Projects and PRINCE2 Key Concepts · Topic 1 of 2
Integrated Elements, Projects and Delivery Approaches
PRINCE2 7 basics: the five integrated elements, what a project and project management are, the seven performance aspects and the three delivery approaches.
- 5 min
- Five integrated elements: principles, people, practices, processes, project context.
- A project is a temporary organization delivering business products according to an agreed business case.
- Project management is planning, delegating, monitoring and control, plus motivating those involved.
What it is
PRINCE2 is a project management method built from five integrated elements: principles, people, practices, processes and the project context. They are called integrated because each one only works properly alongside the others.
This page also covers three definitions the rest of the exam depends on: what a project is, what project management is, and which aspects of performance a project manager must manage. It finishes with the three delivery approaches a project can use.
How it works
The five integrated elements
| Element | What it provides |
|---|---|
| Principles | Seven guiding obligations that must be applied for a project to be a PRINCE2 project |
| People | The relationships, leadership, teams, culture and change management that make a project work |
| Practices | Seven aspects of project management applied continually throughout the project |
| Processes | Seven processes that describe the activities from before the project starts to its closure |
| Project context | The setting the project sits in, which drives how the method is tailored |
The principles are the foundation. People apply the practices through the processes, and the whole method is adapted to the project context. A question that offers "quality", "role descriptions" or "product descriptions" as an integrated element is offering a practice or a management product, not an element.
What a project is
PRINCE2 defines a project as a temporary organization created to deliver one or more business products according to an agreed business case. Two words do the work in that definition.
"Temporary" means the project has a start and an end and its organization is disbanded when it closes. "Business case" means the project exists to deliver something the organization has agreed is worth having.
What project management is
Project management is the planning, delegating, monitoring and control of all aspects of the project, together with the motivation of the people involved. Its aim is to achieve the project objectives within the expected performance targets.
Notice that motivating people is part of the definition. PRINCE2 7 treats leading people as part of the job, not an optional extra.
The seven aspects of project performance
Every project is managed against the same seven aspects. Targets and tolerances can be set for each one.
| Aspect | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| Time | When will it be finished? |
| Cost | How much will it cost? |
| Quality | Will the products be fit for purpose? |
| Scope | What will and will not be delivered? |
| Benefits | Why are we doing it, and are the benefits still achievable? |
| Risk | How much uncertainty can we accept? |
| Sustainability | What are the agreed sustainability targets and are we meeting them? |
Sustainability is the aspect added in PRINCE2 7. It covers performance targets such as environmental and social impact, set for the project in the same way as time or cost.
The three delivery approaches
The delivery approach is how the specialist work of creating products is organized. PRINCE2 can be used with any of them.
| Approach | How work is delivered | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Linear-sequential | Each phase of work (such as design, build, test) is completed once, in sequence, before the next begins | Building a bridge from a fixed design |
| Iterative-incremental | The product is built and refined through repeated cycles, delivering usable increments along the way | Developing an app with frequent releases |
| Hybrid | A mix: some parts are linear-sequential, others iterative-incremental | A new office fit out (linear) with a booking app (iterative) |
The choice of approach is part of the project context and affects tailoring, especially how stages and plans are set up. It does not change the principles.
A worked example
A council wants a new online parking permit service, live by 1 April 2027. A temporary team is formed and given a business case showing savings from fewer paper applications.
The project manager sets targets for time (live by April), cost (budget), quality (accessibility standard met), scope (permits only, not fines), benefits (fewer paper forms), risk (low appetite for data breaches) and sustainability (lower paper use). The back office integration is built linear-sequential, while the user screens are built in iterations with residents testing each one, so the overall approach is hybrid.
How the exam asks about this
- "Which is one of the integrated elements of PRINCE2?" Processes (or principles, people, practices, project context). Not quality, plans or role descriptions.
- "Which aspect of project performance was introduced in PRINCE2 7?" Sustainability.
- "Which delivery approach delivers the product through repeated cycles?" Iterative-incremental.
What to remember for the exam
- Five integrated elements: principles, people, practices, processes, project context.
- A project is a temporary organization delivering business products according to an agreed business case.
- Project management is planning, delegating, monitoring and control, plus motivating those involved.
- Seven performance aspects: time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, risk, sustainability.
- Three delivery approaches: linear-sequential, iterative-incremental, hybrid.
Quality, risk, plans and progress are practices, not integrated elements. Distractors often mix practice names into an elements question.
Common mistakes
Confusing practices with elements. There are seven practices but only five integrated elements, and "practices" is itself one of the five.
Forgetting sustainability. Older material lists six performance aspects; PRINCE2 7 has seven, with sustainability included.
Thinking PRINCE2 is linear only. PRINCE2 works with linear-sequential, iterative-incremental and hybrid delivery, and is tailored to suit each.
Check yourself
What makes a project temporary?
It has a defined start and end, and its organization is disbanded once the project closes.
Which seven aspects of performance are managed on a PRINCE2 project?
Time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, risk and sustainability.
What is a hybrid delivery approach?
A combination of linear-sequential and iterative-incremental delivery within the same project.
Topic 1 of 2 in Projects and PRINCE2 Key Concepts
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