Why Tailor?

The primary reason for tailoring is to ensure that the project management method applied is appropriate for the project’s specific circumstances. Applying the full PRINCE2 methodology rigidly, without adaptation (‘robotically’), can lead to unnecessary bureaucracy, especially for smaller or simpler projects. Conversely, insufficient application on complex or high-risk projects can lead to a loss of control. Tailoring aims to strike the right balance, providing adequate governance and control without overburdening the project team, thus making the application of PRINCE2 efficient and relevant.

Effective tailoring itself acts as a form of risk management. By carefully considering the project’s context and risks, the project manager and board can adjust the level of management overhead, mitigating the risks associated with both excessive bureaucracy (inefficiency, frustration) and insufficient control (scope creep, budget overruns, failure). Finding this appropriate balance, guided by factors like complexity and risk, is key to managing the project effectively.

Please note: It’s important to distinguish tailoring, which applies to individual projects, from embedding, which refers to the adoption and adaptation of PRINCE2 across an entire organization.

Responsibility for Tailoring

The Project Manager typically holds the responsibility for identifying the need for tailoring and recommending specific adaptations, drawing on lessons learned and organizational standards. However, the Project Board is ultimately accountable for approving the proposed tailoring approach. These tailoring decisions should be formally documented, usually within the Project Initiation Documentation (PID), to ensure clarity for everyone involved. Project Assurance may also provide advice on the suitability of the proposed tailoring.

What CAN be Tailored?

PRINCE2 allows for significant flexibility in tailoring several of its components:

  • Processes: The activities within processes can be combined or adapted. For example, the sequence might be adjusted if a project follows a feasibility study that has already produced some initial documentation.
  • Practices: The way practices are applied can be modified. This often involves customizing the management approaches (e.g., the Risk Management Approach, Quality Management Approach) and selecting techniques appropriate for the project’s scale and complexity.
  • Roles: Roles can be combined (e.g., Executive and Senior User on the Project Board, or Project Manager and Team Manager) or split among multiple individuals, as long as all responsibilities are covered, accountability is clear, and no conflicts of interest arise.
  • Management Products: The format and number of management products can be adapted. Products might be combined into a single document (e.g., merging the Issue Register and Risk Register) or split if necessary. Their format can vary widely – from formal documents to spreadsheets, presentations, simple emails, verbal agreements, or information radiators displayed visually. The level of detail required can also be scaled. For instance, a very small project might combine the Project Mandate and parts of the PID.
  • Terminology: PRINCE2 terminology can be replaced with terms more familiar within the specific organization or industry, provided the chosen terms are used consistently.

What CANNOT be Tailored?

The single most important constraint is that the seven PRINCE2 principles cannot be tailored. They must always be applied in full for the project to be considered a PRINCE2 project.

Factors Influencing Tailoring

The specific tailoring decisions depend on a range of factors related to the project and its environment:

  • Project Environment: This includes the organization’s culture, its project management maturity, existing policies and standards (e.g., finance, HR, procurement), regulatory or legal requirements, geographical distribution, and whether the project is part of a larger programme.
  • Project Characteristics: Key attributes like the project’s size, overall complexity, strategic importance, level of risk, duration, and budget significantly influence the required level of control.
  • Team Capability: The experience, skills, and maturity level of the project manager, team managers, and team members affect how much guidance and formality is needed.
  • Delivery Approach: If the project intends to incorporate other methods like Agile or Lean, PRINCE2 needs to be tailored to integrate effectively with these approaches.
  • Customer/Supplier Relationship: The nature of the relationship (e.g., internal versus external commercial supplier, multiple suppliers) can impact how roles, communication, and controls are tailored.

Examples of Tailoring

  • Simple Project: Combine Project Board roles (e.g., Executive also acts as Senior User). Project Manager might also fulfill Team Manager and Project Support duties. Reduce the number of stages, potentially having only an initiation stage and a single delivery stage. Simplify management products (e.g., combine registers, use checklists instead of detailed reports) and reduce formality (e.g., verbal updates instead of formal Highlight Reports).
  • Agile Context: Adapt terminology (e.g., use ‘user stories’ alongside or instead of some ‘Product Descriptions’). Map Agile roles (like Scrum Master or Product Owner) to PRINCE2 roles or define interfaces. Structure management stages around sprints or releases. Adapt reporting mechanisms to include Agile practices like daily stand-ups and visual information radiators.
  • Programme Context: Align project reporting, risk management strategies, and change control procedures with the overarching programme’s standards. The project’s Business Case might be simplified if justification is primarily managed at the programme level.
  • Commercial Environment: Tailor processes, quality checks, and documentation to align with contractual requirements and potentially multiple quality management systems (customer’s and supplier’s).