PID A complete example of Project Initiation Documentation according to PRINCE2®

This document is written for educational purposes, for project managers who need to write a document with all agreements between the Project Board and the Project Manager.

The PID, or Project Initiation Documentation is made during the Initiation Stage of a project, before actual design, development and delivery is being done. The document is one of the main documents in the PRINCE2® method and is comparable to the Project Charter or Project Definition Document.

A PID is a management document that does not need to contain many technical details. These can be included in separate appendices. The PID contains management agreements related to the important parameters of projects such as scope, quality, time, costs, risks and benefits. Besides, the document describes how the project will be kept in control and which control mechanisms will be used.

This document does not describe a real project, although similar projects have been carried out in different countries. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This example however, will give project managers a clear idea on how to elaborate a PID for their own project, as the examples are clear and easy to imagine. Remember that each project is different and unique and the document will have to be tailored for different projects.