Paul Brothwood: PRINCE2 Project Management in Practice
Paul Brothwood has used PRINCE2 throughout a career spanning financial services, public service, construction and utility operations. As an Operations Manager at National Grid Electricity Distribution, Chartered Environmentalist and PRINCE2 Practitioner, I value the discipline it brings to governance, risk, responsibilities and project delivery. Its value depends on applying the method to the needs of each project without creating unnecessary paperwork.
PRINCE2 Project Management Version 7
PRINCE2 has changed considerably since its origins in government information systems. The current PRINCE2 Project Management Version 7 retains its seven principles, practices and processes. It also gives greater attention to people, sustainability, communication, digital information and tailoring.
These changes make PRINCE2 more useful across construction, utilities, financial services and other operational settings. Projects still need control, but successful delivery also depends on relationships, communication and the ability to respond when conditions change.
Structure without unnecessary bureaucracy
PRINCE2 is sometimes criticised for producing too much paperwork. In my experience, that happens when an organisation applies every document and control in the same way, regardless of the project’s size, risk or complexity.
Tailoring does not mean discarding the core principles. It means adapting roles, reports, controls and decision points to suit the work being delivered.
A small operational improvement does not need the same governance as a major infrastructure programme. It still needs a clear purpose, named responsibilities, agreed tolerances and a method for managing risk and change.
During my time as Chief Operating Officer at T Newman Hire Ltd, roofing and scaffolding projects often involved tight programmes, several subcontractors and significant safety responsibilities. Effective project control came from clear roles, short site meetings, visible risks and prompt decisions. Producing more documents would not have improved delivery.
The documents we used needed to support decisions, accountability and safe working. If a report did not serve one of those purposes, it needed to be simplified or removed.
Continued business justification
One of the strongest PRINCE2 principles is continued business justification. A project should have a clear reason for starting, and that reason should remain valid throughout delivery.
The original business case should not sit untouched after approval. Costs, risks, expected benefits and operational requirements change. Project leaders need to review whether the work still represents the right use of time and resources.
This principle applies to operational improvement as much as major projects. A project might begin with an objective to reduce delays, improve safety or strengthen customer service. The project team should return to that objective at each stage and confirm that the planned work still supports it.
Stopping or changing a project is not automatically a failure. Continuing with work that no longer delivers the intended benefit creates greater risk.
Managing by stages and exceptions
PRINCE2 divides projects into manageable stages. This gives decision-makers regular opportunities to review progress, risk and business justification before committing further resources.
The principle of managing by exception is equally useful. Senior leaders agree tolerances for time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, risk and sustainability. The project manager works within those limits and escalates when forecasts move outside them.
This avoids two common problems. The first is excessive senior involvement in routine decisions. The second is late escalation after a problem has already affected delivery.
Clear tolerances allow decisions to sit with the people who hold the right information. They also help senior leaders concentrate on matters requiring their authority.
People and project leadership
PRINCE2 Version 7 gives people a stronger place within the method. This reflects a basic truth about project delivery. Plans and reports support delivery, but people carry out the work and live with the resulting change.
A project brings together people with different responsibilities, priorities and levels of authority. Clear communication helps them understand the purpose of the work, the decisions they own and the effect of their actions on others.
I saw this repeatedly in construction. Site managers, designers, subcontractors and clients often viewed the same problem differently. Progress improved when the team shared information early and knew who held authority to make the decision.
Leadership also means involving the people affected by the project. A technically sound change will struggle if employees do not understand it, trust it or receive the right support.
My experience during Honda Adventure Roads 2026 reinforced the same lesson. Clear roles, trust and communication matter whenever a team works together under pressure.
Sustainability as project performance
PRINCE2 Version 7 adds sustainability to project performance. This is particularly relevant to my work as a Chartered Environmentalist.
Project success should not be judged solely through cost, time and quality. Leaders should also examine carbon emissions, waste, resource use, environmental risk and the effect of the work on communities.
Sustainability needs to be considered when the project is designed. Adding environmental requirements near the end reduces the available choices and often increases cost.
A project team should define its sustainability requirements, assign responsibility and measure performance throughout delivery. This places environmental management alongside the other factors that influence project decisions.
Digital information and decision-making
Modern projects produce large amounts of information. Digital systems support scheduling, reporting, document control, risk management and communication across teams.
Technology improves access to information, but it does not correct poor ownership or unreliable data. Faster reporting offers little benefit if the source information is incomplete or nobody is responsible for acting on it.
Project teams need agreed sources of information, clear ownership and suitable controls. Reports should show what has changed, why it matters and whether a decision is required.
This supports faster decisions without weakening governance.
Lessons from financial services
My early career in financial services shaped how I think about governance, risk and organisational control. Weaknesses often remain hidden during stable periods and become visible when pressure increases.
I returned to these themes in What I Argued About the Asian Financial Crisis in 2004, and What I Think Now. The crisis showed how poor oversight, unclear risk ownership and weak controls produce serious consequences when conditions change.
The same lesson applies to project management. A risk register should not become an archive of problems. Each significant risk needs an owner, planned response, review date and clear route for escalation.
Good governance does not remove uncertainty. It helps an organisation recognise uncertainty early and respond in a controlled way.
Learning from experience
PRINCE2 requires project teams to learn from experience. Lessons should be sought at the beginning, recorded during delivery and used before the project closes.
Many organisations record lessons but fail to change anything. A completed lessons report has little value if the next project repeats the same problems.
Learning needs ownership. Teams should identify the required change, agree who will deliver it and check whether it produced an improvement.
This principle links closely with my approach to ITIL 4 and operational improvement. Service management and project management use different methods, but they share a focus on value, responsibility and continual improvement.
Outcomes over activity
Completing tasks does not prove that a project has achieved its purpose. The work must produce an outcome that the organisation and its stakeholders value.
This means looking beyond whether a product was delivered. Leaders also need to consider whether people use it, whether it improves performance and whether the expected benefits are achieved.
A new system that employees avoid using is not a successful project. A completed construction project that creates operational problems has not delivered full value. A process improvement that moves delays into another department has not solved the original issue.
PRINCE2 keeps the business case, products and expected benefits connected. This helps prevent project activity from becoming detached from the result it was meant to achieve.
Why PRINCE2 remains relevant
As an Operations Manager, I work in an environment where safety, reliability, customer needs, environmental responsibilities, resources and time all matter. PRINCE2 does not replace technical standards, professional judgement or everyday leadership. It provides a disciplined method for setting direction, controlling change and maintaining accountability.
Its continued relevance comes from the balance between structure and tailoring. Projects need defined responsibilities and controls, but those controls should remain proportionate to the work.
PRINCE2 has changed with the demands placed on modern project teams. Version 7 strengthens the areas that matter most to me as an operational leader, including people, sustainability, communication, data and practical decision-making.
The method works best when it helps people deliver the right outcome. It loses value when compliance with the process becomes the outcome.
Further Reading
Paul Brothwood: Type 1 Diabetes and Project Management
Paul Brothwood: ITIL 4 and Operational Improvement
Paul Brothwood: What Honda Adventure Roads 2026 Taught Me About Leadership
Paul Brothwood: What I Argued About the Asian Financial Crisis in 2004, and What I Think Now
Paul Brothwood is an Operations Manager at National Grid Electricity Distribution, a Chartered Environmentalist and PRINCE2 Practitioner. He writes about project delivery, operational improvement, leadership, sustainability and organisational change, drawing on experience across financial services, public service, construction and utilities.
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