The toolbox is the practical, day-to-day expression of your PRINCE2 implementation. It is the set of templates, tools, and resources that project managers and teams actually use. Getting this right makes the difference between PRINCE2 as theory and PRINCE2 as practice.
Customised Templates
Start with standard PRINCE2 templates and adapt them to fit your organisation's language, branding, and processes. Templates that feel familiar and relevant get used. Generic templates get ignored. The core templates to build are:
- Project Mandate
- Project Brief
- Business Case
- Project Initiation Document (PID)
- Highlight Report
- Work Package
- Risk Register
- Issue Register
- End Stage Report
- Lessons Log
Ready-to-use templates are available on the PRINCE2 Templates page as a starting point.
Document Management
Establish a consistent structure for storing project documents. Whether you use SharePoint, Teams, Google Drive or something else, the folder structure and naming conventions should be standardised across all projects. This makes documents findable by anyone — not just the PM who created them.
Collaboration Tools
Choose collaboration tools that support the PRINCE2 process without adding friction. The best tool is the one your team will actually use. Don't over-engineer this — a well-structured shared folder is often more effective than an under-used project management platform.
Three Levels of Training
Training on the toolbox must happen at all three levels of the PRINCE2 structure:
- Project Board level — executives need to understand their role, what decisions they're asked to make, and how to read project information effectively
- Project Manager level — PMs need deep familiarity with every template and tool in the toolbox
- Team Manager level — team leads need to understand Work Packages, Product Descriptions, and how to report progress
Train on the Toolbox, Not Just the Method
This is a critical distinction: train people on your organisation's toolbox, not just on the theoretical PRINCE2 method. External PRINCE2 courses teach the method. Your internal training teaches people how PRINCE2 works in your specific context — with your templates, your tools, and your vocabulary. Both are needed.