • users and any other known interested parties.

Outline business case: reasons why the project is needed, and the business option is selected

Project product description: includes user quality expectations and acceptance criteria

Project approach: defines the approach to deliver the business option selected from the business case

Project management team structure and role descriptions: defines the different responsibilities of the various members of a team

References: for any associated documents or products.

Gathering information for the Project Brief

A project mandate supplied at the start of the project by the business or commissioning level.

If the project is part of a programme, then it is likely that the Project Mandate contains the majority of information for the Project Board, in this case, the Project Manager does not have much to do in the Starting Up a Project process.

Recommended actions for the Project Manager

The Project Manager will check the following:

  • How the project is aligned with corporate strategy.
  • How the project is aligned with the policies and standards.
  • How future maintenance will be done (talk with operations and maintenance organization).
  • Input from suppliers regarding specialist development.
  • Lessons Log for the most useful lessons to be included in the project.

The format of the Project Brief may take several forms such as a document, slide deck, entry into a project management tool, or a wall chart (information radiator).

Assemble the project brief

An agreed project brief ensures that the project has a commonly understood and well-defined starting point.

Recommended actions for the project manager:

  • confirm the current status of the project such as the project background and any preparation work performed to date.
  • confirm the objectives and desired outcomes.
  • confirm the project scope, exclusions, and project tolerances.
  • identify any constraints and assumptions.
  • identify the user and any other known interested parties.
  • review the project management team structure and role descriptions to identify any additional roles or skills required in the project ecosystem
  • prepare additional role descriptions as necessary
  • identify the dependencies with other projects or activities that the project must maintain.

Document the above in the project brief and use the project log to record any new issues or risks.

Keep this document brief as its purpose to provide information to initiate a project.
It will be expanded and refined in the Initiation Stage and will become part of the Project Initiation Documentation.

The Project Brief should reflect the project mandate and the requirements of the business and the users.

The Project Brief is a SMART document: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound

General Project Brief guidance

Ask the people that provided the project mandate by interviewing them to provide more information.

Get help (if needed) to facilitate the workshop when defining the Project Product Description (PPD).

Invite one or more Team Managers to this PPD workshop, so they can give immediate feedback to the users and already establish an important communication link.

Avoid being rushed into completing the Project Brief too quickly, while at the same time, avoid going into too much detail as this extra work will be wasted if the project does not continue. Also mention in the PPD file what the project will not include as this will give a better idea of scope of the project.

Creating the Project product description

The purpose of the project product description is to describe the project’s major products and intended purpose, including the user’s quality expectations, the acceptance criteria, and acceptance methods for the project.

It is created in the process of starting up a project and refined during the process of initiating a project.

PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief


Purpose: a description of what the project products will fulfil and who will use them

PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief

Major products: a description of the major products to be delivered

Derived from: what the products are based on, such as existing products or a requirement for a new capability

User’s quality expectations: description of the quality expected of the project products and the standards and procedures that will need to be applied to achieve them

Acceptance criteria: a prioritized list of criteria that the project products must meet to be accepted by the user

Acceptance methods and responsibilities: the means by which acceptance will be confirmed, and the people responsible for the acceptance decisions will be determined

Project level quality tolerances: any tolerances that apply to the acceptance criteria.

Prepare the outline business case

Given the information available, the outline business case is likely to be only a high-level view at this time. It provides an agreed foundation for a more detailed business case developed in the process of initiating a project

PRINCE2 7th Edition Project Brief

Outline Business Case recommended actions:

  • the project executive develops the outline business case in accordance with the project mandate and based on what is currently known about the project. This is in consultation with the senior user if appointed at this time. They will need to understand how the project will contribute towards the business objectives.
  • the project manager consults with the senior user, senior supplier, and project executive to define what the project is to deliver and create the project product description
  • any risks captured in the daily log are reviewed, and the key risks affecting viability of the project are summarized in the outline business case.

Select the project approach

The project approach defines the choice of solution and delivery method that will be used in the project to deliver the business option selected from the business case, considering the operational environment into which the solution must fit.

So, before any planning of the project can be done, questions must be raised regarding how the work of the project is going to be approached:

  • will the solution be developed in-house or contracted to third parties (often referred to as the delivery model)?
  • will the solution be a modification to an existing product or built from scratch?
  • will the solution be based on a commercial off-the-shelf product (often referred to as a COTS product) or something that is custom designed?
  • what delivery methods should be used? For example, can the project product be delivered incrementally, perhaps using agile working methods, or will it need to be delivered in a linear sequential way?
  • how will the project approach support any sustainability expectations or requirements?

The way in which the work is to be conducted will depend on any user or supplier standards, practices, and guidelines (such as any specific delivery methods that may apply).

These should be captured in the project brief as part of the project approach, as they will influence the management approaches to be created in the process of initiating a project.

Recommended actions for the project manager:

  • evaluate the possible delivery solutions and determine the project approach appropriate to delivering the project product and achieving the outline business case.
  • define any requirements to tailor the method, if known at this time.
  • use the project log to record any new issues or risks.

Capturing these aspects also ensures that the project approach is clearly understood between the user and the supplier and does not jeopardize the project in any way.

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Dave Litten


Dave spent 25+ years as a senior project manager for UK and USA multinationals and has deep experience in project management. He now develops a wide range of Project Management Masterclasses, under the Projex Academy brand name. In addition, David runs project management training seminars across the world, and is a prolific writer on the many topics of project management.

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