Introduction: In PRINCE2, each theme describes a facet (an important

aspect) of project management that must be monitored and addressed

continually during the life of the project. Each theme has an important purpose
for the success of the project, which is developed based on
the PRINCE2 principles. There are altogether 7 Themes for the PRINCE2
Methodology.

7 Themes of PRINCE2 Methodology

The following provides an overview of the 7 PRINCE2 Themes, these
themes will be discussed in more details in the subsequent PRINCE2 study
notes:

1. Business Case theme describes the business justifications for the project (=
Why the project is taken) [PRINCE2 principles: Continued business
justification]
2. Organisation theme describes the roles and responsibilities of key
stakeholders for the project (= Who are taking up the project and do
what) [PRINCE2 principles: Defined roles and responsibilities]
3. Quality theme describes the quality requirements of the deliverables of the
project to ensure they are fit-for-purpose (= What will be
delivered) [PRINCE2 principles: Focus on products]
4. Plans theme plans the project activities and control and communication
mechanisms with a view to achieving project objectives within the budgeted
resources and timeframe (= How and When to create the products and perform
the activities and How much time and money required), the Plans theme also
details how the PRINCE2 techniques are applied and steps to develop the
plans [PRINCE2 principles: Manage by stages, Tailor to suit the project
environment, Learn from experience]
5. Risk theme investigates and details the uncertainties the project is facing and
the plan to manage and handle them (= What if __ happens?) [PRINCE2
principles: Manage by exception]
6. Change theme describes how issues and changes are to be assessed (against
approved plans and budget) and managed (issue are unplanned events that need to
be dealt with in the project) so that changes are agreed upon with the relevant
authority [PRINCE2 principles: Manage by exception and Learn from
experience]
7. Progress theme compares actual project achievements against the plan and
details the decision-making and escalation processes for approving plans and
changes [PRINCE2 principles: Managing by Stage, Continued Business
Justification and Manage by Exception]
Though all the 7 RPINCE2 themes must be applied in the project, however,
these should be tailored according to the scale, level of risk and complexity of
the project in question. And the PRINCE2 Themes can be tailored up or
down i.e. for a complex project, the project manager can
require more detailed documentations and tighter control for the process; for a
simpler project, informal communication instead of formal written
documentation may be sufficient.
(These are somewhat like the counterparts of the Project Management Knowledge
Areas as described in the PMP Certification Exam: Project Integration
Management, Project Scope Management, Project Time Management, Project Cost
Management, Project Quality Management, Project Human Resource Management,
Project Communications Management, Project Risk Management, Project
Procurement Management.)