PRINCE2 Practices · Topic 1 of 9
The PID and the Project Log
The PRINCE2 7 PID and project log: their purpose, the management approaches inside the PID, and the registers and logs held within the project log.
- 5 min
- PID defines the project and is the baseline for managing it.
- The PID holds the business case, team structure, role descriptions, project plan, controls, tailoring and the management approaches.
- The project log holds the daily log, issue, risk, quality and product registers and the lessons log.
What it is
PRINCE2 7 groups many management products into two umbrella products. The project initiation documentation (PID) holds the information that defines the project and how it will be managed. The project log holds the registers and logs used to record day-to-day information.
Knowing which product sits inside which umbrella is one of the most tested skills in the exam. Many questions simply ask where a piece of information is recorded.
How it works
The PID
The purpose of the PID is to define the project, so that it forms the basis for its management and an assessment of its overall success. It gives the project board what it needs to decide whether to authorise the project, and it is the baseline the project is managed against.
The PID is produced in initiating a project, approved by the project board in directing a project, and updated at each stage boundary as needed. At closure it is used to compare what was delivered with what was planned.
| PID component | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Project definition and approach | Objectives, scope, constraints, the chosen delivery approach |
| Business case | The justification for the project |
| Project management team structure | Who is on the project board and in other roles |
| Role descriptions | Responsibilities for each role |
| Project plan | The high-level plan for the whole project |
| Project controls | Stages, tolerances, reporting and escalation arrangements |
| Tailoring | How PRINCE2 is adapted for this project |
| Management approaches | How each area of management will be handled |
The management approaches inside the PID
PRINCE2 7 uses the word approach for these (never "strategy"). Each approach is linked to the practice or element that uses it.
| Management approach | Linked to | Purpose in a phrase |
|---|---|---|
| Benefits management approach | Business case | How benefits will be measured and confirmed |
| Sustainability management approach | Business case | How sustainability targets are set and managed |
| Commercial management approach | Organizing | How supplier and commercial relationships are managed |
| Change management approach | People | How the business change will be adopted |
| Communication management approach | People | How and how often stakeholders are communicated with |
| Quality management approach | Quality | How quality is planned, controlled and assured |
| Risk management approach | Risk | How risk is identified, assessed and controlled |
| Issue management approach | Issues | How issues and changes are handled |
| Digital and data management approach | Progress | How data and digital tools are managed and used |
The project log
The purpose of the project log is to record the information the project needs to manage itself day-to-day. It is started in starting up a project, where the daily log and lessons log are first needed, and the registers are set up in initiating a project. It is then maintained throughout.
| Within the project log | What it records | Main practice |
|---|---|---|
| Daily log | The project manager's diary: informal issues, actions, events | Progress |
| Issue register | Issues being managed formally | Issues |
| Lessons log | Lessons from previous projects and this one | Progress |
| Product register | The products of the project and their status | Quality |
| Quality register | Quality activities planned and carried out | Quality |
| Risk register | Identified risks and their management | Risk |
Baselines, records and reports
Management products come in three kinds.
Baselines (such as the PID, business case, plans and product descriptions) are approved and change only through change control. Records in the project log are dynamic and updated constantly.
Reports (such as highlight, end stage and issue reports) give a snapshot at a point in time.
A worked example
A charity's project manager is asked three questions by the executive. "How will we know if the new donor app increased donations?" The answer is in the benefits management approach in the PID.
"Has anyone raised the payment provider delay formally?" The answer is in the issue register within the project log.
"Where did we note the supplier's warning about app store approval times?" If it was treated informally, it is in the daily log.
How the exam asks about this
- "What is the purpose of the PID?" To define the project, forming the basis for its management and for assessing its overall success.
- "Which is part of the project log?" The risk register (or daily log, issue register, lessons log, quality register, product register). Not the business case.
- "Where are management approaches documented?" In the PID.
What to remember for the exam
- PID defines the project and is the baseline for managing it.
- The PID holds the business case, team structure, role descriptions, project plan, controls, tailoring and the management approaches.
- The project log holds the daily log, issue, risk, quality and product registers and the lessons log.
- PRINCE2 7 uses "approach", never "strategy".
- Baselines change only through change control; records are updated continuously.
The business case and project plan are part of the PID, not the project log. Registers and logs are never part of the PID.
Common mistakes
Treating the PID as a one-time document. It is updated at stage boundaries and used at closure to assess success.
Using older terms. "Risk management strategy" and "configuration item records" are not PRINCE2 7 terms; use risk management approach and product register.
Putting the daily log in the PID. The daily log is part of the project log.
Check yourself
Which management product contains the risk register?
The project log.
When is the PID created and approved?
It is created in initiating a project and approved by the project board when it authorises the project.
Which approach in the PID explains how benefits will be measured?
The benefits management approach.
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