When to tailor

Another concern in tailoring is timing. Should you tailor your system at the beginning, or rather start using the system and then gradually tailor it? The answer depends on the methodology you’re going to use:

• Maximalist systems such as PRINCE2^® have many elements that cover every need in almost any project. That’s why you can’t use them as is in most projects without tailoring them at the beginning.
• Minimalist systems such as P3.express only contain the essentials that are in common to most projects. Therefore, you can start using them without upfront tailoring, and only start a gradual tailoring after a while to enrich them.

You must always be careful with upfront tailoring because it’s common to come up with a fancy tailored system that later on proves to be too formal or heavy for the project. Always keep the upfront tailoring to a minimum and allow the rest to happen gradually by adapting to your environment.