PRINCE2 Product Description

What is this?

A Product Description is used to:

• Understand the detailed nature, purpose, function and appearance of the product
• Define who will use the product
• Identify the sources of information or supply for the product
• Identify the level of quality required of the product
• Enable identification of activities to produce, review and approve the product
• Define the people or skills required to produce, review and approve the product

Why it’s useful?

This is a PREMIUM template as defined by the PRINCE2 Project Management methodology.

Whilst you can find this template in Appendix A of an official PRINCE2 manual, of course you may not have purchased a manual, or you may just prefer to have an electronic version of it.

How to use it?

This is a ‘vanilla’ template that accompanies the PRINCE2 methodology and is used as the basis for PRINCE2 exams.

Whilst you can use it in its vanilla format we recommend that you think about tailoring it (as suggested by the method itself) bearing in mind the following:

• Industry / organizational specific terminology
• Size / complexity of project
• If the project is part of a programme
• Any existing templates in your organization

A Product Description will be required for each product that has to be created / modified during the project, otherwise the team members / suppliers will not know what is required of them.  Product Descriptions an be re-used from previous projects / products.

Product Descriptions for the major products will be created during the Initiating a Project process as part of Project Planning.  Product Descriptions for further products are typically created during stage planning in Managing a Stage Boundary process.

Product Descriptions are approved / signed off by the Project Board when the associated plans are approved.  They are handed over tt Team Managers  Members as part of a Work Package.