Most people assume the first plan on a PRINCE2 project is the Project Plan. It isn't. The first plan a Project Manager writes is the Initiation Stage Plan — and it is produced before initiation begins, as part of Starting Up.
Three Levels of Planning
PRINCE2 uses three levels of plan, each serving a different governance purpose:
Project Plan
The high-level plan for the entire project — showing all stages, major products, milestones, and resource requirements. Used by the Project Board to track overall progress and make end-stage decisions. Maintained throughout the project.
Stage Plans
Detailed plans for each delivery stage. The Project Manager works to the current Stage Plan — it is the level of detail at which day-to-day progress is tracked and tolerances are set. Produced at the end of the previous stage in preparation for the next.
Team Plans
Optional plans produced by Team Managers for complex work packages. Used internally by delivery teams; the Project Manager typically does not maintain these — they manage at Work Package level.
The Initiation Stage Plan: A Plan for the Planning
The Initiation Stage Plan is a Stage Plan for the initiation stage. Its products are the management products that will be produced during initiation — the full Business Case, Project Plan, risk assessments, management strategies, and the PID itself.
This is "a plan for the planning" — it answers: how long will initiation take, what resources are needed, and what will be produced? The Project Board uses this plan to authorise the initiation stage, committing the resources needed to produce the PID before committing to the full project.
Why This Matters
The Initiation Stage Plan is often the most under-estimated plan on the project. Initiation is significant work — developing the full Project Plan, Business Case, risk register, management approaches, and role descriptions takes real time and effort. A Project Manager who treats initiation as an administrative formality rather than a managed stage will typically run over time and under-deliver the PID quality the project needs.
Plan initiation as carefully as you plan delivery. The investment pays off in a better PID and a smoother first delivery stage.
See the Plans Practice for the full PRINCE2 approach to planning, including product-based planning techniques.