Yes, It is a PRINCE2 Issue

The term "issue" in PRINCE2 carries more meaning than in everyday language. Project managers often underuse the Issue Register because they reserve it for dramatic problems — a supplier going bankrupt, a key team member leaving, a major scope change. But the PRINCE2 issue management process is designed to handle a much wider range of events, concerns, and decisions.

The PRINCE2 Issue Register and Issue Reports are crucial tools to keep your projects under control. Underusing them means important items get handled informally — in emails, in meetings, in people's heads — with no formal record, no tracked decision, and no audit trail.

When Something Qualifies as a PRINCE2 Issue

Log an issue whenever any of the following occur:

• A meeting is needed to obtain a decision from the Project Board or a senior stakeholder
• You are sending email updates about concerns to Project Board members
• A deliverable has failed to meet agreed specifications
• A decision needs to be formally documented
• A change request affects an approved baseline (scope, cost, time, or quality)
• Something promised has not been delivered as expected
• You need guidance or a decision on a problem that falls outside your tolerance

Three Types of PRINCE2 Issue

PRINCE2 defines three types of issue, each handled through the same capture-examine-propose-decide-implement process:

• Request for Change (RFC) — a request to change an approved baseline, such as scope, a product's quality criteria, or a scheduled date
• Off-Specification — something that should have been delivered but has not been, or does not meet its specified quality criteria
• Problem/Concern — anything else that needs the Project Manager's or Project Board's attention that isn't covered by the above two categories

Use the Structured Process

For each issue, use PRINCE2's five-step process from the Change practice: capture, examine, propose, decide, implement. This ensures that every issue is assessed for its impact, a response is proposed, a decision is made and recorded, and the outcome is tracked. A structured Issue Report template makes this process fast and consistent.