PRINCE2 defines six registers and logs that must be maintained throughout the project lifecycle. The good news: there is no requirement to maintain them as separate documents. A single spreadsheet with multiple tabs is a perfectly valid — and often more practical — implementation.
The Six Registers and Logs
Daily Log
The Project Manager's personal notebook. Informal records, action items, observations, and anything that doesn't yet warrant a formal entry elsewhere. Can be as simple as a dated list of notes.
Lessons Log
Records lessons identified during the project — both positive and negative. Feeds into the Lessons Report at stage end and project closure. Often under-maintained; capturing lessons in real time is much more valuable than a retrospective effort at closure.
Issue Register
Tracks all formal issues raised during the project — including requests for change, off-specifications, and general problems that need a management decision. Each issue has an ID, type, status, owner, and resolution.
Risk Register
Records all identified risks — threats and opportunities — with their probability, impact, proximity, and the risk response(s) assigned. Reviewed and updated at each stage boundary and whenever a significant change occurs.
Quality Register
A diary of quality management activity. Records each quality review planned, who was involved, when it occurred, and the result. Provides an audit trail that quality activities actually happened and met their criteria.
Configuration Item Records
Records the status and version history of each product (specialist and management). Particularly important when multiple versions of a product exist simultaneously or when products are handed over incrementally.
One Spreadsheet?
Yes — for most projects, a single spreadsheet with six tabs is entirely appropriate. PRINCE2's tailoring principle explicitly allows you to combine management products where it makes sense. What matters is that the information exists and is maintained — not that it lives in separate files.
For large, complex projects with many issues, risks, and products under configuration control, dedicated tools may provide better visibility and auditability. But for most projects, a well-maintained spreadsheet is the right call.
Download register templates from the PRINCE2 Templates page.