The Starting Up a Project process is where PRINCE2 begins for each new project. Getting this right — on the first few projects you run under PRINCE2 — is critical for building confidence in the method across the organisation.
Avoid Over-Implementation
The most common mistake at this stage is applying too much PRINCE2 at once. Every document, every register, every management product — all introduced simultaneously. The result is bureaucracy, resistance, and a PRINCE2 implementation that collapses under its own weight.
Start lean. Introduce the three most impactful starting-up artefacts, and build from there.
Introduce the Business Case
The Business Case is PRINCE2's mechanism for ensuring every project has a clear, justified reason to exist — and that this justification is maintained throughout the project. Introduce it early. Executives respond well to business-case thinking because it connects projects to business outcomes, not just deliverables.
Keep the initial Business Case brief. A one or two-page document that answers "why are we doing this, what does it cost, and what benefit do we expect?" is far more effective than a detailed financial model that nobody reads.
Introduce Product-Based Planning
Product-Based Planning is one of PRINCE2's most powerful and most underused concepts. Instead of planning tasks and activities, you plan products — the things the project will create. This shifts conversations from "what will we do?" to "what will we deliver?" — which is far more useful for executives and stakeholders.
Introduce the Project Brief
The Project Brief is the first formal project document — a short, structured summary of what the project is, why it exists, and what it will produce. It is created during Starting Up and approved before initiation begins. It acts as the sanity check that separates well-defined projects from vague ideas.
Add a Status Column to the Project List
Update the project portfolio list to include a "Starting Up / Initiating / Executing / Closing" status for each project. This makes the PRINCE2 lifecycle visible to the whole organisation — and helps executives understand where each project is in its lifecycle at a glance.
Show a Business-Centric Approach
Frame everything in terms of business value. PRINCE2 is not about paperwork — it is about ensuring that every project delivers something worthwhile and that the organisation can see this clearly. When stakeholders understand this, resistance drops significantly.