danielpradilla PRINCE2 Startup Brief
For detailed management product definitions, read ../../references/prince2-management-products.md when the user needs a complete PRINCE2 document set or asks what each artifact is for.
Use this workflow when a project is still being shaped and needs enough structure to decide whether it is worth initiating.
Inputs To Ask For
- Project mandate or request
- Sponsor, executive, senior user, senior supplier, and project manager names if known
- Problem, opportunity, or required outcome
- Expected products or deliverables
- Known constraints, deadlines, budget range, and tolerances
- Similar past projects and lessons
- Decision needed from the project board
Output Structure
1. Startup Decision
- Recommended decision: proceed to initiation, revise, pause, or stop
- Reasoning
- Conditions before initiation starts
2. Project Brief
- Background
- Project definition
- Business option being explored
- Initial scope
- Exclusions
- Constraints and assumptions
- Initial risks and issues
- Project approach
- Proposed project management team
3. Outline Business Case
- Reason for the project
- Expected benefits
- Expected disbenefits
- High-level costs
- Timeframe
- Main risks
- Initial value judgment
4. Project Product Description
- Final product or capability
- Users and acceptance responsibilities
- Acceptance criteria
- Quality expectations
- Major product dependencies
5. Initiation Stage Plan
- Work needed to create the initiation documentation
- Owners
- Dates
- Review points
- Required inputs
6. Logs
- Daily log entries to start tracking informal notes
- Lessons log entries from previous work
- Early risk, issue, and assumption entries
Quality Bar
- Do not overbuild the project before initiation is approved.
- Make the business justification explicit, even if it is still rough.
- Separate what is known from what still needs investigation.
- Highlight any reason the project should not proceed.